The organization established itself in New York's Chinatown in late 1969 and is named after the peasant group that fought against foreign intrusion and influence in China in 1898 during the beginning of the Boxer Rebellion, which officially began in 1900.[1]:249 Translated to "Righteous and Harmonious Fists," it was established by a group of young people and students who participated in the Triple A and Columbia's AAPA, and eventually other radical Chinese nationals (Wei 212-3). Inspired by their namesake from the Chinese Boxer Rebellion and with Mao Zedong, the members were heavy proponents for self-determination and community service on varying levels.
In March 1970, I Work Kuen began a door-to-door tuberculosis testing program in New York City's Chinatown.[1]:249 At the time, there were no hospital facilities in Chinatown.[1]:249
In addition to their public organizing, it was also known for the nationally distributed and bilingual newspaper, Getting Together (Chinese: 团結報). It focused on "national liberation struggles around the world but paid particular attention to the People's Republic of China ... [and] the oppressive conditions in Chinatown."[4] By pushing out a publication such as Getting Together, IWK believed that they would be able to share their particular observations and stories of oppression to the rest of the nation.
Eventually, it spread out nationally towards the Bay Area, joining forces with the Red Guards (a similar organization based in San Francisco). The group was also generally persecuted by more conservative groups within the Chinese and Asian American community, like the CCBA, who denounced IWK's revolutionary activities as being disruptive to Chinatown (Wei 215). They were also under FBI surveillance when they began to use the Chinese Progressive Association as a means of public recruitment.[citation needed]
1234Mullen, Bill V. (2013). "By the Book: Quotations from Chairman Mao and the Making of Afro-Asian Radicalism, 1966-1975". In Cook, Alexander C. (ed.). Mao's Little Red Book: A Global History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN978-1-107-05722-7.
Maeda, Daryl J (2005). "Black Panthers, Red Guards, and Chinamen: Constructing Asian American Identity through Performing Blackness, 1969-1972". American Quarterly. 57 (4): 1079–1103. doi:10.1353/aq.2006.0012. S2CID145694767. ProjectMUSE191649.
