Asian American Political Alliance
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| Abbreviation | AAPA |
|---|---|
| Formation | May 1968 |
| Founders | Yuji Ichioka Emma Gee |
| Dissolved | 1969 |
| Type | Student and community activist organization |
| Purpose | Pan-Asian American unity Anti-imperialism and Third World solidarity Creation of Asian American identity and Ethnic Studies |
Key people | Yuji Ichioka Emma Gee Alan Nishio Richard Aoki Penny Nakatsu |
| Affiliations | TWLF |
The Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA) was a political organization started at University of California, Berkeley in 1968 that aimed to unite all Asian Americans under one identity to push for political and social action. The two main chapters were at UC Berkeley, and San Francisco State College, both of which became heavily involved in the larger Asian American movement throughout the 1960s, including at the Third World Liberation Front strikes at SF State and at UC Berkeley.[1] The AAPA identified as an anti-imperialistic, Third World political organization that fought for self-determination and liberation for Asian Americans. They expressed solidarity and support for other people of color throughout the US and throughout the world, particularly in colonized or recently decolonized countries. The AAPA's participation in the Third World Liberation Front strikes at SF State and UC Berkeley resulted in the creation of a School of Ethnic Studies at SF State and an Ethnic Studies department at UC Berkeley. The AAPA was also involved in movements such as the Black Power Movement and the anti-Vietnam War movement. Although both main chapters were short-lived and disbanded in 1969, the AAPA played a large role in the Asian American movement and was influential in encouraging other Asian Americans to get involved in political action.[2][3]
The AAPA was created in May 1968 at UC Berkeley by Yuji Ichioka and Emma Gee. Ichioka and Gee had noticed that most of the Asian Americans who were taking part in student protests were only participating as individuals rather than as a coalition. Because of this, they wanted to create an organization to unite all Asian Americans under one group to fight for social and political change. To do this, they looked through the roster of the Peace and Freedom Party and invited everyone with Asian surnames to discuss the idea for a potential group at a meeting.[3] The first meeting was held in Ichioka and Gee's apartment, where they decided to form the Asian American Political Alliance. Many of the original founding members from this first meeting had prior political experience through anti-war movements, United Farm Workers, the Black Panther Party, or the civil rights movement. Although most of them were students at UC Berkeley, they did not want AAPA to be a student organization; rather, they aimed to create a wide-reaching, community grassroots organization. They purposefully chose the words "Political" and "Alliance" as part of their name in order to show that they were a political organization aimed towards Third World liberation, not a social or cultural club.[4] The words "Asian American" were used to signify that this group was created as a multi-ethnic group to unite all Asians.[4][5] In fact, this was the first use of the term "Asian American" instead of terms like "Oriental" that were used before.[3][6]
In Los Angeles, Alan Nishio founded another chapter or AAPA, which advocated for numerous issues, including the student protests for ethnic studies at SFSU, and the strike in opposition to Title II of the Internal Security Act of 1950.[7]
The AAPA drew Asian Americans from a multitude of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, including Chinese, Filipino, and Japanese Americans, as well as from a range of immigration generations. Additionally, the AAPA drew political activists, community workers, and students from other social organizations at UC Berkeley, such as the Chinese Students Club and the Nisei Students Club.[3] Floyd Huen, a member of the Berkeley AAPA, wrote that the AAPA "raised the political and social level of the debate; it consciously considered the formation of a 'yellow caucus' within the nascent Peace and Freedom Party...[it] represented the earnings of a racially common group of American youth were who tired of being labeled 'oriental and 'meek and passive' and who wanted self-define like other groups."[8]
Ideology
The AAPA sought to build a multi-ethnic Asian American political movement and create alliances with other people of color. It advocated for self-determination for Asian Americans and all people of color, supported all oppressed people around the world, and declared solidarity with colonized and decolonized nations around the world. The AAPA was heavily influenced by the Black Power movement, the anti-Vietnam War movement, and the Third World Liberation Movement.[3] In fact, members often met to read political writings, including Mao Zedong, Franz Fanon, and the Black Panther Party Newspaper, in order to provide context for the activism they were involved in.[2] The AAPA showed support for Third World movements by praising the Bandung Conference as a past example of solidarity and opposing American imperialism, such as the Vietnam War, which they believed was a war waged by the US in the interests of corporations.[2][3] Additionally, the AAPA argued strongly against the model minority myth because they believed that it purposefully separated Asian Americans and other racialized groups by inaccurately portraying Asian Americans as docile, obedient, and successful. Instead, the AAPA rejected assimilation into whiteness and tried to build relationships with other people of color.[2]
On July 28, 1968, Richard Aoki gave a speech at an AAPA rally at UC Berkeley, where he described the AAPA's ideology in depth.
"We Asian-Americans believe that American society has been, and still is, fundamentally a racist society, and that historically we have accommodated ourselves to this society in order to survive...We Asian-Americans support all non-white liberation movements and believe that all minorities in order to be truly liberated must have complete control over the political, economic, and social institutions within their respective communities. We unconditionally, support the struggles of the Afro-American people, the Chicanos, and the American Indians to attain freedom, justice, and equality… We are unconditionally against the war in Vietnam… In conclusion, I would like to add that the Asian American Political Alliance is not just another Sunday social club. We are an action-oriented group, and we will not just restrict our activities to merely ethnic issues, but to all issues that are of fundamental importance pertaining to the building of a new and a better world."[9]
In 1969, the AAPA published a newspaper, "AAPA Perspectives", which further detailed its core values, beliefs, and goals.
"[The AAPA] is a people's alliance to effect social and political changes. We believe that the American society is historically racist and one which has systematically employed social discrimination and economic imperialism, both domestically and internationally, exploiting all non-white people in the process of building up their affluent society...The goal of AAPA is political education and advancement of the movement among Asian people, so that they may make all decisions that affect their own lives."[9]
