ABSTRACT Title of Document: “ONE RAW MATERIAL IN THE RACIAL LABORATORY:” CHINESE, FILIPINO, AND JAPANESE STUDENTS AND WEST COAST CIVIL RIGHTS, 1915-1968. Stephanie Hinnershitz, Doctor of Philosophy, 2013 Directed By: Professor Julie Greene History Department Between 1915 and 1968, Chinese, Filipino, and Japanese students studying at colleges and universities along the West Coast in the United States created, organized, and led influential civil rights groups. Although these students were only “temporary” visitors to the U.S., they became deeply involved in protesting the racism and discrimination that characterized life for Asian immigrants, Asian Americans, and other minorities in California and Washington. With the assistance of larger organizations such as the Young Men’s and Young Women’s Christian Associations and the World Student Christian Federation, these foreign students formed their own campus groups during the1920s and 1930s that allowed them to build relationships with each other as well as students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. The discrimination and segregation that visiting students from Asia faced in cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle also prompted them to consider their roles in promoting justice for racial minorities while in the U.S. By leading and participating in petition campaigns, national youth conventions, and labor organizations, students from China, Japan, and the Philippines worked together to build an activist network with African American, Asian American, white, and other foreign students devoted to ending racial discrimination and promoting civil rights and liberties for all in the U.S. Considering the continuity in ideas, ethnic and racial composition, and leadership between pre and post-World War II equality activist groups, I argue that Chinese, Filipino, and Japanese students were key players in the creation of a West Coast civil rights movement that began during the interwar period. By analyzing the records of Asian Christian campus groups, national and international youth group meeting minutes, student newspapers, yearbooks, and local West Coast community newspapers, my dissertation will alter the traditional narrative of civil rights history by arguing that the push for immigrant and human rights was a foundation for racial justice during the twentieth century. “ONE RAW MATERIAL IN THE RACIAL LABORATORY:” CHINESE, FILIPINO, AND JAPANESE STUDENTS AND WEST COAST CIVIL RIGHTS, 1915-1968 by Stephanie Hinnershitz Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2013 Advisory Committee: Professor Julie Greene, Chair Professor Eiichiro Azuma Professor Lisa Mar Professor Robyn Muncy Professor Janelle Wong © Copyright by Stephanie Hinnershitz 2013 Acknowledgements This dissertation is the result of years of support, encouragement, and friendship from so many people. While I have tried to thank everyone who has made this possible, there are many more that have helped me with this endeavor beyond the scope of academia. That being said, any shortcomings in this dissertation are mine alone. First and foremost I would like to thank my advisor, Julie Greene, and co-advisor, Lisa Mar, for their insights and guidance in the completion of this dissertation and throughout the graduate school experience in general. Julie has helped shape this project and tirelessly provided detailed, line-by-line edits of dissertation drafts, cover letters, and article submissions (to name a few). Without her help, this would not have been possible. Lisa has also been an unending source of warmth and support here at Maryland, introducing me to colleagues in Asian American history, guiding me through the networking process, and helping me to become a better teacher. Lisa saw the value in my project from day one and I am eternally grateful for her support. I have been very fortunate to work with such great scholars here at Maryland. My committee has also been critical to this project. Robyn Muncy, Janelle Wong, and Eiichiro Azuma have graciously given their time to assisting me with my dissertation, encouraging me to “think big” about my claims and helping me to refine my arguments. They have all helped to strengthen this work. This dissertation required numerous trips to archives along the West Coast and in other parts of the U.S. and I am indebted to the archivists who in many ways made this possible. I would like to acknowledge Charlotte Brown and Vivian Wong at the Charles ii E. Young Library at UCLA; Ryan Bean at the Kautz Family YMCA Archives at the University of Minnesota; Martha Smalley at the Yale Divinity Library; Gary Lundell at the University of Washington Special Collections; Pang Xiong, Tien Doan, and Reme Grafalda at the Asian Division of the Library of Congress (Pang quite literally made Chapter 5 possible with her discovery of a much-needed source!); and Fred and Dorothy Cordova at the Filipino American National Historical Society Archives in Seattle. Without their assistance and warm welcomes, I would not have found half of the materials I needed for my dissertation. Various organizations, archives, and agencies have graciously funded the research required for this dissertation. Time and again, the University of Maryland and the University of Maryland History Department have provided funds for various research trips. The Center for the History of the New America at the University of Maryland also provided a semester of graduate assistant support. The Social Science Research Council funded the initial research phase for this project, while the James and Sylvia Thayer Research Fund and the Elmer S. Andersen Scholars Program funded trips to the UCLA special collections and the YMCA Archives at the University of Minnesota. A Florence Tan Moeson fellowship from the Library of Congress allowed me to complete crucial, last-minute research in Washington, DC, while a generous grant from the Mellon Foundation and American Council of Learned Societies provided me with the precious time and money needed to write my dissertation. Many conference and workshop participants have also shaped this dissertation, providing valuable comments and feedback at early stages of this project. I am especially grateful for the opportunity to present portions of my work at the annual meetings of the iii American Historical Association and the Association for Asian American Studies meeting as well as the Columbia University International History conference. At conferences, workshops, and meetings, I have had the opportunity to get to know some wonderful people who, although not directly involved in the dissertation process, have been helpful nonetheless. Trevor Hoppe, Melissa Adler, and Kate Jirik have all shaped my research at an early stage in the process through meetings sponsored by the Social Science Research Council, while Angela Ju has offered not only her feedback, but also her home on research trips to LA. Although I met Melissa Borja late in the game at a workshop, she has proven to be a source of scholarly inspiration and support towards the completion of graduate school. Roxy Pebdani has been my friend since my first year at Maryland, providing me with many opportunities to whine and complain, but reminding me that I need to keep it together. I couldn’t have imagined doing this without her. As for all the students at the University of Maryland who have been there with me through this project, I don’t even know where to begin. This journey has also given me some of the best friendships I could have hoped for. Through various trials and tribulations, good times and bad, my fellow colleagues at the University of Maryland made this whole process less stressful and, dare I say, fun? First and foremost, I could not have imagined getting through a PhD without one of my very best friends, Joshua Bearden. Josh, I am truly grateful to have met you and I hope that we will continue to grow together as friends and colleagues as time goes on. I feel as though there are so many friends from the University of Maryland that I owe my sanity and accomplishments to when looking back. William Burghart, Joshua iv Walker, Jon Franklin, and Stephen Duncan were with me at Maryland from day one as we came into the program together and attempted to navigate our way through. Reid Gustafson: I am not sure what I am going to do without hearing you whistle down the hall or pop up in my office with pictures of people from my dissertation, but thank you for all of your help and kind words throughout the years. Brandi Townsend has always been there to lend ideas and laughs throughout this process as a colleague and friend. Sine Hwang Jensen has been an unending fountain of support and friendship, sharing my love of Asian American history and encouraging me to think broadly of the importance of this topic. Likewise, Douglas Samuel, my theoretical American Studies buddy, always pushed me to get my head out of the archives once in a while and, heaven forbid, think about the F-word (Foucault) time and again. Scott Heerman courageously read drafts of my dissertation and offered wonderful advice and comments. And last, but certainly not least, I’d like to thank my husband, Rob, for all of his support. There is absolutely no way that I could have written this dissertation without him. v Table of Contents Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………ii Table of Contents……………………………………………………………………...vi