"Let’s consider the term 'Asian American' as a poetic act: a new term reshaping the world by naming. It’s only a fifty-year-old idea—before then we were 'Orientals.' The anti-war, Black Power, feminist, and Marxist movements of the day inspired students in the Bay Area to take up the new term 'Asian American' both to mark their political awakening and to form a coalition across race and nationality. Those students sparked a nationwide Asian American movement, a long decade of art-making, organizing, teaching, and radical politics." –– Ryan Lee Wong

This month, Kundiman has created a Poetry & Democracy Action Calendar for the Poetry Coalition's March programming. We've enlisted 4 curators to create folios of material for each week. This week, Ryan Lee Wong delves into the rich history of Asian American activism. See the whole week here! Read more about our Poetry Coalition project on our website.