Inventing Asian America

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Before we go deeper into the idea of Radical Buddhism, we have to understand Asian America. What if we saw Asian America as it was originally intended: a political strategy, a way to bring people together for liberation? How might this social context open new possibilities for Buddhism in America? Until 1968, we were still ‘Orientals.’ Then thousands of young people, including my parents, began the Asian American Movement, a national political and cultural effort to assert rights and dignity. My guest is May Chen, who was one of the first to teach classes and organize as an Asian American. I’ll ask her how that movement came to be, and how it was not only about race, but labor and…