The Asian American Alliance Political Committee seeks to…

… heighten awareness of issues affecting the Asian Pacific Islander American community in New York City and beyond, issues such as affordable housing, education, LGBTQQI rights, mental health, voting rights/civic participation, labor reform, domestic violence, healthcare, environmental justice, etc…

… become a catalyst for social change by organizing around such issues and, by the same token, support progressive APA (and non-APA) political candidates who advance such issues by means of legislation and public policy…

… tackle cultural stereotypes and discrimination and eradicate them by facilitating open and honest dialogue about the causes of such bias in the media, literature, and other societal milieu…

… build coalitions with like-minded campus organizations and ally with other students of color…

… research, study and chronicle the history of Asian Americans in the United States, thereupon promoting the awareness of APA history among our fellow students and allies…

… and lastly, though perhaps most importantly, explore what it means to be Asian American (whether we believe this term to be legitimately applicable to all APA’s or otherwise) and what it means to be an “Asian American” in society today.

Asian American Studies Campaign

“Join us.  Support the demand for Asian American Studies! Don’t let the Man divide us from our Third World brothers and sisters! We have a right to learn about our own history, not just the history of Whites! We are not the Model Minority! We want relevant education that meets the needs of our community!” –November 6,  1968, SF State Ethnic Studies Strikes

Asian American Studies emerged from grassroots movements that attempted to critically resist the Eurocentric historical narratives  dictated by people outside of our communities.  Asian American activists advocated for forms of scholarship that could counter the oppressive schema employed by educational institutions before the Third World Strikes of the 60’s and 70’s. Recognizing the need for community-controlled education and popular pedagogy in our classrooms, as well as the lack of spaces for Asian American students to confront issues of power, privilege, inequality, and oppression on our campus, the Asian American Alliance Political Committee fights for the resources necessary to maintain a truly sustainable Asian American Studies program at Columbia University.

Coordinator: Laura Ly