Huntington Library presents Asian forum
San Marino facility museum invites public to hear panelists discuss history, politics and recent racist sentiments
“Asian American Experiences in California: Past, Present, Future,” will bring together scholars, public intellectuals and community leaders today in the Huntington Library's Rothenberg Hall.
The one-day conference organized by the Huntington Library begins at 10 a.m. and is free to the public, with the option to prepurchase lunch.
Its panels are split into three themes:
• Historical Roots (pre1965).
• Shaping the Present (1965-present).
• Panel 3: Future Provocations.
The topics aim to challenge attendees' conceptions of Asian history, Asian immigration reform and activist movements and to reflect on anti-Asian racism in light of recent violence. Ultimately, the goal is to plot a path toward an equitable future for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, organizers said.
According to U.S. Census data, the Asian diaspora represents 61% of the San Gabriel Valley population. The Huntington Library's Asian art collection ranges from small Chinese export wares to rare Chinese books and paintings, as well as Japanese ceramics.
“Young people have developed an identity around being from the SGV or the 626,” said panelist Oliver Wang, referring to the San Gabriel Valley's area code. “When I was a teenager, no one thought it was cool to rep being from the SGV … There is an identity that people have with this region and feeling like being from the SGV is a source of pride, or at the very least, it's a source of identification for people.”
As a researcher, author and journalist, Wang's expertise lies in popular culture and music and race, ethnicity, identity and community formation. Having grown up in the San Gabriel Valley, he views the area as a treasure of AAPI history and culture.
“The idea that there could be this kind of panethnic, Asian American identity was very much a product of a social political cultural movement, known as the Asian American movement,” he said. “So what came with that were both explicit and implicit ways of trying to figure out, well, how do we represent or manifest this new emergent identity through cultural forms and cultural productions — whether it's music or film or food or fashion, I mean, art, you name it.”
According to the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism, anti-Asian hate crimes surged 145%, while overall hate crimes dropped by 6% in 2020. These were record numbers, yet hate crimes have since surpassed them, rising 339% nationally from 2020 to 2021. Areas where the violence was reported most included New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
AAPI Equity Alliance launched the Stop AAPI Hate coalition to respond to incidents of hate, violence, harassment and discrimination. Though much of the contemporary violence is linked to COVID-19 conspiracies, Manjusha “Manju” P. Kulkarni, executive director of AAPI Equity Alliance and cofounder of Stop AAPI Hate, knows that this is nothing new and cited historical scapegoating of the AAPI community, such as the alien land laws of the 1920s.
“History is repeating itself, and I wish I could say and be hopeful that these hate incidents and attacks were behind us, but I think they will only continue to be fueled by political rhetoric and policies that seek to blame our communities for these issues,” she said.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California issued a response denouncing xenophobic comments made by Rep. Lance Gooden, RTexas, toward Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, in which Gooden publicly questioned Chu's loyalty to the United States and accused her of ties to the Chinese Communist Party. These claims have not been substantiated.
“Questioning any Asian American's loyalty to the United States, let alone the first Chinese American woman to be elected to Congress, is not only outrageous but bolsters the stereotype of Asian Americans as perpetual foreigners. This is a 100-plus-year trope that the Asian American community is exhausted of defending itself against,” wrote Asian Americans Advancing Justice in a statement.
Kulkarni added that AAPI nonprofits and mutual aid initiatives continue to work toward engaging community members and advocating for the safety and supportive resources needed to thrive despite the historic hurdles.
“Looking forward, we have seen the hate that our communities have experienced really serve to activate our community members,” she said. “I've been really heartened by that. We've seen increases in voting numbers … People want to be involved in solution. They want to be civically engaged and have lawmakers address their concerns. And so that's sort of my hopeful note.”
For reservations to the symposium, go to huntington.org.
Visitors pass by the Cloudy Forest Court in the newly opened section of the Chinese gardens at the Huntington Library in San Marino.