Maintaining Vigor for Sustained Change in Asian American Issues
Reflecting back on her activism to fight for ethnic studies at her university more than 50 years ago, Laureen Chew talks about what we can learn and where we still need to go.
I first heard about Laureen Chew on the NPR Code Switch podcast episode “The Long, Bloody Strike For Ethnic Studies.” The episode described how more than 50 years ago, student organizers and activists at San Francisco State College changed higher education across the entire country by staging the longest student-led strike in U.S. history. The students fought for hiring more faculty of color and access to college for students of color. This 1969 protest led to the creation of SFSU’s College of Ethnic Studies (the only one in the U.S.) and other ethnic studies departments at colleges and universities nationwide.
I was astounded by the intensity of determination that was required as well as the level of brutality of the police towards the students. At the same time, it was remarkable and inspiring how students of color mobilized together. In the episode, Laureen talked about growing up with an immigrant mom and an ABC (American Born Chinese) father, her accumulated anger towards racial injustice and her own teenage experience, her reflections of the protest and ultimately how she spent nearly a month in jail for her participation. She describes there being so much energy and unity among her peers working passionately toward a common cause. The sign of the times was anti-establishment.
After listening to her story, I contacted Laureen to see if I could learn more about her experiences. To my delight, she gratefully and enthusiastically responded with surprise that any 3rd/4th generation Asian Americans would be interested in “old timer’s” stories like hers. She mentioned that she was impressed and found it wonderful that nowadays more and more people are doing the work to further the goals of social justice, “cause it’s just never ‘done.’”
Laureen Chew was born and raised in San Francisco’s Chinatown, attending public and Catholic schooling in the Chinatown and North Beach area before going to San Francisco State. On top of her activism, she has built a career dedicated to education, having taught at the elementary level and advocating for bilingual programs in the San Francisco Unified School District as well as becoming a professor of Asian American Studies, a Chair in Elementary Education, and an Associate Dean in the College of Ethnic Studies at her alma mater.
Ethnic studies is something that many take for granted, and it’s incredible to think back to this time when it was a right to fight for. As someone who took one college course on Chinese Women, I know that I was forever enlightened by that single opportunity, yet I never fathomed the controversy of its origin. Changes in education need to be maintained and reconsidered in an ongoing fashion. Recently, some intense debates have been simmering in local communities, where school boards are conversing with parents, students, and community members about creating ethnic studies programs at the primary and secondary school levels. My own children’s school district prioritizes ethnic studies, and I now realize that there is continued work to do to promote the importance of ethnic studies.
Laureen and I had an all-encompassing discussion of racial justice over the past fifty years. As a quintessential storyteller, she was full of anecdotes, humor, and wisdom.
Tanya: Reflecting back on how things have changed in the last fifty years with respect to racial justice and equity, what progress has been made and what more do we need to do?
For me, at best, it’s unsettling. My worst fear is that this state we are in cannot be reversed, in terms of the polarization of people and focusing on the “me” rather than the “we”. We’ve become much more cynical…not as “idealistic” as when I began my “activism”. The mood of “changing the world” in the ’60s was more unified — focusing on a more “utopian” world, consistently working to make it a more “equal and just” world.
This whole thing of targeting Asians as a divide between Blacks and Asians is something that’s very ugly.
According to #StopAAPIHate, the number of Asian hate crimes in California is high, just like in New York. The more of us in a location, the more hate crimes against us. It tells me that the “model minority stereotype” not only creates a wedge between Asians and other underserved minority groups in terms of fighting racism, but it also creates resentment from the majority (white) population towards Asians. This stereotype is a no-win for Asians here.
The current rise in anti-Asian hate is part of the racist U.S. history against Asians. All ethnic groups in the US with a “nativist” view have hate against “foreigners”, “immigrants”, those who are easy scapegoats when the “nativists” are not doing well economically, educationally, and mentally. This hatred is part of America and knows no racial boundaries. I am not happy that the focus of this current Asian hate movement has primarily been on Blacks vs Asians in this geographic area, and not presenting the majority of crimes being verbal abuse, spitting, kicking Asians out of business establishments, etc., coming predominantly from white folks.
We have gotten to a point where I’m very sad and worried that we can’t get out of it.
When you ask what gains we’ve made…I can see the diversity of faces in the Bay Area and California. And in all areas of work! California no longer has one group as the majority, unlike in the 60’s, when the dominant population was white. On the surface it looks like things have changed. But it’s like a veneer, it’s covering up something — have people’s lives improved? I’ve never experienced the sight of homelessness as I have now, I haven’t seen how so many poor people in government housing are living in unlivable places, where unemployment checks pay better than minimum wages at a job…the list goes on.
I would say the political/economic structure that provides a livelihood where the majority of people can live comfortably was more doable and achievable when I was given job opportunities after college. The fact that folks were able to save for the future if you had a job is not what we have now.
How do we find common ground in today’s environment? How did you mobilize together back then?
You can talk about “white supremacy”, “defund the police”, “BLM”, “social justice”, etc. until you are blue in the face, there are too many people who will instantly be “turned off” or “tuned out” by the jargon. In order for people to “buy into the struggle”, we have to know our audience, how to get our ideas across. We need to “humanize” and “democratize” the jargon used by movement folks.
For “common ground” necessary in uniting folks, concepts such as “white supremacy” have to be communicated at a level where everyday people understand how that is detrimental to them — including white people. For instance, should we apply the term “white supremacy” in describing how corporate greed is ruining the lives of poor and middle income people? How do you make language used in movements real in terms of how it applies to people who are not part of your “clique”? Public conversations on how concepts/jargon used in relation to “social justice” movements apply to peoples’ livelihood is crucial as an initial step in establishing “commonality” among us.
Social media spreads news, jargon, everything, so much more quickly today, way before news consumers have any “background” knowledge on what terms mean. While words like “Black Lives Matter” and “defund the police” will get your attention quickly, it will also lose support because without context on how these terms affect them, folks tune out and turn off before even knowing how it affects them in a positive manner.
The SFSU ’68-’69 student strike had context because of educational changes, such as desegregation of schools, struggles of the civil rights movement to gain equality regardless of race, gender, class, etc., were precursors to what we wanted to change in higher education. It didn’t seem like it came out of nowhere. We were continuing the educational equity struggles of the time period.
When I was in college in the 60’s, I connected with African Americans, Mexican Americans, as well as Asian Americans. It was an eye-opener — hearing stories and realizing how racism was a thread woven through all our lives, as individuals and as groups of people in the US. It was at once exhilarating and liberating at the same time. Commonality was easily established for me because I did not feel alone. The power of calling for a student strike came from the collective power, conviction, and commitment to changing higher education and providing access for our people to go to college, to reverse the course of educational neglect, and put in the forces to include our histories, cultures and contributions into college curriculum, from our perspectives and our lived experiences. It was empowering to feel the collective sense that we will take whatever risks needed in order to make this happen.
What do you see happening today and how do you feel about it?
My frustration is that there are so many issues that need our attention, such as racism, gender inequality, economic/social justice, voter suppression, domestic terrorism, police reform, a livable salary, and healthcare, to name a few! There may be movements speaking to many of these issues, but efforts seem so scattered — voices scattered — except for BLM. The Democratic Party has to do better now in terms of messaging all the issues if they want to win in 2022.
Trump may not be president, but his rally cries are heard and supported in a manner that Democrats (progressives, centrists, conservatives) don’t seem to have with its base. It’s only been 6 months since Biden won the presidency, but so many states dominated by Republican leadership have been able to pass laws making it difficult for folks to vote, especially people of color. It’s very scary if we do not turn their entire anti-democratic, racist, homophobic, sexist agenda around.
My stance on racism is what someone once told me, “Isn’t the USA a racist country?” If you were raised here, and you accept the fact that we are a racist country, then you are racist. Racism exists in our communities, as well as in communities that have not shared our history. As an individual, I have to work against whatever those biases are. My job is to not deny that I may be/am racist because I’ve learned it by living here, but my work is to first recognize it and do everything to fix myself so that I do not perpetuate it. Then I challenge myself to be curious and interested in connecting with someone who is not like me.
What can Asian Americans do to Make Noise Today?
This culture reacts to “in your face” behavior. Nothing too subtle. If you don’t come out swinging, with a bang, especially about racism, you tend to be ignored and rendered invisible.
There have been too many instances where I watch Asian Americans having agonizing conflict about speaking up, practically killing themselves by internalizing their anger over how his/her supervisor mistreated, or overlooked them repeatedly. I’ve been through this throughout my career.
I began unlearning my behavior of being a “nice quiet Chinese girl” during the student strike at SFSU. I had a lot of pent up anger towards white folks because of my experiences with them in high school. I also saw how my ABC dad skirted around and ignored racist behaviors by customers at our laundry.
Being aware is an important first step, then figuring out what to do with that comes next. Being involved in the TWLF student strike, having to voice my opinions and contribute to organizing and helping with whatever needed to be done, I discovered I had a “voice” and that “voice” gained confidence. The “activism” college years, along with 21 days in jail, reaffirmed my conviction that silence is not always “golden”. As an Asian American woman, being silent is not always the best option — a realization that I did not forget. From that point on, life changed in terms of how I approached confronting adversity, especially when principles of equity and racial/social justice were attacked or ignored.
I have called out people who didn’t realize what their words and actions implied, particularly in instances where I was given a leadership role in making decisions, only to have those decisions overturned behind my back. I would agonize over how to confront folks, given that I was a lecturer without job security. At some point, the job was secondary and confronting their lack of respect for my leadership as a Chinese American woman was more important.
I made an appointment with my superior, went to his office, and said, “I know what you did in overturning my decision may not be intentional, but this is why I think you did it: A) because I am younger, B) because I am female, 3) because I am Chinese, or 4) all of the above.” He froze and immediately apologized. He just thought it was not a big deal, to which I responded, “It is, and you would not take to it kindly if it happened to you.” To his credit, it never happened again.
With most situations where I needed to confront something that was “unjust”, I continued to work with them as colleagues, although some relationships were better than others. I earned their respect and I learned to deal with our differences.
My advice to Asian Americans is to say something when you are justifiably upset. Make it an issue so you can be heard. The caveat is that you may be labeled as difficult or a troublemaker. You can’t worry about that, especially if it’s unfair, wrong, if you are being repeatedly targeted, etc. When I think I should say something, I usually run it by a colleague I trust. If there is an inkling the person agrees, I know I need to deal with it.
Sometimes, whomever you confront isn’t even aware of your issues. So by speaking up, the first step is achieved — now he/she knows. The ball is in your court to help solve the situation. The outcome doesn’t always go your way — whatever you learn and achieve with the first steps gives you confidence to move forward. The steps forward are all there for you to learn from. It’s those first steps taken and your reflection on its success, as well as how to improve on it, that is key to being heard.
I’ve been really lucky in my professional life. I not only held a variety of educational jobs in different spaces and places, but I’ve been culturally and spiritually enhanced because of the diversity I was exposed to. I often tell family members about my experiences working with so many different types of folks, particularly people of color. They have given me a wealth of advice and allowed me to observe and learn from their deep seated wisdom. Most memorable is having so many opportunities to share our collective lived experiences of culture and resilience. Asian Americans need to be open and align with other groups. What I have gotten from doing so these past 40+ years is this: their stories and experiences have provided me with the knowledge, depth, and courage I sought in “making noise” as an Asian American.
Can you talk about any moments of progress you’ve seen?
There have been several recent local highly charged situations such as the San Francisco Board of Education VP’s national attention for changing the merit-based admission policy at Lowell High School, and accusations of racism for a series of tweets she wrote in 2016 targeting Asian Americans. With these incidents, I have noticed a new phenomenon. Usually, people of color in this city “understand” the dynamics of other people of color. But that’s not the case within our communities now. We grew more isolated from each other as government resources diminished. The competition of “fighting for the crumbs” has created more animosity. Younger folks in teaching did not grow up seeing or experiencing groups like the Ethnic Minority Educators in solving common issues that affected our communities.
It has been interesting for me to see a group of younger teachers set up a platform to talk through their issues about the San Francisco Board of Education, blasting through their past silence to actually do something. They are bold enough to want to open the door to talk face-to-face with adversaries instead of passively through media or other representatives. This is a huge step for this younger group of teachers, who were not around in the ’60s to organize, in seeking the opportunity to speak humanely to someone who has, essentially, publicly admonished Asian Americans for being racist towards black people, and being “Uncle Toms” in dealing with white people to get ahead.
I feel that within the period of the last presidency we lost our humanity. We are trying to regain that. I think that issues surfacing now such as BLM, voter suppression, the January 6 Commission, #StopAAPIHate, reviving the economy, issues with China, Russia, domestic terrorism….all have relevance in our lives. The danger is feeling overloaded and tuning out because of it.
These are extremely pivotal times to remain informed, to choose specific issues to focus on. If we’re ever going to reach some level of “common ground”, it will take work: 1) listening and finding common goals with folks we don’t agree with politically, 2) have the patience and resilience for the time it takes to move solutions forward. Times like now should provide teachable moments of how to heal and become more “whole” as a country. I hope we are collectively smart enough to get out of our individual silos and deal productively with those who are different from us to create solutions.
There is also the issue of 60’s activists interacting with current activists. Intergenerational collaboration is ideal but not simple nor easy. In SF recently, some older activist friends attended the meeting with the younger crowd regarding whether or not to remove a mural depicting how badly Native Americans were treated by the Spaniards in early California history. Most of the older folks said keep the mural up and use it to instill “teachable moments” regarding Native American history. The feeling of the younger activists was that the mural offended Native Americans students and should be removed. They told the older folks, “You guys started the job but you didn’t finish it. And we’re going to finish it.”
This made me think, “Wow.” I think the essence of what some younger activists believe is that the older generation of activists didn’t do much, if anything. There is anger and belief that no gains have been made because kids of color are still being confronted with offensive images of them. So what was gained with all those protests 50+ years ago? My response for what we need to do now is this: it is not about what we gained, but about what we need to maintain.
We did not advocate for removing historically racist images in books, art, etc., because we felt those images could be used to teach students of past horrors. There’s a fine line between using reality to teach so you don’t repeat it and cancelling culture like it never existed. What should be “kept”/”maintained” so that we can better inform and create more current/accurate history and images is the question.
“Maintaining” the struggle is also important. I remember all the groups that my fellow teachers were part of, and we were part of these literacy groups at the state level, influencing textbook selection. We were helping to define the list of books libraries should have with diversity, etc. And reps selected to be the diversity experts would usually be one or two out of twelve people. More times than not we got voted down. Regarding Asians and Asian Americans in literature, some of the most racist books stayed on the list of acceptable books because they were deemed inoffensive to young children. Pictures of Chinese people with buck teeth and yellow skin in Chinese costumes — we always got outvoted. My participation in the strike seemed like the whole world was behind it but it was actually a very small movement, compared to what the “real” world was in terms of actualizing real “change”. Educating for change is a huge task — it’s ever evolving — and realizing that is humbling. It is a constant reminder that the struggle is never over. The task is to not give up.
Look at how long it has been — those of us who fought to develop and expand ethnic studies curriculum. Only now are California State Universities considering passing a law that requires students to take at least one Ethnic Studies course as a BA graduation requirement 53 years later!
Struggles amount to nothing if they are not maintained.
Besides the strike, how else did you Make Noise through the years?
There are too many to list, but I would point to a pivotal one because, in retrospect, it tested if I had learned anything from the ’68 strike — that of being in solidarity with other ethnic groups. The 1970s was a key time for people of color beginning to be hired to teach at San Francisco Unified School District. There was a small critical mass of us. And then a year or two later, there was a decision by the Superintendent and Board of Education for teacher layoffs. And because we were the last hired, we would be the first fired, a union rule.
We formed a group called the Ethnic Minority Educators. We had a common cause: to fight the layoffs. The community supported us because we were very committed to parents, our students, and their community. In fact, many of us were products of the same community. I was hired to teach in a Chinatown public school.
We decided to fight the layoff by instituting a boycott where the parents would not take the kids to school. By doing so, the district would lose funding. It would hurt their pocketbook, and we knew that would make the powers that be take notice about how this layoff of ethnic teachers may not be good financially or in terms of publicity. It was a big deal because the union also got pissed off at us, because they fought for “last hired, first fired” working conditions and we worked against them.
This took weeks of planning because we had to work with churches and community centers so that our parents could drop their kids off to go to work. I never spoke so much Chinese in my life, trying to explain to parents in my class why they shouldn’t come to school. Interestingly enough, because we were raised in the community, spoke their language, welcomed their presence in the classroom (which really shocked them), they trusted me and those who advocated for the boycott. The support was widespread, the Superintendent and Board of Education were “up against the wall” in trying to explain themselves. As young teachers leaning towards activism, we were loud and good organizers.
In the end, the school district rescinded the layoffs! Working in solidarity with a common goal worked again.
There were many opportunities throughout my career where working in solidarity with people of color was successful. The key to success is that folks have to tone down their egos. We can fight and scream at each other to try and be heard, but in the end we need to take a step back and think about compromise for the sake of solidarity and moving forward. That’s the first step of actualizing what I repeat to myself: ”Not me, but we.”
What do you think is the solution for today’s racial equity challenges?
If I had money I would suggest, let’s say, donating to an Asian American Studies class and another department like Latinx, Black Studies, American Indian, or Ethnic Studies at SFSU that contains community service learning as an integral part of the course requirements. Establish working pairs where one student is selected from AAS and one student from the other department. The community service learning piece would include working in the students’ respective communities. The “work” they do should be something both have in common, like tutoring, social work, after school programs, sports in recreational centers, etc.
They are the working team that will share with each other the background info, current tasks, and future goals of the community service they have been involved in. My hope in this setup is that each gains perspectives regarding the other’s community work they had not experienced nor seen prior to this opportunity. It would be a paid internship for the pair, and a semester long or year long experience.
I don’t believe folks can learn from or about each other without experiencing where and how each lives. This isn’t a panacea in terms of solving our disconnect with each other, it is an effort to include and increase inter-ethnic contact within academia — a beginning.
Thank you so much for this. Your contributions have been tremendously impactful and you’re a huge inspiration.
Thank you! Despite the fact that I am very worried about how much work there is to do to “maintain” gains made, I have lived my life in such a full, meaningful way due to the experiences learned during my student “activism” days. The bottom line was I got an education. That’s what we advocated for, to get that education and go out and serve the community.
From the beginning of my career, I worked better and learned more in situations where I was part of a larger group, preferably diverse groups, in the manner learned during the student strike. My work in solidarity was initially within my own community, but it expanded exponentially into issues and causes of solidarity with other folks of color. It didn’t matter what position I held in education — as a teacher, a parent, an administrator — I felt that I was put there to serve the students, and the issues affecting their livelihood and families, to advocate for them, and not necessarily for the powers that be.
All the people I’ve taught over the years and decades, all the people I’ve interacted with and mentored, the everyday folks I was privileged to work with in service to others, and were able to serve… I’m reminded that maybe, just maybe, we did something right.
