British Asian

Ethnic context

South Asian Journalists Association Records

APA Staff
Date Range: 1994 – 2010
Survey Conducted: Tue, 2010-02-09
Creator: South Asian Journalists Association

History: In the Spring of 1994, four South Asian journalists and friends met in a New York City restaurant and founded the South Asian Journalists Association—an organization committed to providing networking opportunities for journalists of South Asian descent and those with an interest in South Asia and its diaspora. Among them was Sreenath Sreenivasan, who at the time of this survey, served as Dean of Student Affairs and Professor of Professional Practice in the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University and whose office SAJA’s records resided. By 1995, the organization had 200 New York City-based members and was hosting monthly meetings. Members included correspondents, reporters, and editors for South Asia-based publications (e.g. Associated Press of Pakistan, India Today), ethnic media outlets based in the United States (e.g. India Abroad, Minaret), and mainstream news sources (e.g. Time, Wall Street Journal). Read more →

Serpent’s Tail/High Risk Records

APA Staff
Date Range: 1990 – 1997
Survey Conducted: Tue, 2009-10-06
Creator: Serpent’s Tail/High Risk Archive

History: High Risk Books was founded in New York City in 1993 by Ira Silverberg as an imprint of Serpent’s Tail Press in London. Dedicated to publishing challenging, innovative, and progressive literature, High Risk Books transcended the traditional boundaries of publishing to provoke and inspire a new generation of writers and readers. Ira Silverberg told The New York Times in a March 13, 1994 interview that he and his co-editor Amy Scholder wanted to “catch an area of the market that’s being overlooked by mainstream houses. We’re working with a lot of gay men, lesbians, and African Americans, because the voices of under served communities tend to shed more light on societal conditions than the voices of the people who have the franchise. That’s not to say we won’t publish straight white men.” While connected by a certain subversive impulse, authors as diverse as William Burroughs, Kathy Acker, June Jordan, Sapphire, Ameena Meer, Kenzaburo Oe and many others were published by High Risk.
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Indo-American Arts Council Records

APA Staff
Date Range: 1998 – 2010
Survey Conducted: Tue, 2010-02-02
Creator: Indo-American Arts Council

History: The Indo-American Arts Council is a not-for-profit resource arts organization that provides platforms for artists, filmmakers, dancers, and writers of Indian origin to showcase their work to audiences across the United States. Through arts-based events, programming, and festivals, the organization works to support the creation and dissemination of work by Indian artists from around the world. Read more →

DJ Rekha Papers

APA Staff
Date Range: 1998 – 2010
Survey Conducted: Tue, 2010-02-16
Creator: DJ Rekha

History: Often credited for introducing bhangra and British Asian music to North American audiences, DJ Rekha is a producer, activist, and musician. Named one of the most influential South Asians in the United States by Newsweek, DJ Rekha was proclaimed by “one of the ten women of downtown music” by the New York Times Magazine. From the 1997 launch of Basement Bhangra, a monthly party held at New York City’s SOBs, to Mutiny, which she co-founded with filmmaker, DJ, and MIT professor Vivek Bald, DJ Rekha has been instrumental in establishing a South Asian music scene in the United States. Read more →

Asian/American Center (A/AC) at Queens College Records

APA Staff
Date Range: 1949 – 2010
Survey Conducted: Mon, 2010-07-19
Creator: Asian/American Center (A/AC) at Queens College

History: The Asian/American Center (A/AC) at Queens College, City University of New York, is committed to producing and supporting community-based research on the diverse populations that make up the Asian diaspora in the Americas. Founded in 1987, the A/AC organizes research projects, conferences, and seminars, in addition to publishing a series of working papers by academics and community leaders, all of which examine the history and other aspects of Asian American experiences. The A/AC also works to support Asian American Studies. In 2010, for the first time at Queens College, the A/AC began offering courses in the field, allowing students to minor in Asian American Studies. The A/AC is also building a new resource lounge, which will house multimedia materials on Asian Americans.

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Asia Pacific Forum Records

APA Staff
Date Range: 1998 – 2011APF logo
Survey Conducted: Fri, 2011-01-28
Creator: Asia Pacific Forum

History: Broadcasting on WBAI 99.5 FM and streaming live on the web every Monday from 9-10 pm, Asia Pacific Forum (APF) is “a progressive pan-Asian radio show” based in New York City focusing on culture and politics. APF’s broadcasts cover underreported stories from Asia and Asian America and explore topics including activism, civil and human rights, foreign policy, immigration, history, labor, literature, pop culture, and the performing arts. WBAI is part of the Pacifica Foundation, a non-commercial and listener-sponsored national radio network founded in 1946 with about 50 additional affiliates in Houston, Los Angeles, Berkeley, Washington, D.C., and other cities across the United States.
APF has operated as a collective since its founding. Current core collective members are Zhaleh Afshar, Saara Azadi, Olivia Canlas, Mijounga Chan, Michelle Chen, Aniruddha Das, Naved Husain, Danny Kim, Aruna Krishnakumar, and Hyun Lee.

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