This is a great new volume on Asian American history featuring insightful essays from some great scholars like editors David Yoo, Eiichiro Azuma, Catherine Ceniza Choy, Madeline Hsu, Jason Oliver Chang, Chia Youyee Vang, Sucheng Chan, Gordon Chang, Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, and Franklin Odo! I wrote the chapter on Asian American immigration history titled “From […]
Author: Erika Lee
Densho Teach In on Japanese American History
Densho is hosting its first ever Digital Teach-In this year to encourage more understanding of Japanese American history and why it matters today. When you sign up, they’ll deliver five lessons straight to your email inbox that will cover the basics of Japanese American history from early Japanese migration to mass removal and life in […]
K-12 Teachers – Learn How to Teach Asian Pacific American History this Summer in Seattle!
Teachers, spread the word! This is an awesome way to learn about teaching Asian Pacific American history in beautiful Seattle this summer. Come join me! http://www.wingluke.org/teachers-institute/ This NEH Landmarks of American History and Culture Workshop is open to all K-12 educators as well as classroom professionals, school administrators and substitute teachers. This week-long, 2016 NEH […]
It’s Fred Korematsu Day!
Listen to Fred Korematsu describe why he chose to violate the U.S. incarceration order during World War Two, preserved by Densho here.
Where are all of the Asian American Activists? Erika Debates This Question at the Define American Film Festival
One of the questions that came across on social media last night during the Define American panel discussion was: “Why aren’t Asian Americans involved in social movements?” After my two fellow panelists suggested that it was for “cultural reasons,” I passionately disagreed! Watch our debate here.
Solving a Family Mystery – and Learning to Tell Our Stories
Tonight in LA, I started to solve part of a family mystery. During the Chinese exclusion era, my grandmother was left behind in China when her father took her male cousin to the U.S. instead. The laws were so restrictive, families had to make decisions like this all the time. She eventually made it to […]
Erika coming to Cerritos, CA on January 20th
The Friends of the Cerritos Public Library have invited me to California to talk about The Making of Asian America on Wednesday, January 20th at 7pm. Join me if you can!
New Year’s Message
Happy 2016! Thank you for your liking this page and for all of the support this past year. It was an exciting one! As other authors know, writing a book can be a very solitary experience. You research, write, rewrite, edit, revise, and reedit over and over again, mostly on your own. For years. And […]
As Americans debate resettling refugees, remember these facts from history
55% of Americans wanted to reject Hungarian refugees in 1958; 62% wanted to reject SE Asians in 1979; 71% wanted to reject Cubans in 1980: Pew Report: U.S. public seldom has welcomed refugees into country.
Response to VA Mayor on Japanese American incarceration
My two postings on Roanoke, VA mayor’s statements on Japanese American incarceration this week (VA mayor cites “need” for WW2 Japanese American incarceration & “need” to halt Syrian refugees, from the Washington Post.) The mayor’s understanding of history is totally false. And it is egregious that he would recommend that the U.S. repeat one of the […]
