UCLA Asian American Studies Center | AASC

Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month 🌟 To celebrate, we are launching Foundations and Futures: Asian American and Pacific Islander Multimedia Textbook! 💻 📖 Foundations and Futures: Asian American and Pacific Islander Multimedia Textbook is the most comprehensive collection of Asian American and Pacific Islander histories and perspectives available for free and online for high school, college, and lifelong learners. Learn the past through the lens of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders because our history is your history. Understand how our lives are interconnected across the Pacific, Asia, and America. Explore the ways Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made and continue to make positive change in the world. This unprecedented resource covers over twenty Pacific Islander and Asian American peoples and communities. This textbook revolutionizes how we understand the complex world around us, including our place in it. Join us at Reclaiming Our Narrative: Presenting Foundations and Futures on May 9, 2026 at UCLA’s Luskin Conference Center to celebrate the launch of the groundbreaking project — registered now (very limited tickets left!) Saturday, May 9, 2026 10:00am to 3:00pm (Check in begins at 9:00am) UCLA Luskin Conference Center Celebrate with world-renowned authors, engaging conversations, and live performances. Get your tickets now: bit.ly/40LTiT3 (link in bio!) #aapiheritagemonth #aapi #aapihm #ucla

BREAKING: The AASC is is profoundly grateful to UCLA alumni Helen and Morgan Chu for their transformative $10 million pledge to the UCLA Institute of American Cultures (@uclaiac ). This is the largest gift ever made to the institute.   Because of the Chus' generosity, each of the Institute's four ethnic studies research centers will hold an endowed chair and obtain additional support for their work fulfilling the premise and promise on which they were founded in 1969.   “Morgan and I believe that the gulfs that persist in separating people can be bridged through study and research but also through conversation and, ultimately, mutual understanding,” Helen Chu said. “We are proud to make a gift that will help the faculty, students and staff associated with the UCLA Institute of American Cultures to advance social justice causes in the decades to come.”   Longtime donors to UCLA, the Chus participated in student-led protests in the 1960s that brought about the creation of UCLA’s ethnic studies centers.    Their latest gift is intended to create four endowed chairs and provide wider support for the work of the UCLA Institute of American Cultures.   The funding will help the campus remain a leader at a critical time for research and programs related to race and ethnic studies and Native and Indigenous studies.   Their previous philanthropy led to the creation of the Morgan and Helen Chu Chair in Asian American Studies, the Helen and Morgan Chu Director’s Chair of the Asian American Studies Center and the Morgan & Helen Chu Scholarship Fund for Asian American undergraduate students.   Pictured: 1. Morgan Chu at the center of a group of students marching up Bruin Walk in the 1960s.  2. Morgan and Helen Chu recently.   Read more (links in bio): @UCLA Newsroom: https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/helen-morgan-chu-gift-to-benefit-ucla-institute-of-american-cultures   More coverage by @latimes : /california/story/2024-02-05/ucla-expands-ethnic-studies-amid-fraught-politics

Yuri Kochiyama is one of the most iconic figures in the Asian American community, civil rights, and social movement history and today we are celebrating Yuri on her birthday! 🎉 The UCLA Asian American Studies Library and Reading Room created a digital exhibition and collection containing over 4,000 images deepens our understanding of Yuri’s politicization and growth as a child to later becoming an organizer and social movement activist. Reading letters she wrote to servicemen, political prisoners, politicians, and old friends reveals the complex thinker she was and the concerns that weighed upon her daily decisions in the face of political and personal turmoil. Diary entries about her family’s removal to the Santa Anita Detention Center and the Jerome concentration camp and her messages in the Crusaders’ newsletters reveal her empathy towards human suffering and her tenacity of will. One can see links between her stories of mass incarceration and her work on behalf of political prisoners and many other issues. We invite researchers, educators, counselors, students, and lifelong learners to learn about the wrongful mass incarceration and one woman’s journey for social justice through her rare and revealing documents and ephemera left for posterity. Explore our digital exhibition and collection with the link in our bio! To learn more about her life, read “Passing It On — A Memoir” by Yuri Kochiyama is the account of Kochiyama, an extraordinary Japanese American woman who spoke out and fought shoulder-to-shoulder with African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans for social justice, civil rights, and prisoner and women’s rights in the United States and internationally for more than half a century. Soon you’ll be able to learn more about her legacy in @foundationsandfutures which features a chapter titled “Yuri Kochiyama and the Politics of Love, Liberation, and Solidarity” authored by Diane C. Fujino and Darlene Lee. #yurikochiyama #aapimonth #aapiheritagemonth #asianamerican #aapihistory #solidarity #aapistories #aapicommunity #aapiwomen

Our crowdfund is live! Help us activate Foundations and Futures into high school and college classrooms around the world 🌍 Foundations and Futures makes accessible, community-focused scholarship available to students, educators, and life long learners. Every donation helps expand educational access, support ongoing research and storytelling, and ensure that Asian American and Pacific Islander narratives remain visible, documented, and celebrated. By investing in this work, you are helping protect histories that have too often been overlooked while creating opportunities for deeper understanding, representation, and connection. Together, we can continue building a future where our collective stories are preserved for future generations 📚✨ Donate to our crowdfund, and help us reach our goal (we are 30% there): https://crowdfunding.ucla.edu/project/49932 Share with friends, family, and your community members!

Last week, we celebrated the launch of Foundations and Futures — a groundbreaking Asian American and Pacific Islander multimedia textbook. Developed by the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, this Asian American and Pacific Islander Multimedia Textbook includes 50 chapters, 1,500+ media assets, and 250+ ready-to-use lesson plans. This project is designed to transform classrooms into spaces of empathy, critical thinking, and change! Thank you to everyone who joined us for an evening of conversation, community, and reflection as we marked this important milestone. From powerful remarks by contributors and community leaders to the shared commitment to preserving and uplifting our stories. This launch is only the beginning. 💛 We hope that Foundations and Futures can offer you a wealth of resources about Asian American and Pacific Islander histories. Happy AAPI Heritage Month 🎉 What chapter are you excited to explore? 📖🔍

Labor Studies NOW Presents 📚 Book Panel: Against Abandonment: Repertoires of Solidarity in South Korean Protest 📅 Thursday, May 14th 🕛 12–2 PM 📍 10383 Bunche Hall Join us for a discussion on labor precarity and solidarity under neoliberal capitalism with authors and panelists Jennifer Jihye Chun (our Labor Studies Chair), Ju Hui Judy Han, Hannah Appel, Zeynep Korkman, and Jong Bum Kwon. This is also a great opportunity for students to meet our chair, Jennifer Chun, and engage with her work and research in person. RSVP link in bio.

We are excited to announce that Tasi of One Man Band will be performing at Reclaiming Our Narratives: Presenting Foundations and Futures on May 9, 2026. Toefa’atasi Fogavai was born and raised on the island of American Sāmoa before moving to Hawaiʻi at the age of 12. His love for music began at a young age, deeply influenced by his parents—especially his father. Despite having very little, music became a way his father kept the family connected through difficult times. Some of his fondest memories are the nighttime jam sessions, when the family would gather together in a dark house lit only by an oil lamp. Through those moments, music became both a source of comfort and a joyful escape during hardship. Fogavai’s passion for performing comes from the sense of freedom and joy he experiences while playing instruments and singing. In those brief but lasting moments, music allows him to escape the struggles of reality. He continues to pursue music with the hope that others, too, can find comfort, healing, and escape through his performances. We are sold out! Please join the waitlist for an opportunity to attend. We can’t wait to see you there! Saturday, May 9, 2026 10:00am to 3:00pm (Check in begins at 9:00am) UCLA Luskin Conference Center Celebrate with world-renowned authors, engaging conversations, and live performances. #aapiheritagemonth #aapi #aapihm #ucla

Interested in engaging with multicultural education to organize change in our world 🌎 ⁉️ Join us for an interactive workshop with renowned peace and conflict transformation educator Maya Soetoro! 🕊️🥰 The workshop will be held on Monday, May 11th in Royce 314. Dinner will be provided at🍴4:30pm🍴, and the workshop activity will begin promptly at 5pm 🎉

We are excited to announce that Kyodo Taiko will be performing at Reclaiming Our Narratives: Presenting Foundations and Futures on May 9, 2026. Kyodo Taiko is the nation’s first collegiate taiko drumming team. Founded in 1990, we work to promote the art of Japanese American taiko drumming within the UCLA and surrounding communities, and instill within the community a sense of respect and understanding of the Japanese American culture. We perform as a team at many events around the UCLA campus and greater Southern California area. We also perform at UCLA NSU’s annual Culture Nights and host annual Spring Concerts on the UCLA campus. Kyodo has two meanings, one is “family”, and the other is “loud children”. Join us at Reclaiming Our Narrative: Presenting Foundations and Futures on May 9, 2026 at UCLA’s Luskin Conference Center to celebrate the launch of the groundbreaking project — registered now (very limited tickets left!) Saturday, May 9, 2026 10:00am to 3:00pm (Check in begins at 9:00am) UCLA Luskin Conference Center Celebrate with world-renowned authors, engaging conversations, and live performances. Get your tickets now: bit.ly/40LTiT3 (registration closes tomorrow at noon) #aapiheritagemonth #aapi #aapihm #ucla

Foundations and Futures is here! Developed by the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, this Asian American and Pacific Islander Multimedia Textbook includes 50 chapters, 1,500+ media assets, and 250+ ready-to-use lesson plans. This project is designed to transform classrooms into spaces of empathy, critical thinking, and change! We are excited to be a community partner for this groundbreaking launch, please join us for Reclaiming Our Narrative: Presenting Foundations and Futures on May 9, 2026 at the UCLA Luskin Conference Center. The program will also feature a keynote by Dr. Maya Soetoro, who will guide us in exploring the power of peace education. At a moment when ethnic studies faces increasing scrutiny and books continue to be banned, we hope that Foundations and Futures can empower educators to uplift, protect, and preserve Asian American and Pacific Islander histories. 🗓May 9, 2026 ⏰10:00am to 3:00pm (Registeration check in begins at 9:00am) 📍UCLA Luskin Conference Center Ballroom 🔗Link to register: bit.ly/40LTiT3 #FoundationsAndFutures #ReclaimingOurNarrative #AAPIHistory #EthnicStudies #AAPI #UCLA #UCLAAASC #UCLAAAPI

We are excited to announce that Naya Zamaana will be performing at Reclaiming Our Narratives: Presenting Foundations and Futures on May 9, 2026. Naya Zamaana is UCLA’s Premier South Asian a cappella team. The team was created in 2006 to celebrate the diversity of talent among South Asian youth in America. Our singers come from a variety of diverse musical backgrounds, from South Asian styles such as Hindustani and Carnatic music to Western styles such as pop, R&B, and rock. Our arrangements aspire to exemplify the distinct fusion of these cultures by blending both classical and contemporary South Asian music with modern Western music to create the unique blend that makes up our signature sound. Naya Zamaana’s repertoire strives to represent the diverse cultures of the South Asian diaspora by singing in languages such as Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, and Telugu. We believe that our unique style of arranging helps us achieve our goal of exposing the vast world of South Asian music to a wider audience, providing them with a truly one-of-a-kind musical experience. Join us at Reclaiming Our Narrative: Presenting Foundations and Futures on May 9, 2026 at UCLA’s Luskin Conference Center to celebrate the launch of the groundbreaking project — registered now (very limited tickets left!) Saturday, May 9, 2026 10:00am to 3:00pm (Check in begins at 9:00am) UCLA Luskin Conference Center Celebrate with world-renowned authors, engaging conversations, and live performances. Get your tickets now: bit.ly/40LTiT3 (link in bio!) #aapiheritagemonth #aapi #aapihm #ucla

Join us for Exploring Foundations and Futures, a virtual educator session introducing a free multimedia textbook on Asian American and Pacific Islander histories and perspectives, in partnership with the UCLA Asian American Studies Center. This interactive session will guide participants through the textbook, highlight classroom-ready resources, and preview a curriculum module on "The Tape Family and Chinese American Civil Rights", examining the case Tape v. Hurley (1885) and its relevance to conversations on exclusion, segregation, and belonging. Tuesday, May 26, 2026 | 4:30–6:00 PM ET 💻 Virtual | Free + PD hours available 🔗 Register tinyurl.com/TAASFoundationsandFutures