Japanese American

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.

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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.

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United Automobile Workers of America, District 65 Photographs

APA Staff

Basebll Protest

Date Range: 1938 – 1969
Survey Conducted: Fri, 2011-05-20
Creator: United Automobile Workers of America, District 65

History: District Council 65 of the United Automobile Workers (UAW) began as a group of Jewish laborers working in dry goods warehouses in the Lower East Side of New York City. The union became a local of the Wholesale Dry Goods Employees Union in 1935 before affiliating with the Distributive Trades Council of New York and the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). Its affiliation with the UAW began in 1979. In later years, the union’s membership grew beyond the warehouse and retail workers to include white-collar workers in publishing and universities. The union remained active until bankruptcy forced the union to close in 1994. Read more →

Soh Daiko Records

APA Staff
Soh Daiko_Credit_Kim NakashimaDate Range: 1980 – 1999
Survey Conducted: Sat, 2008-11-15
Creator: Soh Daiko

History: Soh Daiko was founded in 1979 as the first taiko group on the East Coast. Originally formed by members of the New York Buddhist Church, the group now consists of members from diverse backgrounds and professions. Members receive instruction on drum building, basic taiko skills and philosophy from senior members and visiting expert drummers. The group currently operates as a collective in which decisions are made by consensus; however, the group structure allows for elected officers who serve in the capacities of Chairperson, Treasurer, Secretary, Practice Committee, and Practice Leaders.

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Rocky Chin Papers

APA Staff
Date Range: 1969 – 2008
Survey Conducted: Tue, 2011-12-13
Creator: Chin, Rocky

History: Rocky Chin is a civil rights attorney who has been an active community leader advocating for labor and human rights. An Asian American born in Washington D.C., Chin completed his BA at Lehigh University, his MA at Yale University, and his JD at the University of Southern California. As an attorney, Chin has represented marginalized groups including immigrant and working-class families. He is married to May Y. Chen, former vice president of UNITE HERE and a founding member of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA).

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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 →

Peeling Records

APA Staff
Peeling logoDate Range: 1995 – 2003
Survey Conducted: Sun, 2012-11-04 and Thu, 2009-09-17
Creator: Peeling

History: Peeling was a New York City based collective (1995-2005) of writers, performers, directors and producers. Using autobiography as a departure point, their collaborations were an exploration of contemporary Asian American identities through the development of original theater work. Originally founded in 1995 as “Peeling the Banana” by director/performer Gary San Angel at the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, the group developed many of its pieces through physical theater and improvisation work, which were later transcribed; others were written and further developed through group workshops. At the time, no other such group existed on the East Coast and many talented artists got their start in or had at one time been members of the group. With sold out performances at the Joseph Papp Public Theater, Second Stage, Highways Performance Space (Los Angeles), the Desh Pardesh Festival (Toronto), as well as numerous colleges and universities, Peeling the Banana presented its poignant blend of poetry, theater, dance, and music to audiences across the country.

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Center for Student Life Records

APA Staff
Date Range: 1831 – 1997
Survey Conducted: Fri, 2008-11-14
Creator: New York University

History: The Center for Student Life Records documents student life from the founding of the University up to present day. Material covers official school functions, including classes, conferences, and dances; extracurricular activities, including plays, student publications, and sporting teams; and informal occasions, such as concerts in the park and “down time” in dorm rooms and Loeb Student Center.

Summary: The collection contains annual reports, minutes, promotional materials, directories, handbooks, reports and yearbooks documenting student life at New York University. A large collection of photographs supplements the textual material on student life. Of particular significance are records and publications of Student Organizations which reflect the activities of Asian Pacific American students. These include, but are not limited to, the Computer Club (1983-1984), Oriental Culture Club*/Asian Cultural Union (1982-1997), Chinese Student Society (1972-1983), Hong Kong Student Association, Chinese Mei Society (1988), Chinese Christian Fellowship (1988), Martial Arts Society (1988), Tae Kwon Do Karate Club (1988), Asian Initiative at NYU (1995), Korean Studies Association (1991-1995), relizAsian (1996-1997) and South Asian Student Association (1992-1993). They include issues of publications from these organizations, including “Asian Voices” (Asian Cultural Union), “Asian American Journal” (Chinese Student Society), “Han Mah Dang” (Korean Student Association), as well as flyers for events including the South Asia Fest.

*Materials in the collection, which comprise a part of the cultural and historical record, may depict offensive and objectionable perspectives, language, and norms. While we have control over the survey descriptions, we cannot alter the content.

APA-related Size: 1.5 linear feet, 6 boxes
Languages of materials: English
Arrangement: other
Location: New York University Archives, New York University
Bibliographic Control: other
Finding Aid Link: http://dlib.nyu.edu/findingaids/html/archives/rg_12_16/
Conditions Governing Access: Some materials may be restricted. Contact the University Archivist for further information.

New York Coalition for Asian American Mental Health Records

APA Staff
Date Range: 1993 – 2010
Survey Conducted: Tue, 2010-03-16
Creator: New York Coalition for Asian American Mental Health Records

History: The New York Coalition for Asian American Mental Health (NYCAAMH) is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization founded in 1989 by a group of concerned individuals including health and mental health professionals and organizations. Our mission is to improve the quality of mental health services for Asian Americans in the New York City metropolitan area. The Coalition offers mental health educational workshops and training, and a forum for mental health service providers and concerned individuals to network, share resources, and collaborate on culturally competent models of treatment for Asian Americans. Read more →

Womankind

APA Staff
Date Range: 1982 – 2009
Survey Conducted: Wed, 2009-12-09
Creator: New York Asian Women’s Center

History: One of the first organizations in the United States to address the linguistic, social, and economic barriers that prevent many Asian immigrant women from accessing domestic violence services, Womankind (formerly and at the time of the survey known as the New York Asian Women’s Center, NYAWC) aims to empower Asian women to experience their lives free from violence. Founded in 1982 by a group of volunteers led by Pat Eng, Womankind began as community awareness project to educate communities in Chinatown about domestic violence issues. Recognizing the need for an advocacy organization that engaged in direct service, Womankind set up a single-line, volunteer-run emergency hotline for abused women seeking help. Today, the emergency hotline (1-888-888-7702) operates 24-hours a day/seven days a week, provides services in 18+ different languages and dialects including Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Bengali, and receives over 3,000 calls each year. Read more →