Teaching Guide, Article The Origin of Term, 'Asian American'
- Grade Level 3rd-5th Grade
- Time Period 1950 - 1969
Introduction
These resources explores the origin of the term “Asian American,” its development during the Civil Rights Movement, and its ongoing significance. Students will investigate how cross-racial solidarity influenced this identity and analyze its social and political impact on cultural representation and activism.
LESSON PLAN
Noreen Naseem Rodriguez: “The Faces of the Asian American Civil Rights Movement” (Grades 4-6). Includes Richard Aoki’s work and UC Berkeley’s AAPA efforts led by Emma Gee and Yuji Ichioka
ARTICLES
KQED: “50 Years Later, Former UC Berkeley Students Celebrate the Asian-American Movement They Began”
NBC News: “After 50 years of ‘Asian American,’ advocates say the term is ‘more essential than ever’”
Essential Questions
How were the respective civil rights movements in the Black and the Asian American communities in the 1960s connected?
Why is it important to consider multiple perspectives when identifying and naming different cultural groups in America?
What were considerations made in the development of the term, ‘Asian Americans?’
Who is Asian American?
What is the impact on social and political power of grouping by continent versus country of origin?