Essay About Asian Americans In The Civil Rights Movement
Brian Chow (2005)
All through the picket line, there are many like him. Wearing a leather jacket and a black beret, this protestor of the late 1960s clutches a banner in one hand and a 2x4 in the other, demanding self-determination and liberation from the white imperialist establishment. This time, however, the angry protestor is neither a member of the Black Panther Party nor a Brown Beret. The individual is an Asian American. Passers-by give a look of astonishment as they wonder why such a seemingly nice young man would want to stir up such a commotion. Even family members and elderly people from his community find themselves in dismay as they witness his acts to disturb the peace. Many will also be surprised to learn that this Asian American speaks in black …show more content…
In fact, there were many instances in which Asian Americans responded to injustices against them with social protest and political action. One of the earliest and most notable examples of Asian protest in America occurred in 1867 when 2,000 Chinese migrant railroad workers went on strike to demand more livable wages and improved working conditions.[5] Many similar instances of Asian activism occurred over the following several decades involving Japanese, Korean, and Filipino Americans as well. Even after World War II, Asian American social activism continued as Japanese Americans lobbied for the Evacuation Claims Act, which resulted in monetary compensation for the losses accrued by a certain number of Japanese Americans as a result of the internment.[6] In addition, they campaigned for the removal of California’s alien land laws, which had dramatically hindered the rights of Japanese immigrants (along with other nonwhite immigrant groups) to own land in the past.[7] Asian American activism has thus been recurrent throughout the history of the
All through the picket line, there are many like him. Wearing a leather jacket and a black beret, this protestor of the late 1960s clutches a banner in one hand and a 2x4 in the other, demanding self-determination and liberation from the white imperialist establishment. This time, however, the angry protestor is neither a member of the Black Panther Party nor a Brown Beret. The individual is an Asian American. Passers-by give a look of astonishment as they wonder why such a seemingly nice young man would want to stir up such a commotion. Even family members and elderly people from his community find themselves in dismay as they witness his acts to disturb the peace. Many will also be surprised to learn that this Asian American speaks in black …show more content…
In fact, there were many instances in which Asian Americans responded to injustices against them with social protest and political action. One of the earliest and most notable examples of Asian protest in America occurred in 1867 when 2,000 Chinese migrant railroad workers went on strike to demand more livable wages and improved working conditions.[5] Many similar instances of Asian activism occurred over the following several decades involving Japanese, Korean, and Filipino Americans as well. Even after World War II, Asian American social activism continued as Japanese Americans lobbied for the Evacuation Claims Act, which resulted in monetary compensation for the losses accrued by a certain number of Japanese Americans as a result of the internment.[6] In addition, they campaigned for the removal of California’s alien land laws, which had dramatically hindered the rights of Japanese immigrants (along with other nonwhite immigrant groups) to own land in the past.[7] Asian American activism has thus been recurrent throughout the history of the