East Asia

Geographic coverage

Midori Shimanouchi Lederer Papers

APA Staff


Midori ResizeDate Range: 1943-1994
Creator: Lederer, Midori Shimanouchi (1923-2005)

History: Midori Shimanouchi Lederer (1923-2005) was the founder of Japanese American Social Services, Inc. (JASSI), a social services agency for New York’s elderly Japanese and Japanese American residents. Born and raised in Fresno, California, Lederer was a student at the University of California, Berkeley, when she and her family were forcibly removed from their home and incarcerated at the Topaz War Relocation Center, a concentration camp, in 1942. Her 1943 appeal to the US government granted her permission to leave Topaz and resume her studies at Pace College in New York. While living in New York she became involved in the film and publicity industries. In 1952 she became the secretary of renowned film producer Michael Todd and served as his production assistant. She later joined Bill Doll and Company, a top New York-based firm of press agents in 1960 and eventually rose to partner and vice president.

Read more →

Zhang Hongtu Papers

APA Staff
Zhang Hongtu picDate Range: 1974 – 2011
Survey Conducted: Fri, 2011-08-05
Creator: Zhang, Hongtu (1943-)

History: Born in China’s Kansu Province in 1943, Zhang Hongtu studied at the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts in Beijing. The Chinese Civil War and the Cultural Revolution presented many difficult challenges to Zhang, not only because of his family’s Muslim background, but also because of shifting perceptions of artists and intellectuals. His schooling was cut short, and he was assigned to do farm work in the countryside. A few years later, he was assigned to make jewelry to be sold to Westerners. Throughout this period, Zhang continued making art. After participating in a group exhibition sometimes called the “Contemporaries Group,” Zhang moved to the United States in 1982, his wife and son joining him a few years later. He studied at the Art Students League in New York City and later became an artist-in-residence at the Asian American Arts Centre. Read more →

George Yuzawa Papers

APA Staff
GY_GradDate Range: 1908 – 2009
Survey Conducted: Tue, 2010-09-14
Creator: Yuzawa, George

History: George Katsumi Yuzawa was born in Los Angeles, California on February 21, 1915. George’s immigrant parents named their Nisei son after the first president of their adopted country, George Washington (whose birthday was a day later on February 22). His parents, Tamasaburo “James” and Bun “Mary” Yuzawa, immigrated to the United States from Nagano, Japan. In 1917, James Yuzawa established the Vermont Flower Shop in downtown Los Angeles near the University of Southern California campus. He served a term as president of the Southern California Floral Association. As a young man, George was a founding member of Boy Scout Troop 64 in Los Angeles and achieved the rank of Life Scout.

Read more →

Yoland Skeete Research Files on Newark Chinatown

APA Staff
Newark014Date Range: 1999 – 2009
Survey Conducted: Fri, 2011-05-06
Creator: Sumei Multidisciplinary Center

History: Founded in 1993 by a group of artists, musicians, and writers, the Sumei Multidisciplinary Arts Center (permanently closed as of 2021) aims to support emerging and established artists through exhibitions, lectures, seminars, workshops, and residencies. Sumei serves as a platform for artists around the world to connect with communities in Newark, and provides educational programming and art workshops for elementary to college age youth throughout the area. The organization aims to be a space for community building and engagement through art, writing, video, and performance. Read more →

Red Hot Organization Archive

APA Staff
Date Range: 1989 – 2004
Survey Conducted: Thu, 2010-01-28
Creator: Red Hot Organization

History: The Red Hot Organization is an international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture. First founded as King Cole, Inc. by Leigh Blake and John Carlin in 1989, Red Hot Organization has since produced fourteen albums, related television programs and media events incorporating the talents of performers, visual artists, producers and directors to raise funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS. Read more →

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Exposure & Education Program and Korea Exposure & Education Program Records

APA Staff
Date Range: 1999 – 2009
Survey Conducted: Sat, 2010-04-10
Creator: Nodutdol for Korean Community Development

History: Founded in New York City in April 1999 by a group of first- and second-generation Korean Americans inspired by social democratic movements in Korea, Nodutdol for Korean Community Development is a non-profit Korean American community advocacy organization that seeks to promote the unity and self-determination of the Korean people through grassroots organizing and community development. Read more →

Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) Archive

APA Staff
Date Range: 1800 – 2011
Survey Conducted: Fri, 2010-12-10
Creator: Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA)

History: The Museum of the Chinese in America started as the New York Chinatown History Project in 1980 by historian John (Jack) Kuo Wei Tchen, community organizer Charlie Lai, and artists, historians, and students who recognized that the memories and experiences of older members of the community were in danger of becoming permanently lost to later generations. They hoped to address this problem by creating opportunities for collecting, preserving, and displaying historical materials reflecting the lives of Chinatown residents and workers over its long and complicated history. Read more →

MinKwon Center for Community Action Records, The

APA Staff
Date Range: 1984 – 2010
Survey Conducted: Tue, 2010-11-16
Creator: MinKwon Center for Community Action, The
History: The MinKwon Center for Community Action is a grassroots, community-action non-profit organization based in Flushing, New York, serving the Korean and Asian American communities. MinKwon, which means “civil rights” in Korean, engages in advocacy and community organizing, provides social services, encourages civic participation, fosters youth empowerment, and supports cultural expression among the Korean community in New York City. Read more →

Saul Mills Papers

APA Staff
Date Range: 1933 – 1989
Survey Conducted: Fri, 2008-11-14
Creator: Mills, Saul, 1910-1988.

History: Born in New York City in 1910, Saul Mills was a union activist, PR representative and journalist who worked in varying capacities with a number of newspapers, including The New York Daily News, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, The Brooklyn Standard Union and The City News Association. Mills’ newspaper experience and his association with the noted newspaper columnist Heywood Broun gave rise to Mills’ involvement in the labor movement. In 1934, he became a charter member of Broun’s Newspaper Guild which led to Mills’ dismissal from The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Between 1936 and 1940, Mills worked as a public relations representative for CIO and AFL affiliated unions, including the Greater New York CIO Council

Read more →

Mark Hall Amitin/ World of Culture for the Performing Arts, Inc. Archive

APA Staff
Date Range: 1946 – 2001
Survey Conducted: Fri, 2009-10-23
Creator: Mark Hall Amitin/World of Culture for the Performing Arts, Inc.

History: Mark Hall Amitin received his doctoral degree from the Universite Paris VIII in 1978. He went on to present lectures and workshops at universities in the United States, Europe, Canada, and Asia. He worked as a consultant and producer for several major theatre festivals, including the American College Theatre Festival, the Rhode Island Theatre Festival, the Festival Mondial du Theatre in Nancy, France, and the New Theatre Festival in Baltimore. He has published articles on theatre and performance in academic journals and contributed articles and reviews on film and theatre to books, magazines, and newspapers. He has also acted in, and directed, film, television, and theatre projects in the United States as well as in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia.

Read more →