RETHINKING THE ASIAN AMERICAN MOVEMENT Although it is one of the least-known social movements of the 1960s and 1970s, the Asian American movement drew upon some of the most powerful currents of the era, and had a wide-ranging impact on the political landscape of Asian America, and more generally, the United States. Using the racial discourse of the Black Power and other movements, as well as anti-war activist and the global decolonization movements, the Asian American movement succeeded in creating a multiethnic alliance of Asians in the United States and gave them a voice in their own destinies. Rethinking the Asian American Movement provides a short, accessible overview of this important social and political movement, highlighting key events and key figures, the movement’s strengths and weaknesses, how it intersected with other social and political movements of the time, and its lasting effect on the country. It is perfect for anyone wanting to obtain an introduction to the Asian American movement of the twentieth century. Daryl Joji Maeda is Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder, USA. American Social and Political Movements of the Twentieth Century Series Editor: Heather Ann Thompson Rethinking the American Anti-War Movement By Simon Hall Rethinking the Asian American Movement By Daryl Joji Maeda RETHINKING THE ASIAN AMERICAN MOVEMENT Daryl Joji Maeda First published 2012 by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Simultaneously published in the UK by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2012 Taylor & Francis The right of Daryl Joji Maeda to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Maeda, Daryl J. Rethinking the Asian American movement / by Daryl Joji Maeda. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Asian Americans--Politics and government--20th century. 2. Asian Americans--Social conditions--20th century. 3. United States--Race relations--History--20th century. 4. United States--Social conditions--20th century. I. Title. E184.A75M343 2011 305.8950073--dc23 2011040233 ISBN: 978-0-415-80081-5 (hbk) ISBN: 978-0-415-80082-2 (pbk) ISBN: 978-0-203-35748-4 (ebk) Typeset in Bembo by Taylor & Francis Books Printed and bound in the Walsworth Publishing Company, Marceline, Mo. CONTENTS Series Editor’s Introduction vi Acknowledgements vii Abbreviations ix Introduction: Reframing the Movement 1 1 Key Organizations 9 2 Campus Activism 27 3 Community Activism in Cities and the Countryside 52 4 Arts and Culture 85 5 Interracialism, Internationalism, and Intersections of Gender and Race 107 6 Consolidations and Transformation 136 7 Conclusion: The Asian American Movement Remix 147 Notes 150 Bibliography 170 Index 179 SERIES EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION Welcome to the American Social and Political Movements of the 20th Century series at Routledge. This collection of works by top historians from around the nation and world introduces students to the myriad movements that came together in the United States during the twentieth century to expand democracy, to reshape the political economy, and to increase social justice. Each book in this series explores a particular movement’s origins, its central goals, its leading as well as grassroots figures, its actions as well as its ideas, and its most important accomplishments as well as serious missteps. With this series of concise yet synthetic overviews and reassessments, students not only will gain a richer understanding of the many human rights and civil liberties that they take for granted today, but they will also newly appreciate how recent, how deeply contested, and thus how inherently fragile, are these same elements of American citizenship. Heather Ann Thompson Temple University ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This book, which attempts to reinterpret a multifarious social movement, has been shaped by conversations, discussions, debates, and arguments with many people. Throughout the process of conceptualizing and writing it, I have been privileged to share ideas about Asian American activism, interracialism, and internationalism in personal exchanges, at conferences and symposia, and/or by exchanging papers with many who have helped to shape my thinking: among others, Sylvia Chan-Malik, John Cheng, Sylvia Chong, May Fu, Estella Habal, Moon-Ho Jung, Ben Kobashigawa, Lon Kurashige, Scott Kurashige, Karen Leong, Laura Pulido, Greg Robinson, Seema Sohi, Wesley Ueunten, Linda Vo, William Wei, Judy Wu, Caroline Yang, and Lisa Yun. Diane Fujino has been especially influential and helpful: her meticulous biographies of Yuri Kochiyama and Richard Aoki (forthcoming) are inspiring works that show how to bind together discrepant histories of Asian American and black activism, her historiography of the Asian American movement laid out the field in which this book is planted, and her generously offered, stringent, yet constructive criticism on major parts of this manuscript enriched it greatly. Nancy Araki and Allyson Nakamoto of the Japanese American National Museum were supportive, especially as I was finishing my first book and embarking on the formative stages of this project. I am especially indebted to Richard Katsuda, Kathy Nishimoto Masaoka, Mark Masaoka, Jim Matsuoka, Mike Murase, Erich Nakano, Alan Nishio, Dean Toji, Bill Watanabe, and Evelyn Yoshimura for allowing me to interview them about the housing struggle in Little Tokyo. Their reminiscences and analyses of nationalism and internationalism helped me to conceptualize larger parts of the manuscript as well. Though this book is a communal production, I accept all errors as my personal property. My editor at Routledge, Kimberly Guinta, has been enthusiastic and patient in appropriate measures, and always helpful and utterly professional, and series editor viii Acknowledgements Heather Thompson has provided an inspiring intellectual vision of how to frame the movements of the 1960s and 1970s. Many thanks to my friends and colleagues at the University of Colorado at Boulder, who have provided intellectual commu- nity, political camaraderie, and sustenance of the soul. Being in a Department of Ethnic Studies reminds me constantly of the fruits of the struggles described in this book and of the necessity to continue those struggles. My students at CU Boulder— especially in seminars on social movements of the 1970s and Asian American radicalism—have challenged my thinking in innumerable ways and for that they have my gratitude. Two special shout outs: the first goes to my friends and mentors at the College of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University, which is both a subject of this book and, as my alma mater, an inspiration. A second goes to the Blue Scholars, whose “The Long March” EP provided the soundtrack for the writing of this book: “International District, rock rock on,” indeed. It’s my hope that this book, in some small way, will contribute to understanding the Asian American movement as an interracial and international district of its own. Finally, I am enormously grateful to the best family on earth for their encour- agement, patience, and inspiration. Thanks to my mother, Amelia Maeda, for all her support, and to my in-laws, Ken and Fran Dutro, and my little sister Katie for always being there when needed. Alex and Kenji made me smile and reminded me why cooking, movies, videogames and snowboarding are sometimes more important than writing. As always, Elizabeth Dutro has been my rock through thick and thin. ABBREVIATIONS AAA Asian Americans for Action AAFEE Asian Americans for Equal Employment AAPA Asian American Political Alliance AASU Afro-American Student Union ACC Asian Community Center AETF Anti-Eviction Task Force ASG Asian Study Group BAACAW Bay Area Asian Coalition Against the War BSU Black Student Union CANE Committee Against Nihonmachi Eviction CCBA Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association COINTELPRO Counter Intelligence Program CPP Communist Party of the Philippines CRA Community Redevelopment Agency FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation FFP Friends of the Filipino People FUCKU Free University of Chinatown Kids, Unincorporated ICSA Intercollegiate Chinese for Social Action IHTA International Hotel Tenants Association IWK I Wor Kuen JACCC Japanese American Cultural and Community Center JACS-AI Japanese American Community Services, Asian Involvement Office KKC Kokua Kalama Committee KMT Kuomintang LACRR Los Angeles Committee for Redress and Reparations x Abbreviations LASO Latin American Student Organization LOP Laotian Organizing Project LTRA Little Tokyo Redevelopment Association NPAC National Peace Action Coalition LRS League of Revolutionary Struggle LTCDAC Little Tokyo Community Development Advisory Committee LTPRO Little Tokyo People’s Rights Organization LTSC Little Tokyo Service Center MASC Mexican American Student Confederation NASO Native American