II. Programs and Events, 1892-2012, bulk: 1979-2012

Organized into five subseries: Activism, Arts and Culture, Education, Fundraisers, Subject Files. This series documents the wide range of programs, activities, and events that AARW has planned, sponsored, co-sponsored, and participated in.

The Activism subseries documents AARW’s work in areas such as anti-Asian violence and hate crimes, civil rights, and immigrant rights. Included in this subseries are materials related to the Civil Rights Capacity Building Project, which collected data on anti-Asian violence in the Boston area and published a report on solutions to anti-Asian violence and ways to involve the Asian community in civil rights work. Copies of this report, titled “To Live in Peace…: Responding to Anti-Asian Violence in Boston,” can be found in this subseries, as well as in the Publications series. Another major program launched by AARW was the SafetyNet Violence Prevention Project, created to directly assist victims of anti-Asian violence. Victims and witnesses could call a hotline number, describe the incident to SafetyNet volunteers and staff, and be connected to lawyers and legal assistance, other community activism organizations, and the police. Because of the nature of the incident files, certain folders are restricted for 75 years. Also included in this subseries are materials on prominent incidents of anti-Asian violence, including local cases such as Bun Vong and Long Guang Hong and national cases such as Vincent Chin. The Activism subseries also contains materials from the Leadership Training Project, the first of its kind in Boston’s Chinatown. AARW created curricula and workshops to train youth to become effective leaders in their community.

The Arts and Culture subseries includes materials from a number of programs and events highlighting various aspects of Asian American art and culture. Included in this subseries are materials on Asian American Heritage Month and Week activities, Dragon Boat Festival, and the Welcome to Asian America exhibit. This subseries also includes materials on AARW’s film screening of “Hito Hata: Raise the Banner”, the first film fully produced by Asian Americans. The success of this film screening began AARW’s involvement in bringing more Asian American films to the Boston area. There are materials from numerous film festivals that AARW was involved in, while the Boston Asian American Film Festival was fully produced and planned by AARW. In addition to these major events put on by AARW, there are also materials on other events such as Day of Remembrance commemorating Japanese internment during World War II, book readings, musical performances, and theater performances. Also included in this subseries are 72 folders of chronological files broken down by month, which include AARW event calendars, fliers, and correspondence regarding events.

The Education subseries covers programs put on by AARW to educate members of the Asian community as well as to educate other communities about the Asian community in the Boston area. The Media Group was an early creation of AARW and was responsible for producing slideshows and video documentaries. These materials cover a range of topics from Asian American films, Asian American stereotypes, and Asian Americans in the media. Continuing this media education work, AARW collaborated with the Roxbury Community News and Hispanic Office for Planning and Evaluation to create the Media Education Project. This joint venture aimed to document media bias of communities of color. Materials from this project include newspaper media analysis worksheets, grant materials, and final reports. This subseries also includes materials related to AARW’s creation of the Chinatown Cable Council and their work to bring cable television to Chinatown and to produce Chinese language programs. AARW also participated in multiple regional conferences which allowed them to bring some of their education workshops to a larger audience. One of these conferences was the Coalition of Asian Pacific American Youth Conference. This conference gathered Asian American youth from across Massachusetts to educate and prepare Asian youth to become proactive in their communities. Continuing their work on creating educational workshops, AARW started the Sticky Rice Project to focus on anti-oppression training. This group creates curriculums, workshops, and trainings that are offered to area schools, community centers, and conferences. These materials include development grants, project description, workshop and curriculum materials, and evaluation forms filled out by attendants. This subseries also includes materials from other AARW educational programs like Threading History, Multicultural AIDS Coalition, and the Neighborhood Information Network. The Fundraisers subseries documents fundraising events put on by AARW, including annual banquets and benefits. Folders on special anniversary dinners include planning notes, budgets, and contracts, as well as programs and commemorative booklets. Other fundraising events include the Asian American Unity Dinner and Dessert Night. The Subject Files subseries includes materials collected by AARW which were not used in conjunction with a specific program or event and were not made available through the AARW Resource Library. Topics include discrimination, violence, and hate crimes; the arts; education; employment; internment and reparations; housing; immigration and immigrant rights; Asian American history; and civil rights. Materials include newsletters, reports, press clippings, and book excerpts.