Asian American Resource Workshop records

Founded in 1977 by members of the Boston chapter of the Pacific Asian Coalition, and officially incorporated in 1979, the Asian American Resource Workshop (AARW) works to empower the Asian American community in Boston, offering services and programs to address the community’s needs and to promote Asian American culture.

During the early years of AARW’s existence, the organization focused primarily on providing educational and cultural resources and programming for the Boston Asian American community. In 1979, the AARW organized the first Boston exhibit of Asian American artists, which then turned into hosting a series of Asian American poetry, music and art coffeehouses. In 1981, AARW hosted a viewing of Hito Hata: Raise the Banner, the first feature film directed, produced, and acted by Asian Americans, and the next year the organization began its sponsorship of the Boston Asian American Film Festival, now the largest Asian Film Festival in New England.

In 1983, AARW began broadening the scope of its mission to include social justice issues in the Asian American community, particularly relating to violence against Asian Americans. “Asians for Justice” was organized to support justice for Vincent Chin, a Chinese American beaten to death by two autoworkers in Detroit. In 1985, AARW worked with the Boston Asian American community in support of Long Guang Huang, a victim of police brutality in Boston, and produced the video Long Road to Justice: The Case of Long Guang Huang. This focus on hate crime prevention led to the creation of the Civil Rights Capacity Building Project, which assessed the civil rights needs of Asian Americans in Boston and published a report entitled To Live In Peace: Responding to Anti-Asian Violence in Boston. In 1993, AARW initiated the SafetyNet Violence Prevention Project in order to help victims of anti-Asian violence.

Along with their civil rights and anti-violence work in the 1990’s, AARW also began to work on issues relating to urban renewal in Boston’s Chinatown. The group was involved in the creation of the Coalition to Protect Parcel C, a grassroots organization formed to combat the New England Medical Center’s proposal to build a multi-story parking garage in the densely populated Chinatown neighborhood. In 1993, with the support of AARW, the Chinese Progressive Association, and other local activists and groups, the Coalition successfully halted the building proposal.

2001 saw the creation of the Sticky Rice Project: Uniting Asian Americans through Anti-racist Education, a program continuing AARW’s commitment to fighting racism through education. The program offers a variety of workshops to diverse groups from across the nation, which speak to the unique struggle Asians and Asian Americans face in the United States. In 2009, a yearly Activist Fellowship was established, which trains, cultivates, and helps develop young Asian Pacific American leaders for careers in social justice work. This focus on youth community activism was expanded in 2012 with the creation of the Dorchester Organizing and Training Initiative (DOT-I), AARW's leadership development program. The program is aimed at developing young Asian American leaders in the Fields Corner neighborhood of Dorchester with the long-term goal of building and supporting grassroots organizing in Asian American communities. In 2014 DOT-I played a major role in lobbying for the successful passage of House Bill 4089, “An Act Relative to the Preparation of Certain Bilingual Ballots in the City of Boston,” which guarantees the availability of bilingual Vietnamese and Chinese ballots in all Boston city elections.

The organization continues to focus on contemporary issues facing the Asian American community by promoting civic engagement in the Greater Boston area through a wide range of campaigns including housing justice and immigration and deportation. In 2017, AARW began the Story Project program as a way for Asian Americans to share the experiences of Asian American communities through their own lens. Also in 2017, AARW formed Lotux, a pan-Asian drag group. The group is comprised of queer, trans, and non-binary Asian/Pacific Islanders based in Boston and welcomes those at any level who are interested in drag and creates a space for using the performance and art of drag to connect with the community. By creating a space for all Asian Pacific Islander communities, AARW continues its mission of political education, creative expression, and neighborhood organizing.

1977

Asian American Resource Center is founded by members of the Boston chapter of the Pacific Asian Coalition.

1979 November 10

Incorporated as Asian American Resource Workshop. Offices located at 27 Beach St., Boston.

1979

Organizes the first Boston exhibition of Asian American artists.

1981

Organizes screening of Hito Hata: Raise the Banner, the first Asian American produced feature film.

Media Group is formed.

1982

Commemorates the 100th Anniversary of Chinese Exclusion Act with a multi-media production that includes the publication of booklet Our Roots in History.

Begins sponsoring the Asian American Film Festival.

1986-1992

Organizes Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week events.

1987

Conducts an assessment of civil right needs of Asian Americans in Boston with the report To Live in Peace: Responding to Anti-Asian Violence in Boston.

1990

Publishes the first Massachusetts Asian Pacific American Directory.

1991

Offices relocate to 33 Oak St., Boston.

Initiates the Leadership Training Project to mentor and train young people to be effective leaders.

1993

Initiates the SafetyNet Violence Prevention Project to help victims of anti-Asian violence.

Involved in the Coalition to Protect Parcel C for Chinatown.

Offices relocated to 160 Kneeland St., Boston.

1997

Initiates Neighborhood Information Network (NIN).

2001

The Sticky Rice Project: Uniting Asian Americans Through Anti-Racist Education is created.

2002

Offices relocate to 33 Harrison Ave, Boston.

2006

AARW Writers’ Group founded.

2009

Starts first Activist Fellowship to empower young Asian Pacific American activists.

2010

Offices relocate to 888 Washington St., Boston.

2012

The Writers' Group publishes their first book, Asian Voices in Beantown.

Offices relocate to 42 Seaverns Ave, Boston.

Dorchester Organizing and Training Initiative (DOT-I) is launched in Fields Corner.

2015

Offices relocated to 42 Charles St., Dorchester.

2016

The Writers’ Group publishes their second book Under A Boston Sky.

Begins hosting workshops fighting anti-Black racism at universities.

2017

API drag troupe, Lotux is formed.

AARW Story Project is launched to document and share the experiences of Asian-American communities.

1979

Fred Ho, Ramsay Liem, and Michael Liu, Founders

1980-1986

Peter Kiang, Program Director

1987-1989

Fred Dow, Executive Director

1990-1995

Michael Liu, Executive Director

1995

Koshy Mathews, Executive Director

1995-1996

Michael Liu, Executive Director

1977-1998

Tracy Tsugawa, Executive Director

1998-2002

Anne Marie Booth, Executive Director

2002-2004

Eun-Joung Lee, Executive Director

2004-2006

Ching-In Chen, Director of Programs

2006-2007, 2009-2010

Michael Liu, Executive Director

2010-2012

John Hsieh, Executive Director

2012-2015

Allistair Mallillin, Executive Director

2016-Present

Carolyn Chou, Executive Director