At 40: Asian American Studies, San Francisco State: Historic Gathering of the 1968 Student Strikers.

Founders of Asian American Studies Dept. Launch First Book

In 1969, the longest campus strike in United States history, birthed the first and only College of Ethnic studies and Asian American Studies department in the nation at San Francisco State University.

After 40 years since the strike, the Asian American studies department premiered their book titled At 40: Asian American Studies @ San Francisco State, illustrating the experiences of those who founded the program, as well as from the faculty and students who followed in their footsteps.

At the book launch last Friday, authors, faculty and students mingled and heard excerpts from the debuted anthology.

“This is our first major chance to tell our history,” said Lorraine Dong, the Asian American studies department chair. “We have been silenced too long.”

The student-led strike began on Nov. 6, 1968 and protested against racial discrimination, the Vietnam War, the draft and “irrelevant” curriculum, gaining national attention. After the strike ended in March of 1969, the department offered its first courses in September 1969.

From Asianweek.com