The

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

Asian American Studies Center (AASC) is an organization that educates students and the general public about the history of Asian American and Pacific Islanders and their experiences. The AASC is one of the leading and groundbreaking organizations to have substantial and credible resources for their research. Located in Campbell Hall, the AASC quickly became a center for resource-gathering and scholarship for the

Asian American movement The Asian American movement was a sociopolitical movement in which the widespread grassroots effort of Asian Americans affected racial, social and political change in the U.S, reaching its peak in the late 1960s to mid-1970s. During this period Asia ...

. Asian American student organizations at CSULA, Occidental, USC, and other colleges soon followed. It was a vital hub and training ground for young activists, a place where they could earn a salary while doing community work.

History

The AASC was founded in 1969 by student activists, community advocates, alumni, and faculty allies as a result of the Asian American Movement and the strikes by the

Third World Liberation Front In 1968, the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF), a coalition of the Black Students Union, the Latin American Students Organization, the Filipino American Collegiate Endeavor (PACE) the Filipino-American Students Organization, the Asian American P ...

(TWLF). The Asian American movement which was most active during the 1960s through the 1970s was a sociopolitical movement for racial justice and protested against racism and US neo-imperialism. The movement demanded reformations in institutions such as colleges and universities and sought out social services such as healthcare, food, and housing for underrepresented Asian Americans. The TWLF was a coalition of the

Black Students Union In higher education in the United States, a Black Student Union (BSU) is an organization of Black students, generally with a focus on protest. Historically functioning as a Black counterpart to the largely white organization Students for a Democra ...

, the Latin American Students Organization, the

Intercollegiate Chinese for Social Action The Intercollegiate Chinese for Social Action (ICSA) was a student organization formed in 1967 at San Francisco State College (now San Francisco State University). The group organized various community-oriented events and service projects, particula ...

, the Philippine American Collegiate Endeavor, American Indian Student Organization, Mexican American Student Confederation and the

Asian American Political Alliance The Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA) was a political organization started at University of California, Berkeley in 1968 that aimed to unite all Asian Americans under one identity to push for political and social action. The two main chapte ...

that formed in

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different b ...

and at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

in 1968–1969. Students of color protested against the university’s administrations for ethnic studies and open admissions in response to the Eurocentric education and lack of diversity within the disciplines and teachers. On November 6, 1968, African American, Asian American, Chicano, Latino, and Native American students initiated and sustained the San Francisco State Strike which became the longest student strike in US history and lasted for 167 days. On January 22, 1969, the UC Berkeley Third World Strikes began which continued the fight for student of colors to gain ethnic studies into their college education.

Organization

The AASC serves the UCLA campus and students and faculty in the social sciences, the humanities department, and the professional schools. The center also serves the wider audiences in the state, nation, and internationally by bridging professionals, scholars, and leaders around the world to the UCLA community. The AASC is one of four ethnic studies centers established at UCLA in 1969 that are now part of the Institute of American Cultures (IAC) ac site which reports to the Office of the Chancellor at UCLA. The AASC works to initiate and advance innovative research, events that will promote awareness, diversity, advocacy, and discussion of issues related to race and ethnicity, fellowships and research grant programs, scholarships and civic engagement.

Academics

The AASC’s formal Interdepartmental Degree Program was officially re-established as a Department of Asian American Studies at UCLA in 2004, during the thirty-fifth anniversary of the AASC. The Executive Board of the Academic Senate at UCLA voted in favor of departmentalization with the Chancellor’s approval.¹ A community reception was held in the

Los Angeles Chinatown Chinatown is a neighborhood in Downtown Los Angeles, California, that became a commercial center for Chinese and other Asian businesses in Central Los Angeles in 1938. The area includes restaurants, shops, and art galleries, but also has a reside ...

to celebrate the new UCLA Department of Asian American Studies, where community members and leaders, such as

California Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Asse ...

members

Judy Chu Judy May Chu (born July 7, 1953) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, she has held a seat in Congress since 2009, representing until redistricting. Chu is the first Chines ...

and

George Nakano George Nakano (born November 24, 1935) served as a California State Assemblyman for the 53rd district from 1998 until 2004. During his time in the Assembly, Nakano was chosen to serve as the chairman of the Democratic caucus. In 2006, Nakano sou ...

, shared stories about how UCLA Asian American Studies had affected their lives. Part of UCLA’s College of Letters and Science the undergraduate program in the Department offers a Bachelor of Arts degree for Asian American Studies. The graduate program of the Department offers a Master of Arts degree.

Facilities

UCLA Asian American Studies Library/Reading Room (RR/L) * The RR/L provides any student on campus with information on Asian American Studies. It is open at specific times during each quarter of the academic year. The RR/L tries to help the students and curriculum in two different ways: 1) developing and maintaining current information and research and 2) developing additional information to different resources.

Publications

The AASC also produces publications through UCLA AASC Press, including

Amerasia Journal ''Amerasia Journal'' is a triannual peer-reviewed academic journal established in 1971 that covers Pacific Islander and Asian American studies . The journal regularly publishes special issues addressing a particular theme. History The Amerasia jo ...

AAPI Nexus Journal
an
CrossCurrents
AAPI Nexus is a national journal that focuses on policies, practices and community research and draws information from professional schools, applied social science scholars, practitioners and public policy advocates to support Asian American Studies’ mission to serve AAPI communities and provide practical research. The Center Press has published Amerasia Journal since 1971 and the founding publisher of Amerasia Journal was Don T. Nakanishi. Amerasia Journal played a crucial role in “establishing Asian American Studies as a relevant field of scholarship, teaching, community service, and public discourse.” CrossCurrents is the annual newsmagazine for AASC that covers the highlights of Asian American Studies and AASC’s community

Alumni

* Jeff Chang (MA) * York Chang * John Delloro (MA) * Alice Hom * Florante Ibanez (MA) * Scott Kurishige * Emily Lawsin *

Dawn Mabalon Dawn Bohulano Mabalon (August 17, 1972 – August 10, 2018) was an American academic who worked on documenting the history of Filipino Americans. Mabalon was born in Stockton, and earned her doctoral degree from Stanford University; she later t ...

(MA) *

Randall Park Randall may refer to the following: Places United States *Randall, California, former name of White Hall, California, an unincorporated community * Randall, Indiana, a former town *Randall, Iowa, a city *Randall, Kansas, a city *Randall, Minnesot ...

(MA) * Jennifer F. Tseng (MA) *

Ali Wong Alexandra Dawn Ali Wong (born April 19, 1982) is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She is best known for her Netflix stand-up specials ''Baby Cobra'' (2016), ''Hard Knock Wife'' (2018), and ''Don Wong'' (2022). She starred in the film ' ...

(BA) *

Kristina Wong Kristina Wong () is an American comedienne known primarily for her work as a solo theater performer, performance artist, and actor. She identifies as a feminist and her work often tackles themes regarding race, sex, and privilege, often in conjun ...

References

{{Authority control University of California, Los Angeles Asian-American organizations