Established in 1969, the UCLA Asian American Studies Center (AASC) is a national research center advancing historical, transformative and interdisciplinary scholarship by bridging research with community voices. The Center grew out of the social movements of the 1960s, as students called for greater access to higher education that would help address vital issues in their communities. The founding steering committee wrote in its original proposal to the UCLA administration in 1969 that the Center "will hopefully enrich the experience of the entire university by contributing to an understanding of the long neglected history, rich cultural heritage, and present position of Asian Americans in our society."

 

The AASC sits within the UCLA Institute of American Cultures alongside the American Indian Studies Center, Chicano Studies Research Center and Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies. AASC launched and continues to work in partnership with the Department of Asian American Studies to integrate teaching, research and service activities. Today, UCLA is recognized as the premier research and teaching institution in the fields of Asian American Studies and Ethnic Studies.

 

The Collective Memories Project gathers the oral histories of those involved in the Asian American movement of the 1960s, starting with those involved in the establishment of Asian American Studies at UCLA in its early years. This period from around 1968-1972 represents the formative years when the Asian American Studies Center was formed as an Organized Research Unit (ORU) alongside the American Indian Studies Center, Chicano Studies Research Center and Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies. These oral histories capture the recollections of activists and organizers as they reflect on the turbulent Sixties, their personal involvement and motivating ideals, and a snapshot of their life journey beyond these transformative years.