Background of The Asian Americans in the 1970s

Although multi-racial coalitions between different immigrant groups had long played an important part in campaigns for civil rights on the West Coast, it wasn't until the 1960s and 1970s that diverse communities with different histories began to self-consciously unite as "Asian Americans."

The Asian American movement that promoted this new identity-- which initially united Japanese, Chinese, and Filipino Americans, and then expanded to include Koreans, Southeast and South Asians, and Pacific Islanders-- was driven largely by student activists radicalized by anti-Vietnam war and black power movements. Challenging stereotypes about Asian "passivity", and rejecting the exoticism and racism of "oriental" labels, Asian American activists mobilized this new consciousness to demand an end to racist hiring practices, biased school curricula, demeaning media stereotypes, residential discrimination, and the gentrification of historically Asian American neighborhoods. And though it was primarily a youth movement, and never completely spoke for all the communities it sought to represent, the Asian American movement arguably transformed older community institutions, created new ones, and dramatically advanced the development of Asian American power in American urban politics.