Asian American Little Magazines 1968-1974: By Amardeep Singh

Roots: An Asian American Reader (1971)

Roots: an Asian American Reader was published by the University of California-Los Angeles Press in 1971; it is described on its title page as "A Project of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center." It may be the first anthology of Asian American writing ever published. As such, it is remarkable for the range of topics and materials covered by authors in the collection -- from the "model minority" myth (which the editors are already challenging), to interracial dating, to media representations of Asians. Though the editors are apparently all of Japanese descent, there is also a notable attempt here to articulate a pan-ethnic, Asian American identity, with inclusion of materials by Chinese Americans, Korean Americans, Filipino Americans, and Native Hawaiians. 

Roots was edited by Amy Tachiki, Eddie Wong, Franklin Odo, and Buck Wong. The introduction is by Amy Tachiki.

The volume contains a mix of academic essays, poetry, interviews conducted by the editors, journalistic accounts of current issues, and personal essays. Many of the texts included in the anthology are reprinted from other journals, including various issues of Gidra, Rodan, Amerasia Journal, Asian American Political Alliance Newspaper, Hawaii Free Press, and Kalayaan International.

Finally, the volume contains a list of "Movement Journals," including those listed above as well as Asian Women's Journal (published at UC Berkeley), Aion, Getting Together, and Hawaii Pono Journal. 

Poems in the collection include: 

"Roots" by Ron Tanaka
"From a Lotus Blossom Cunt" by Tomi Tanaka
"Revolution Point Zero: 1967 (or whatever)" by Mary Uyematsu
"Rapping With One Million Carabaos in the Dark" by Al Robles
"The Trouble With Losing Face is, you become in visible" by Marie Chung
"Stormy Weather" by Shin'ya Ono
"Asian Brother, Asian Sister" by Lawson Inada

Essays of note include: 

"Response and Change for the Asian in America: A Survey of Asian American Literature" by Bruce Iwasaki
"White Male Qualities" by Anonymous
"The Intolerance of Success" by Daniel Okimoto
"The Emergence of Yellow Power in America" by Amy Uyematsu
"Am Curious (Yellow?)" by Violet Rabaya
"Autobiography of a Sansei Female" by Anonymous
"A Brief Biographical Sketch of a Newly Found Asian Male" by Ron Low



 

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