Day 51: Emma Gee & Yuri Ichioka, Asian American Political Alliance & Coining “Asian American”, UCLA, California

📌APIA Every Day (51) - In 1968, graduate students Emma Gee and Yuji Ichioka from the University of California Berkeley founded the Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA) on campus. Their objective was to enhance the visibility of Asian descent activists amid the rise of civil rights advocacy groups such as Black Power, American Indian, and anti-war movements. The establishment of AAPA is believed to mark the first use of the term "Asian American." Before this, individuals of Asian descent primarily identified with specific ethnic subgroups, and the term "oriental" was commonly used, carrying racist connotations. Gee and Ichioka strategically coined "Asian American" to foster a broader and more inclusive identity, seeking increased visibility and effectiveness in political demonstrations.

As a Chinese American (Gee) and Japanese American (Ichioka) couple, their establishment of AAPA symbolized the integration of various Asian American subgroups at a time when segregation between them was diminishing. They employed inclusive methods, recruiting members with Asian last names from diverse campus political groups, emphasizing a multiethnic approach. Discrimination against Asian Americans during World War II and the Vietnam War fueled the necessity for unity. Notably, their work at AAPA, part of the Third World Liberation Front coalition, eventually led to the couple teaching and founding the earliest Asian American courses at UCLA’s Asian American Studies Center.

In recent years, the term remains crucial amid pandemic-fueled racism, underscoring its significance in the #stopasianhate movements. It is important to note that the Asian American identity emerged as a reaction to a prolonged history of Asian exclusion in the United States, marked by the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act and 1920s Supreme Court Cases that explicitly denied the classification of individuals of Asian descent as "free White persons." Current discussions surrounding the term "Asian Americans" involve the necessity of disaggregated data, proper representation of all Asian subgroups, and the grouping of Asians and Pacific Islan Americanders under a single label.

Emma Gee and Yuji Ichioka’s activist work extends beyond AAPA; Gee, an advocate for Asian American women literature and her involvement in the Pacific Asian American Women Writers West, and Ichioka, a senior Asian American Studies researcher and Professor of History at UCLA. While there is criticism of the term and its application to those of Asian descent, their work brought in new perspectives and fueled the Asian American civil rights movement in the 60s. With UCLA staged as the birthplace of a movement, how are we equipped to recognize Gee & Ichioka’s convening there?

LEARN MORE:

TIME: In 1968, These Activists Coined the Term ‘Asian American’—And Helped Shape Decades of Advocacy

Densho Encyclopedia: Yuji Ichioka

CNN: The term ‘Asian American’ has a radical history

SFGATE: Yuji Ichioka: Asian American studies pioneer

Pew Research Center: Diverse Cultures and Shared Experiences Shape Asian American Identities

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