The Asian American Movement The Asian American Movement began in the late 1960s and continued throughout the 70s and 80s. The earliest and key moments of this movement began in California. Many factors contributed to the movement as Americans of Asian descents joined together to fight their shared persecution and to rally for acknowledgement and acceptance. The term “Oriental was replaced by “Asian American” as a clear message that Americans of Asian descents should be recognized as equals and part of American society. There were several demonstrations in colleges along the west coast that campaigned for the establishment of Asian American studies programs in universities. There were also community activists that brought attention to the
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It was one of the first pan-Asian political groups to campaign against racial oppression. It encouraged Asian Americans to claim their own cultural identity with the word choice of “Asian American” rather than “Oriental” in the group’s name since it was the first to do so. Student activists influenced by anti-Vietnam War and black power movements challenged the stereotypes and racist labels. A notable figure in the movement and AAPA, Floyd Huen says in a personal account,
The formation of the Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA) ... in 1967-68 brought this budding Asian American self and political consciousness to a different level. It consciously considered the formation of a "yellow caucus" within the nascent Peace and Freedom Party; supported the Black Panther Party; and saw the war in Vietnam as a racist, imperialist war by the U.S. government …show more content…
Asian Americans have faced prejudice, discrimination, and harassed. They have been denied equal rights, unjustly imprisoned, attacked, and murdered. The Japanese imprisonment, Chinese immigrant bans, and the xenophobia spread during the Vietnam War proved to be definite catalysts for the anti-Asian sentiment. A particular hate crime that sparked outrage within the Asian American Community is the Murder of Vincent Chin. Chin, a Chinese-American man from Michigan was brutally beat to death in 1982 by two white men who blamed Asians for Detroit’s auto industry’s decline. The men spent no time in prison and were handed light sentences. The judge Charles Kaufman justified his decision by saying, “These aren’t the kind of men you send to jail. You fit the punishment to the criminal, not the crime.” The savage murder and light sentences angered the community and resulted in rallies, campaigns, and the formation of a new organization. Thousands of Asian Americans rallied in Detroit and the case soon became the center of national media attention and a group of Asian Americans founded the American Citizens for Justice (ACJ) in 1983 to lobby for a federal trial for Vincent Chin’s murderers. They succeeded, but after a series of mistrials, Chin’s murderers were eventually acquitted and spent no time in jail. Although this movement did not gain justice for Chin, it gave a resonant
It was one of the first pan-Asian political groups to campaign against racial oppression. It encouraged Asian Americans to claim their own cultural identity with the word choice of “Asian American” rather than “Oriental” in the group’s name since it was the first to do so. Student activists influenced by anti-Vietnam War and black power movements challenged the stereotypes and racist labels. A notable figure in the movement and AAPA, Floyd Huen says in a personal account,
The formation of the Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA) ... in 1967-68 brought this budding Asian American self and political consciousness to a different level. It consciously considered the formation of a "yellow caucus" within the nascent Peace and Freedom Party; supported the Black Panther Party; and saw the war in Vietnam as a racist, imperialist war by the U.S. government …show more content…
Asian Americans have faced prejudice, discrimination, and harassed. They have been denied equal rights, unjustly imprisoned, attacked, and murdered. The Japanese imprisonment, Chinese immigrant bans, and the xenophobia spread during the Vietnam War proved to be definite catalysts for the anti-Asian sentiment. A particular hate crime that sparked outrage within the Asian American Community is the Murder of Vincent Chin. Chin, a Chinese-American man from Michigan was brutally beat to death in 1982 by two white men who blamed Asians for Detroit’s auto industry’s decline. The men spent no time in prison and were handed light sentences. The judge Charles Kaufman justified his decision by saying, “These aren’t the kind of men you send to jail. You fit the punishment to the criminal, not the crime.” The savage murder and light sentences angered the community and resulted in rallies, campaigns, and the formation of a new organization. Thousands of Asian Americans rallied in Detroit and the case soon became the center of national media attention and a group of Asian Americans founded the American Citizens for Justice (ACJ) in 1983 to lobby for a federal trial for Vincent Chin’s murderers. They succeeded, but after a series of mistrials, Chin’s murderers were eventually acquitted and spent no time in jail. Although this movement did not gain justice for Chin, it gave a resonant