AACP Remembers Two Remarkable Asian Americans

Yuji Ichioka and Patsy Mink's contributions are too numerous to include in this newsletter. If you are unfamiliar with these individuals, we encourage you to read more about them by going to a few of the links listed below.

Yuji Ichioka and Patsy Mink - thank you for your many life achievements. We will miss you.

His scholarly works included books on the Japanese interment and collaborative work in compiling the Japanese American Research Project (JARP) Collection at UCLA.

Professor Ichioka's activist work included the Japanese American Redress movement, the Civil Rights movement, the anti-Vietnam War movement, and many lesser know fights to right past injustices.

You can read more about Yuji Ichioka at the UCLA Asian American Studies Center website.
- UCLA Asian American Studies Center Press Release
- Reprint of a Los Angeles Times article

A public tribute to Professor Yuji Ichioka will be held on Sat., October 19, 2002, from 10:30 a.m - 1 p.m.. at the James West Alumni Center at UCLA (next to Pauley Pavilion). Park in Lot 6 ($7/day). Friends and the general public are invited.

For more information, please contact the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, (310)825-2974 or dtn@ucla.edu

One of Rep. Mink's most significant achievements in congress was the co-authorship of Title IX of the Education Act of 1972 which bans gender discrimination in federally funded schools and helped to change the face of women's sports and societal attitudes about women.

Ms. Mink was a strong fighter for women, the disadvantaged, and the poor. House minority leader Richard Gephardt said of Rep. Mink that she was the "first Asian American woman admitted to the Hawaii bar; first Asian American woman elected to the legislature; first woman of color ­ in 1964 ­ to win national office … She was a pioneer … She blazed trails. She made it possible for others to follow in her wake."

Kim Gandy and Pat Reuss of the National Organization for Women (NOW) said, "Patsy Mink will always be remembered with love and respect and gratitude. She was our champion - a tireless advocate and a hero to women and girls everywhere."

- Seattle Times article
- Reprint of a Portland Press Herald article
- National Organization for Women (NOW)
- hawaii.com

Up Coming Events

Date/Time	Event	Location
Oct. 12 8am-5pm	Golden Hills Regional Conf. Assoc. for the Ed. of Young Children	Cañada College Redwood City, CA
Oct. 19 8am-2pm	Seeing Current Events Through A Geographer’s Eyes Bay Area Regional Social Studies Conference	Santa Clara Cty. Off. of Ed. 1290 Ridder Park Dr. San Jose, CA
Nov. 16	Japantown Winter Arts & Crafts Boutique	SJ Buddhist Temple San Jose, CA
Other Event of Interest that AACP May Not Attend
Oct. 30 - Nov. 3	Nat. Assoc. for Multicultural Ed. (NAME) 2002 Conference	Arlington, VA
Nov. 1-3	Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education (APAHE)	Columbia University New York, NY
Nov. 13-16	CA School Lib Assoc. Annual Conference	Sac. Conv. Cnt. Sacramento, CA
Nov. 15-18	104th Annual CA Library Assoc. Conference	Sac. Conv. Cnt. Sacramento, CA

Editor's Message

Please feel free to send us your reviews, comments, and book suggestions. You can contact us at -
aacpinc@asianamericanbooks.com

Leonard Chan	Editor
Philip Chin	Contributing Editor

30 plus years ago, Yuji Ichioka helped coined the term Asian American. Prior to the use of Asian American, people of Asian ancestry might be called Orientals, Asiatics, or something much worse. The ethnic political movements of the 1960s and 70s strived to unite minorities and give us an identity that reminded everyone that we were both Asian and Americans too.

In recent years I have heard people speak despairingly of hyphenated terms such as Asian or African- American. I've even heard some people say that American should have come before the ethnic modifier so that people would know that we thought of ourselves as Americans first and as Asian second. As the 2000 census has made clear, ethnic descriptions are becoming more and more blurred as Americans have begun to intermarry.

I see nothing wrong with the use of Asian American to describe myself. I am proud to be an American of Asian ancestry. It is part of who I am and it helps to describe me. I do not use this term to divide me from the rest of America. I see the term as a reminder of my cultural roots and of our shared historical experiences here in the United States.

Perhaps in the future when the world is fully integrated, such terms might become obsolete. I say now that we should prepare for that day and add a new descriptor to the term. "Asian American Earthling" or "Asian American Human" - whatever we use, it will remind us that we are all citizens of this planet Earth.

Nationalism within the various countries of the world has done us all a grave disservice. All the people of the world must get over the arrogant notion that their way of life is the best. Such thoughts only help to divide us and take us away from the simple fact that we are all part of one human family. Perhaps if we ever get to that point, we will truly be ready for world peace.

That's all for now fellow Earthlings :).