The recent "Dear Colleague" letter issued on February 14th by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights is the latest and most ominous threat to diversity and truth in education under the new administration thus far. It provides their interpretation, however vague, of the 2023 Supreme Court SFFA v. Harvard decision banning "race conscious" college admissions. They extend that principle to far-reaching areas of K-12 and college life, giving institutions 14 days to eliminate DEI programs or risk losing federal funding. Consideration of race would be prohibited in hiring, promotion, and compensation (which is already the case anyway) as well as in need-based financial aid, themed housing, and graduation ceremonies. Some of you may have attended an Asian American graduation ceremony complementing the main campus ceremony. These are now seen in violation of legal precedent.
These anti-DEI policies are promoted under the guise of restoring a "race-blind" meritocracy. But we know that defining "merit" on an uneven playing field is a fraught exercise. Racial disparities and racially skewed institutional policies and practices not only remain, but are becoming more pronounced along with income and wealth inequalities.
The censorship of public data containing race and gender information, the defunding of government grants and contracts touching on issues of race, gender, reproductive and environmental rights, and moves to squash scientific research more generally roll back decades of social progress in this country. Attacks on DEI are also at their core an erasure of the multitudes of identities that we, as a diverse society, have come to acknowledge and respect as part of an inclusive democracy. In what world would an Asian American graduation ceremony be illegal? One in which the expression of personal identities and the formation of social communities related to race and gender are forbidden?
Back in the 1960s, I remember being forced into the classroom closet as punishment for blurting out words in Japanese after a kid threw wet sand that got in my eye. Though born in the U.S., my grandmother babysat me, so my first language was Japanese. When in pain, the words came out in my first language. The mantra of "English-only" dominated that era. I thought we had left those days of forced assimilation and finally embraced the diversity amongst us, made a commitment to seek equity in society, and became more mindful of inclusion in our daily lives and in our institutions.
Few of us want to go back in time to the pre-Civil Rights era, although some argue we backslid decades ago. The "Dear Colleague" letter foreshadows legal directives that will undermine the basic notion of cultural pluralism and the ideals of racial and gender equality. We will need to fight to preserve every bit of the progress we have made to secure what freedoms and democratic norms those before us dedicated their lives to, and push further.
All Rights Reserved. © UCLA Asian American Studies Center, Los Angeles, California
Remembering Alan Nishio (1945-2023)
Alan Nishio was an exemplar of activism and service who profoundly influenced generations of students, community organizations and educational institutions.
Alan was interviewed as part of the UCLA Collective Memories project. To learn more about him, please view his oral history interview conducted on October 30, 2018.
Project Spotlights
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Intersections: A Journalistic History of Asian Pacific America Editors: Amy Wang, Lori Matsukawa, Naomi Tacuyan Underwood, Arnold Pan, Yi-Shen Loo, Leszel Tanglao
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Asian American Language Needs in L.A. Wildfires Paul Ong, Chhandara Pech, Jonathan Ong, Melany De La Cruz-Viesca, Silvia R. González, and Bryzen Enzo Morales
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55 Years of Ethnic Studies at UCLA CrossCurrents, Newsmagazine of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, Bridging Research and Community Since 1969
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Asian American Voter Access in L.A. County In-Language Ballot Use, Voter Experiences and Effectiveness of Voter Outreach
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Asian American, Latino, Black and White Voters in Los Angeles City Elections Racial Diversity and Representation in 2020 and 2022
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A translation of WWII-era Japanese concentration camp poetry, recovers the lost voices of Japanese immigrants
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Korean & Asian American Journalists Writing Truth to Power
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June 28, 2025
Preserving Our Histories and the Freedom to Tell Our Stories
UCLA School of Law
We invite you to an exclusive author event and preview of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center's Foundations and Futures: Asian American and Pacific Islander Multimedia Textbook. Join us as journalist, author, and Emmy-award-winning filmmaker Julie Ha reflects on her experience retelling this monumental story, explores the importance of preserving historical narratives across communities, and unveils, for the first time, her textbook chapter, Free Chol Soo Lee: How a Lone Death Row Inmate Sparked a Movement. This is the second in a series of Foundations and Futures' chapter preview events.
Saturday, June 28, 2025, 2:00-4:00pm
May 29, 2025
An Asian American Writer's Notebook: Past, Present, and Future Tense
UCLA The Harry & Yvonne Lenart Auditorium
Join us for the David Nishida and Tina Yamano Nishida Distinguished Lecture and Panel featuring keynote speaker Helen Zia, activist, journalist and author, who will be in conversation with Julie Ha, journalist & co-director of the "Free Chol Soo Lee" documentary and Amber Phung, journalist with Pacific Ties newsmagazine. Join us for an insightful discussion at this in-person event that will engage thought leaders and audience members. It will be an enriching experience!
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 6:00-8:00pm
October 15, 2024
Book Talk - Carceral Entanglements: Gendered Public Memories of Japanese American World War II Incarceration
UCLA Rolfe Hall, Room 2125
This talk with Author Wendi Yamashita will focus on the first chapter of the book to examine how antiblackness operates within Japanese American memorial practices and how that has shifted and been challenged after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. Seats are very limited.
Tuesday, October 15, 12:00-1:30pm
October 15, 2024
Book Talk - At the Edge of Empire: A Family's Reckoning with China
UCLA School of Law, Room 1457
Author Ed Wong tells a moving chronicle of a family and a nation that spans decades of momentous change and gives profound insight into a new authoritarian age transforming the world. A groundbreaking book, At the Edge of Empire is the essential work for understanding China today.
Tuesday, October 15, 12:15pm
October 22, 2024
Institute of American Cultures Fall Forum
Zoom Webinar
You are invited to the UCLA Institute of American Cultures (IAC) annual Fall Forum, featuring four of the 2024-25 Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellows at UCLA's ethnic studies centers. Featured speakers will be interviewed by UCLA faculty experts, followed by a live Q&A.
Tuesday, October 22, 3:00-4:00pm
October 30, 2024
Book Talk - Asian American Is Not a Color: Conversations on Race, Affirmative Action, and Family with Author Oiyan A. Poon
UCLA James West Alumni Center - Founders Room
Conversation moderated by Anthony Ocampo. Books on sale by ASUCLA Bookzone with author signing. Light refreshments will be offered. Join us for the Book Talk in-person at UCLA, or attend virtually on Zoom!
Wednesday, October 30, 6:15-8:00pm
2024 Asian American & Pacific Islander Policy Summit
"Moving from Collective Knowledge to Action"
DATE: Friday, March 8, 2024
UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center
425 Westwood Plaza | Los Angeles, CA 90095
Registration is required. Please register here.
View the 2024 AAPI Policy Summit Program, Schedule, and more information here.
The "2024 AAPI Policy Summit: Moving from Collective Knowledge to Action," builds upon the 2023 Summit that focused on reimagining California by developing solutions that establish more equitable institutions, policies, and systems that work toward social justice for all. In particular, a future inclusive of Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander communities. We invite you to join us as we continue to weave together our collective knowledge and build a future where action, power, representation and care lead to enduring impact.
The Summit is made possible in part by the Asian and Pacific Islander Equity Budget, which was a result of a statewide coalition of 116 community-based organizations and the California Asian American & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus who advocated for these funds to support the critical work in developing equity, safety, and unity for California's diverse AAPI communities.
This event is co-organized by UCLA Asian American Studies Center, CA AAPI Legislative Caucus, and Commission on Asian & Pacific Islander American Affairs.
View the Policy Summit from February 10, 2023 here!
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