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Radical Resistance in Conservative Times: New Asian American Organizations in the 1990s
By Diane C. Fujino and Kye Leung
Part 4 of 16
Political Assessment of New Radical Organizations
What can an examination of these five organizations tell us about the state of new organizing in radical Asian America? Here we are look for themes, commonalties, and differences among the groups to shed light on the nature of radical Asian American organizing in the conservative 1990s.
Continuing the History of Radical Resistance
Radical groups that emerged in the 1990s have the opportunity to learn from experienced Asian American activists. Though many activists of the 1960s and 70s are no longer active today, there remains a substantial number of veteran activists who maintain a radical ideology, some of whom are active in the Movement today. To varying degrees, younger activists have turned to the veterans to learn from their experiences. API FORCE began through the combined efforts of veteran and newer Asian American activists. Even today, when most of its active membership are in their twenties, the veterans continue to provide an important source of guidance and support. The ALF, though initiated and maintained largely by young activists, was unprecedented in its ability to bring together a sizable number of veteran and newer activists. ARC has consciously sought out veteran Asian activists in the Boston area, organizing speaking engagements by former members of the revolutionary organizations, I Wor Kuen and the League of Revolutionary Struggle. Ten ARC members also traveled to New York City where they met with veteran revolutionaries, many of whom they had never heard of before, including Yuri Kochiyama and Fred Ho. ASIAN! has invited numerous Asian and Pacific Islander radicals to Santa Barbara for public forums accompanied by potlucks and/or political education studies: Yuri Kochiyama, Rev. Michael Yasutake, Mitsuye Yamada, David Monkawa, Fred Ho, Haunani-kay Trask, and Filipino leaders of BAYAN Rafael Baylosis, Rafael "Ka Paeng" Mariano, and Joe Navidad. And in Los Angeles, ACTION has had the opportunity to meet with veteran activists such as former Yellow Brotherhood members Kenwood Jung and Nick Nagatani.
What is clear is that these newer formations are aware of
their connection with the past generation of radicals. It is because of
the efforts of the previous generation of Asian American activists--for
example, via ethnic studies and Movement publications--that the current
generation knows some of its radical history. Moreover, the current generation
is continuing the effort to uncover the still little known history of
revolutionary Asian America. In doing so, the younger activists are seeking
the guidance of the experienced activists, drawing inspiration from them,
and encouraging the veterans to work with the youth to create change today.
As API FORCE states' on their website: "We walk into the new millennium
in the footsteps of our ancestors--the railroad builders, miners, anti-imperialist
exiles, farmworkers and farmers, picture brides, laundrymen, teachers,
cannery and garment workers, union and student activists, and revolutionaries.
We acknowledge our Asian and Pacific Islander people's historical continuum
of struggle and resistance to oppression in the United States and carry
on our work in this proud tradition."
Radical Organizing in the Conservative 1990s
It is important to notice that these groups emerged beginning
in the mid- I 990s. While there has been a continuity of political organizing
in the US, there are also fluctuations in the strength of the Movement.
The mid-1990s, especially in California, represents one of those shifts.
Beginning in 1994, the right-wing implemented and California voters passed
a series of conservative initiatives designed to roll back the gains of
the Civil Rights Movement: Proposition 187 attacked immigrants rights;
Propositions - 184 functioned to criminalize and imprison youth, the poor,
and people of color; Proposition 209 banned affirmative action; and Proposition
227 banned bilingual education. Because repression breeds resistance,
these measures--along with the scheduled state execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal
in 1995--generated mass progressive organizing. In this context, API FORCE
was established to organize for immigrant rights, affirmative action,
and welfare reform. While other factors more directly influenced the creation
of ASIAN! (the convergence of its three founders in a UCSB Asian feminism
class) and ACTION (the founders' need for organizational space after college),
the right-wing initiatives also influenced the formation and early activities
of these groups.