A new undergraduate seminar highlighting the politics and advocacy of Asian American and Pacific Islander policies will allow UCLA students to put theory into practice this fall.
The course – ASIA AM 191B: AAPI Politics and Advocacy – explores the complexity of AAPI identity in politics and connects students with the tools to advocate for social justice for the AAPI community in the United States. The class, which is open to all UCLA students, will be taught by Karen Umemoto, professor of Asian American studies and urban planning, and Al Muratsuchi, California Assembly member representing District 66.
Muratsuchi said she wants to help young activists learn different ways to continue their efforts to make social change. The course will also feature several guest speakers, including community organizers and elected officials, throughout the quarter, he said.
As a state legislator, Muratsuchi has introduced bills mandating ethnic studies courses at community colleges and establishing grant programs for school mental health services. He said his experience as former chairman of the California State Assembly’s education finance subcommittee has informed him about current student issues.
“I’ve always believed that the point of understanding the world is to change it,” Muratsuchi said. “And so I wanted to make sure that today’s generation of student activists had the opportunity to hear from those who might have started out the same way.”
Muratsuchi said he sees parallels between the current rise in anti-Asian violence in the United States and the racially motivated killing of Vincent Chin in 1982. Chin was a Chinese-American man who was brutally murdered by two white men who did not serve prison time, according to the Associated Press.
[Related: Students express concern, need for action following anti-Asian violence]
As a student at UC Berkeley in the 1980s, Muratsuchi said he became involved in activism shortly after Chin’s murder. His experiences fighting that violence as a lawmaker and recognizing its current resurgence will shape how he teaches the course, he added.
The seminar has also attracted the attention of many students with similar ambitions to Muratsuchi, who is also an alumnus of the UCLA School of Law.
Dani Lomee, a sophomore political science major interested in pursuing a career in law, said the seminar combines her interests in Asian American studies and political science. Previous courses she took that involved Asian American studies broadened her knowledge of her background, the dangers of the model minority myth and stereotypes when it comes to AAPI advocacy, she added.
Guest speakers will also address topics including LGBTQ+ rights, education, the environment, labor rights and immigration, according to the UCLA Registrar.
Amanda Udukumbura, a rising third-year pre-sociology and gender studies transfer student, said they hope to explore their Sri Lankan and Asian identities when they take the class this fall. She added that a professor at her community college influenced her to further research Asian American studies.
“That’s what I would expect and hope to get out of the class, (learning from) someone who resonates with my identity and someone who supports all these activist movements,” they said.
Muratsuchi said the course emphasizes the work of professionals in its subject, which includes former and current government officials, community activists and advocates.
The process of becoming a practitioner is a work in progress, Udukumbura said, adding that he hasn’t always had the opportunity to be an activist. Lomee also said she has experienced challenges in becoming an activist.
“I’m focusing on doing what I can and opening up the opportunity to do more for my community,” added Lomee.
In addition to helping students learn, Muratsuchi said he also looks forward to hearing about issues affecting students.
“I look forward to not only teaching this course, but also learning from my students in terms of how they see the world and how they will change it,” she added.
