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Introduction of Asian American Activism
Asian American activism broadly refers to the political movements and social justice activities involving Asian Americans. The general definition of activism is "the activity of working to achieve political or social change, especially as a member of an organization with particular aims." Since the second half of the nineteenth century, Asians in the United States have been actively engaged in social and political organizing. The issues which they attempt to address range from immigration and racial justice to women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights, labor rights, criminal justice and climate change. However, Asian American activism has hardly been visible to the mainstream. The prevalent model minority stereotypes which tend to portray Asians as being silent, obedient and apolitical not only discredits the important contributions which Asian Americans have made to the national struggles for justice and equality, it also discourages the contemporary generations from resisting the status quo of institutionalized racism. As Linh Dich points out, "Asians and Asian Americans. . . are often left out of political narratives, such as the Civil Rights movement, which prevents Asian and Asian Americans from being seen as a generative force for political rhetoric and change." Therefore, to challenge the predominant racial stereotypes against Asians, it is crucial to make the history of Asian American activism more accessible to the public. The Asian American Movement The 1960s was an era of social change. The rise of liberal, radical ideas especially among college students prompted a series of social and political movements against racism, colonialism, imperialism, gender inequality and so on. Among all the racially conscious movements, Asian American Movement was a middle-class reform effort organized by Asian Americans that aimed to achieve racial equality, social justice and political empowerment in a culturally pluralistic American society. The Movement started in the late 1960s in response to two major historical trends: the growing number of college-age Asian Americans and the widespread anti-Vietnam War sentiment. At the beginning, Asian Americans participated in the anti-Vietnam war effort as individual protesters, but it later grew into collective movement. The Movement spanned from the 1960s to mid-1970s, and signified an uptick in representation and activism within the Asian American community that had faced discriminatory policy and sentiment for so long. The Asian American Movement was closely linked to other social and political activism during the same era such as the labor movements, Civil Rights Movement, anti-Vietnam War movement, Free Speech Movement and anti-imperialist movement.