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55-749: The AASC was founded in 1969 by student activists, community advocates, alumni, and faculty allies as a result of the Asian American Movement and the strikes by the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF). The Asian American movement which was most active during the 1960s through the 1970s was a sociopolitical movement for racial justice and protested against racism and US neo-imperialism. The movement demanded reformations in institutions such as colleges and universities and sought out social services such as healthcare, food, and housing for underrepresented Asian Americans. The TWLF

110-569: A "book-in," where students took books from around a library and placed them back at the Circulation Desk to clog library functions. In a 16 January interview with KQED, Ronald Reagan called the protesters, "a dissident faction of outright lawbreakers and anarchists." On January 24, the New York Times reported that 380 protesters were arrested on campus. On 4 February 1969, Judge Henry Rolph of San Francisco Superior Court ordered

165-599: A "state of extreme emergency," while the Berkeley President decided to prohibit demonstrations on campus. Incensed students continued to strike, and tear gas was exchanged between the National Guard and the striking students. Their efforts resulted in the first Ethnic Studies Department in the United States on March 7, 1969, closely followed by the creation of the first College of Ethnic Studies in

220-455: A Convocation to discuss the protests, which continued throughout the 26th. During this time, President Smith resigned, and his position was filled by Dr. S. I. Hayakawa , whose first official act was to keep the campus closed. When the campus was reopened on 2 December, students resumed striking at the corner of 19th and Holloway Avenues, urging students to continue the strike and not attend classes. However, President Hayakawa climbed on top of

275-564: A Mexican-American student organization, formed at San Francisco State University (SFSU) to call for campus reform. Another Third World Liberation Front was formed at University of California, Berkeley in January 1969. These coalitions initiated and sustained the Third World Liberation Front strikes of 1968 , one of the longest student strikes in US history. Various student actions began in June of

330-459: A Third World College. Even though UC Berkeley's TWLF called a moratorium on strike activities, they were adamant about their goal of winning a Third World College. The Third World Liberation Front (TWLF) was revived in 1999 at U.C. with a multiracial coalition of students organizing a hunger strike to push for more money for ethnic studies programs following a budget cut that resulted in the cutting of many Ethnic Studies courses. The TWLF organized

385-526: A coalition of ethnic student groups on college campuses in California in response to the Eurocentric education and lack of diversity at San Francisco State College (now San Francisco State University ) and University of California, Berkeley . The TWLF was instrumental in creating and establishing Ethnic Studies and other identity studies as majors in their respective schools and universities across

440-808: A demand by the California State Colleges trustees to assign George Mason Murray (the Minister of Education for the Black Panther Party), a graduate student and instructor in the English department, to a non-teaching position. This came after Murray's remarks to students at Fresno State College where he allegedly said, "We are slaves, and the only way to become free is to kill all the slave masters." Mounting pressure from trustees and administrators, like SF State Chancellor Dumke, induced Dr. Smith to suspend Murray despite threats of

495-713: A strike from the BSU, and led to the presentation of 15 demands from them and the TWLF. From Helen Whitson's Introductory Essay in the San Francisco State College Strike Collection: The BSU/TWLF strike that began on November 6, 1968 was catalyzed by the suspension of graduate student and Black Panther Minister of Education George Mason Murray. There was an approximate 15% reduction in student attendance in November at

550-537: A strike on November 6 if Murray was suspended, and presented their 15 demands. The next day, 1 November, President Smith suspended George Murray. On 6 November, exactly a year after the Gater incident, the Black Students Union and Third World Liberation Front members struck for a larger Black Studies Program and for the reinstatement of George Murray. Administration called police after students marched on

605-429: A ten-hour-long occupation of Barrows Hall and presented eight demands to the university administration seeking to expand ethnic studies. Six students were involved in a hunger strike outside of California Hall while students set up a twenty-four-hour camp drawing hundreds of supporters every day. The Ethnic Studies faculty, including Professor Ron Takaki, Professor Carlos Munoz, and Professor Elaine Kim, joined in supporting

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660-649: The Asian American Political Alliance galvanized California and the rest of the nation with the first student strike, bringing to light the need for wider perspective within educational disciplines. The TWLF strikes for Ethnic Studies in California drew the attention of the universities' administrative leaders as well as the attention of the Governor of California Ronald Reagan . The student strikes to establish these courses started in 1968 and lasted for several months. The establishment of

715-482: The 1967–1968 school year when students protested the administration's decision to provide students' academic standing to the Selective Service Office in June 1967. When students returned from summer break, tensions escalated. On November 6, 1967, James Vasko, Gater editor, was assaulted by black students who were offended by the content and tone of one of his articles. Students began to protest both

770-566: The Administration Building. The campus closed during the week of 13 November, due to the escalating number of student-police confrontations. Governor Ronald Reagan and school trustees called for the reopening of campus on November 18, 1968. Additionally, a faculty grievance committee reported back that George Murray was suspended without due process. On 20 November, approximately 10% of the students returned to campus for departmental discussions. The administration had also created

825-652: The Mayor of Berkeley, California Wallace Johnson issued a curfew for three days after declaring a state of emergency due to protesting students in support of the student and worker strikes in Paris, France in May of that year. In February 1969, 13 students, including leaders of the movement Manuel Ruben Delgado , Ysidro Macias, and LaNada Means , were arrested for their part in the demonstrations and suspended. The TWLF strike at Berkeley proved to be more violent than that which

880-546: The San Francisco State AFT local to end the strike. Nathan Hare and George Mason Murray were both not rehired for the second year and strikes continued. Finally, on March 20, 1969, representatives of the TWLF, the Black Students Union, and the members of the Select Committee signed an agreement concerning the resolution of the fifteen demands and other issues arising from the student strike, and

935-1304: The San Francisco State College TWLF strike. On January 22, 1969, the Afro-American Studies Union, the Mexican-American Student Confederation (MASC), the Native American Student Alliance (NASA), and the Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA) coalesced to form the Third World Liberation Front at UC Berkeley. The demands were as follows: "1. Establishment of a Third World College with four departments; 2. Minority persons be appointed to administrative, faculty, and staff positions at all levels in all campus units; 3. Additional demands included admission, financial aid, and academic assistance for minority students; Work-study positions for minority students in minority communities and on high school campuses; 4. Minorities be allowed to control all minority-related programs on campus; 5. No disciplinary action against student strikers." The strike

990-551: The Third World Liberation Front and saw the second longest student strike in US history for reasons similar to that of the TWLF at San Francisco State College: to address the Eurocentric education and integrate into academia conversations about identity and oppression. Although the Berkeley strike started on January 22, 1969, several months after the San Francisco strike, unrest on campus existed long before. On June 30, 1968,

1045-839: The Third World Liberation into these campuses by a "Third World College." Third World Liberation Front In 1968, the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF) , a coalition of the Black Students Union , the Latin American Students Organization, the Filipino American Collegiate Endeavor (PACE) the Filipino-American Students Organization, the Asian American Political Alliance , and El Renacimiento,

1100-561: The UC Berkeley Third World Strikes began which continued the fight for student of colors to gain ethnic studies into their college education. The AASC serves the UCLA campus and students and faculty in the social sciences, the humanities department, and the professional schools. The center also serves the wider audiences in the state, nation, and internationally by bridging professionals, scholars, and leaders around

1155-517: The US at San Francisco State on March 20. In April 1968, the Afro-American Studies Union (AASU) at University of California, Berkeley submitted a proposal to institute a Black Studies Program. The proposal was passed around the administration, from Chancellor Roger Heyn to professors to the Dean of the College of Letters and Sciences, Walker Knight. In December, when a committee was assembled to discuss

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1210-968: The United States. At the end of the American Civil Rights Movement , the combined determination of the Latin American Student Organization (LASO), the Black Student Union (BSU), the Intercollegiate Chinese for Social Action (ICSA), the Mexican American Student Confederation, the Philippine (now Pilipino) American Collegiate Endeavor (PACE), La Raza, the Native American Students Union, and later

1265-412: The United States. The strikes arose to protest the perpetual Eurocentric lens on education, as the demands of the strikers included an establishment of an autonomous department for Ethnic Studies, more faculty of color representation, and more representation of students of color on campus. John H. Bunzel writes that the students felt that "education from kindergarten to college under the authority of

1320-445: The campus American Federation of Teachers (AFT) also join the strike to have trustees meet eye to eye with the students. On January 6, 1969, acting President Hayakawa ordered that there shall be no more gatherings at the center of campus. Yet, two days later, campus AFT members and students continued to strike on campus. Despite many judicial actions to order AFT members and students to disband, striking continued. On February 29, it

1375-566: The campus. During this period, there were also protests against the Vietnam War , further heightening tensions between the administration and students. On February 22, 1968, Dr. Summerskill resigned from his post as of the following school year, to be later replaced by Dr. Robert Smith. As tension continued to rise, BSU & the Third World Liberation Front occupied the school's YMCA on March 23, 1968, forcing all YMCA employees to leave. Despite demands from President Summerskill to evacuate

1430-628: The changes the students were facing and the Vietnam war. As a result of the campus unrest, Dr. John Summerskill , the president of the college, resigned in February 1968, effective in September. On March 23, 1968, the TWLF occupied the YMCA office on campus and evicted the YMCA. Student actions continued throughout May, calling for an end to Air-Force ROTC on campus, the admission of 400 students from

1485-522: The college. President Smith also announced the creation of a Black Studies Department and named Professor of Sociology, Dr. Nathan Hare, Acting Chair. At the end of the month, California State College Trustees voted to ask President Smith to reassign George Murray to a non-teaching position after he reportedly made controversial statements at Fresno State College and at San Francisco State. President Smith refused. On 31 October, Chancellor Glenn Dumke ordered President Smith to suspend Murray. The BSU proposed

1540-465: The demands and their outcomes during the agreement of March 20, 1968. File:Outcomes of the TWLF Strike at SFSU in 1968.pdf As of 2012 , San Francisco State University holds an annual Ethnic Studies Conference, inviting high school students to engage with and understand what ethnic studies is and the reasons for its establishment. The University of California, Berkeley housed an establishment of

1595-618: The establishment of a Strike Support Committee. The demands were as follows: "1. Establishment of a Third World College with four departments; 2. Minority persons be appointed to administrative, faculty, and staff positions at all levels in all campus units; 3. Additional demands included Admission, financial aid, and academic assistance for minority students; Work-study positions for minority students in minority communities and on high school campuses; 4. Minorities be allowed to control all minority-related programs on campus; 5. No disciplinary action against student strikers." The LA Times chronicled

1650-539: The establishment of the Department of Ethnic Studies. Students at the campuses of San Francisco State University and UC Berkeley joined together in 1968 and 1969 and created the name Third World Liberation Front in relation to the Third World Liberation struggles. The students understood the similarities between the two and "recognizing their task as one of decolonization in a US context." The students understood these struggles in terms of education and wanted to embody

1705-410: The events of the strike: "The deputies moved in again and tried to arrest Delgado. He resisted and was clubbed to the ground. Strikers began swinging and screaming at the deputies, who retaliated with blows from their clubs. Macias briefly escaped officers pursuing him but was cornered when he resisted. Both strike leaders were taken into Sproul Hall, apparently unconscious. Four others were arrested in

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1760-448: The faculty members, who were also considering striking as well. It was highlighted that Murray was "suspended without due process" by a faculty grievance committee. When campus reopened on November 20, 1968, only 10% of students returned for the school-wide discussion on current state of affairs. After disagreeable interactions with students, Dr. Smith resigned on November 26, and Professor Hayakawa became acting president. On December 11,

1815-448: The first College of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State, the first Ethnic Studies Department at Berkeley, increased hiring of faculty of color, and efforts to increase minority representation on college campuses all resulted from the actions of the Third World Liberation Front. The student and faculty strike started on November 6, 1968 and lasted until March 21, 1969, making it the longest strike by students at an academic institution in

1870-486: The founding publisher of Amerasia Journal was Don T. Nakanishi . Amerasia Journal played a crucial role in “establishing Asian American Studies as a relevant field of scholarship, teaching, community service, and public discourse.” CrossCurrents is the annual newsmagazine for AASC that covers the highlights of Asian American Studies and AASC’s community Third World Liberation Front strikes of 1968 Incidents The Third World Liberation Front (TWLF) rose in 1968 as

1925-546: The ghetto in the fall semester, and the hiring of nine minority faculty members to help the minority students. 26 people were arrested. In June 1968, Dr. Robert Smith was hired to replace Summerskill as the President of San Francisco State College. In the following September, George Mason Murray, a graduate student in English and Black Panther Minister of Education, was hired as a teaching assistant to teach special introductory English classes for 400 special students admitted to

1980-553: The premises, the students remained in protest to keep a revered faculty member as a professor. They listed their demands as: The protest culminated on May 21 of that year with the arrival of the police and arrests of 26 individuals of the 400 protesters. The Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) played a significant role in the strike. The fall of 1968 semester saw the formation of the Black Studies Department, but also mounting tension. President Smith refused

2035-550: The reasons for the classes they advocated. These programs were to be established to "awaken and develop Black awareness and consciousness," according to the San Francisco Strike Collection. The rising tension between students prompted the formation of a faculty committee by President Summerskill. Individuals sympathetic to the six suspended students began protesting in the administration building at San Francisco State College, leading Summerskill to close

2090-670: The school's decision to boycott the table grapes. President Hitch forced the school to resume the purchase of table grapes, and eleven MASC students were arrested for trespassing and unlawful assembly when trying to meet with President Charles J. Hitch . In January 1969, the AASU, MASC, the Native American Student Association and the Asian-American Political Alliance coalesced to form Berkeley's Third World Liberation Front, with

2145-411: The schuffle (sic). The striking students reformed at Bancroft-Telegraph and clinked arms again. About 30 California Highway Patrolmen formed a wedge and charged into the crowd, chasing the students into the streets." By March 3, over 150 students were arrested and 36 were suspended. However, five days later, Chancellor Heyns and President Hitch conceded to most of the demands of the TWLF, which included

2200-483: The start of the strike, but police were called to campus anyway on that first day. Police brutality was a common sight throughout the strike. From that moment on, these students would remain on strike for 5 months until March 21, 1969. Negative and violent interactions between police and students lead Dr. Smith to close campus for a week and faculty meetings ensued. Appeals by Professor S. I. Hayakawa to support President Smith's request to reinstate Murray were made to

2255-482: The strike officially ended on the 21st. The Afro-American Student Union submitted a proposal for a Black Studies Department at UC Berkeley in April 1968. After months of negotiations, the AASU became frustrated and joined with other Third World students to demand a Third World College. Chicano, Asian American, and Native American students were also organizing during the fall of 1968. They also organized in solidarity with

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2310-481: The students' proposal without a student representative, no conclusion could be made as to whether or not a Black Studies should be a program within a larger department or a department itself. In August, the Mexican-American Student Confederation (MASC) to ask the university to withhold the purchase of table grapes in support of striking farm workers. The university agreed to boycott the grapes. Yet, Governor Reagan and his Agricultural Secretary Earl Coke spoke out against

2365-621: The students. On the fourth night of the hunger strike, the University of California Police Department raided the camp and arrested eighty-three protesters. After eight days, the university administration agreed to seven of the eight student demands, and conditionally to the eighth demand. The strike resulted in the creation of the Multicultural Community Center, the Center for Race and Gender, and more faculty hires in

2420-476: The suspension and firing of high-profile educators of color. The Black Student Union, and The Black Communications Group, seeing the need of the other ethnic student groups to organize, led the Black student organizers to expedite the formation at San Francisco State College of the Third World Liberation Front. One year to the day before the strike, the editor of the student newspaper The Daily Gator , James Vaszko,

2475-565: The truck and disconnected the wires from the speakers. Later in December, on the 11th, more than 50 American Federation of Teachers members set up an informational picket line around the campus, to pressure the Trustees to negotiate with the students. Two days later, the campus closed for the winter holidays, one week earlier than usual. When school resumed on 6 January 1969, actions by teachers and students continued, including more pickets and

2530-755: The undergraduate program in the Department offers a Bachelor of Arts degree for Asian American Studies. The graduate program of the Department offers a Master of Arts degree. UCLA Asian American Studies Library/Reading Room (RR/L) The AASC also produces publications through UCLA AASC Press, including Amerasia Journal , AAPI Nexus Journal , and CrossCurrents .  AAPI Nexus is a national journal that focuses on policies, practices and community research and draws information from professional schools, applied social science scholars, practitioners and public policy advocates to support Asian American Studies’ mission to serve AAPI communities and provide practical research. The Center Press has published Amerasia Journal since 1971 and

2585-507: The university’s administrations for ethnic studies and open admissions in response to the Eurocentric education and lack of diversity within the disciplines and teachers. On November 6, 1968, African American, Asian American, Chicano, Latino, and Native American students initiated and sustained the San Francisco State Strike which became the longest student strike in US history and lasted for 167 days. On January 22, 1969,

2640-546: The white community failed to focus on subject matter that was germane to the life experiences of the people in the minority community." The contention between students and administration can be traced to May 2, 1967, when students orchestrated a sit-in at the office of the newly appointed president of the university, Dr. John Summerskill , in protest of the Selective Students Committee's access to students' academic standing. Subsequent events included

2695-707: The world to the UCLA community. The AASC is one of four ethnic studies centers established at UCLA in 1969 that are now part of the Institute of American Cultures (IAC) [iac site], which reports to the Office of the Chancellor at UCLA. The AASC works to initiate and advance innovative research, events that will promote awareness, diversity, advocacy, and discussion of issues related to race and ethnicity, fellowships and research grant programs, scholarships and civic engagement. The AASC’s formal Interdepartmental Degree Program

2750-688: Was a coalition of the Black Students Union , the Latin American Students Organization, the Intercollegiate Chinese for Social Action , the Philippine American Collegiate Endeavor, American Indian Student Organization, Mexican American Student Confederation and the Asian American Political Alliance that formed in San Francisco State University and at the University of California, Berkeley in 1968–1969. Students of color protested against

2805-515: Was at SF State College, with a greater incidence of police brutality against students, striking members of the American Federation of Teachers , and campus workers who decided to strike. The strikers also drew support from several university faculty members. Students and faculty members not in direct support of the TWLF protested the police presence on campus. The violence escalated to a point at which Governor Ronald Reagan had to declare

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2860-502: Was attacked by several Black students on November 7, 1967. The "Gator incident", as it was called, occurred after he wrote an editorial petitioning the Carnegie Corporation of New York to withhold funds from proposed "service programs" including classes in Black history and culture requested by the Black Student Union. After six assailants were arrested and suspended, the BSU held a press conference in order to elucidate

2915-633: Was decided that Murray, along with the Black Studies Department Chair, would not be rehired, further perpetuating the desire to strike. After another month of violence and striking, on March 20, 1969, the TWLF, BSU, and members of the selection committee of San Francisco State College came to an agreement, ending the strike the following day. Whitson's essay for the San Francisco State College Strike Collection highlights and tabulates

2970-464: Was met with violent opposition with the police using tear gas and beating protesters. Chancellor Heyns declared that "Sather Gate will be kept open by any means necessary" and a "state of emergency" was called on February 4, 1969, which resulted in the presence of the national guard on campus for the first time. After ten weeks of struggle, the academic senate voted 550 to 4 to establish an interim Department of Ethnic Studies pending further negotiations for

3025-862: Was officially re-established as a Department of Asian American Studies at UCLA in 2004, during the thirty-fifth anniversary of the AASC. The Executive Board of the Academic Senate at UCLA voted in favor of departmentalization with the Chancellor’s approval. A community reception was held in the Los Angeles Chinatown to celebrate the new UCLA Department of Asian American Studies, where community members and leaders, such as California Assembly members Judy Chu and George Nakano , shared stories about how UCLA Asian American Studies had affected their lives. Part of UCLA’s College of Letters and Science

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