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June 18, 2009
UCLA Releases
First High
School Textbook
on Asian
Americans
LOS ANGELES -
Representing
more than 15
million Asian
Americans in the
United States,
"Untold Civil
Rights Stories"
is the first
book created for
high school and
freshmen college
students to
learn and
discuss the
social struggles
Asian Americans
have faced both
before and after
Sept. 11, 2001.
"Untold Civil
Rights Stories"
is co-edited by
UCLA Asian
American Studies
adjunct
professor
Russell C.
Leong, and Asian
Pacific American
Legal Center
President &
Executive
Director Stewart
Kwoh.
According to
editors Leong
and Kwoh: "Asian
Americans are
part of the
untold story of
America's
continuing civil
rights, labor
and human rights
struggles. For
decades, Asian
Americans,
together with
African
Americans and
others, have
fought
discriminatory
laws around
segregation,
citizenship and
marriage; have
helped organize
farm workers
with Cesar
Chavez; and
spoken out for
the rights of
American
veterans and
other groups.
"Their stories
are powerful and
we have gathered
them here in one
book. We created
'Civil Rights
Stories' for all
Americans
because this is
part of
America's untold
story."
Ten fully
illustrated
chapters of
"Untold Civil
Rights Stories"
each come with
an extensive
lesson plan and
historical
timeline,
together with
rare newspaper
and personal
photos.
Long-time
multicultural
curriculum
consultant for
Los Angeles
Unified Schools
Esther R. Taira
provided lesson
plans and a
timeline for the
book.
The chapters
include:
-
oral history
accounts by
Thai and
Latino
sweatshop
garment
workers
-
Philip Vera
Cruz and the
United Farm
Workers
Movement
-
American
families
(Joseph
Ileto
family, and
Lily Chin)
organizing
against hate
crimes
-
breaking the
color line
in the
movies and
in the media
(actor
BeUlah Ong
Kwoh, and
journalist
K.W. Lee);
-
fighting for
constitutional
rights (Fred
Korematsu,
and Faustino
Peping
Baclig)
-
Americans
after 9/11:
unpopular
immigrants;
citizen
rights and
Amric Singh
Rathour
-
Student
viewpoints,
lesson
plans, and
timeline
Among the
surprising
stories and
photos you'll
find within the
book are: Korean
American
journalist K.W.
Lee living and
reporting on
poor whites in
Appalachia,
Filipino
American Philip
Vera Cruz
working
hand-in-hand
with Cesar
Chavez to
organize farm
workers, a
born-in-New York
Sikh policeman
organizing for
his rights, and
the late veteran
actress Beulah
Kwoh organizing
actors across
racial lines.
"Untold Civil
Rights Stories"
gathered
nationally known
writers, civil
rights
attorneys, and
distinguished
journalists to
write each
chapter and they
include: May Lee
Heye, Bill Ong
Hing, Irene Lee,
Dale Minami,
Karen Narasaki,
Angela Oh, Mary
Ellen Kwoh Shu,
Julie Su,
Stewart Kwoh,
Casimiro
Tolentino, Kent
Wong, Eric
Yamamoto BS
Helen Zia. UCLA
student Irene
Lee provides a
student's
perspective on
the issues.
*Orders:
*"Untold Civil
Rights Stories"
can be ordered
from the UCLA
online bookstore
at
www.aasc.ucla.edu/aascpress/comerus/
or by phone from
UCLA Asian
American Studies
at (310)
825-2968 from Tu
Ying Ming, book
manager. Price:
$20, educational
discounts 25-100
copies
*Book Publishers
and Editorial:*
Russell Leong,
UCLA Asian
American Studies
Center:
http://www.aasc.ucla.edu
Stewart Kwoh,
Asian Pacific
American Legal
Center:
http://www.apalc.org
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