Anthony Yuen: Mixed-race Asian American activist
Asian American Voices event. The focus of this event, held last spring, was: “Mixed Race Asians: Why They Matter to Asian
America.”
Why indeed? Because their consciousness, viewpoints, and voices make up the collective whole of this diverse nation we
call home. Yuen asserts it is important for every culture and race, mixed or not, to feel part of and be able to influence the
collective whole. Mainly, he contends, it is crucial that everyone has a voice.
In a “Hapa” interview that Yuen conducted with Pearl Fuyo Gaskins, author of “What Are You? Voices of Mixed Race
Young People,” the pair discussed the issues affecting mixed race Asian American youth.
“Being racially mixed, you are forced to figure out your place in the world in a way that other people are not,” Fuyo Gaskins told
Yuen. “But the journey can enrich your life.”
Fuyo Gaskins goes on to say that times have changed since she was a youth in self-discovery mode. Today, racially mixed
individuals are much more of the norm and much less ostracized. Yuen can relate to that younger, more included group.
While growing up in San Francisco, a city known for its diverse population and large Asian population, Yuen never felt
disconnected from his community. His father, a thirrd generation Chinese American, met his mother, a German native, while
serving with the U.S. military in Germany. Yuen chuckles when he explains that his mother, a European, is the newer
immigrant. It was the German culture that most influenced their household. Yuen’s Asian American identity didn’t really surface
until college.
“I really didn’t develop an Asian American consciousness until I attended UC-Berkeley,” Yuen admitted.
As an undergraduate student, Yuen became more interested in his Asian American roots and more involved in activism.
As a graduate student at UCLA, he became very active with the Asian American graduate student program. He didn’t really
grasp the concept of ‘other’ until moving to Madison where the Asian American population is much smaller in number.
“Forty percent of undergraduates at Berkeley are Asian American,” Yuen said. “In California, as a whole, people of Asian
descent constitute a much larger portion of the population.”
While working at UW-Madison, Yuen facilitated workshops on Asian American activism. His workshops encouraged Asian
Americans to mobilize and taught participants the tools necessary to become an effective activist.
While in Madison, Yuen found that the Chinese American and Japanese American populations were much smaller than in
his native California, and that Southeast Asians were the more visible Asian group. He encouraged these populations to
connect with their specific and varying cultures, saying that for Asian Americans one of the biggest frustrations is that, “there is
not always recognition of the vast diversity under the big umbrella term of Asian American.” Yet, in terms of activism, he finds
value in grouping Asian Americans together in order to create a larger voice, especially in places where the Asian American
population is smaller.
“In smaller numbers, it is more strategic to think about similarities,” Yuen said. “The term ‘Asian American’ is really a way
for people to mobilize politically.”
Yuen is once again living in his native San Francisco working as a study abroad advisor at UC-Berkeley. He plans to
continue his activism work and his exploration of mixed race Asian Americans and their role in the U.S.
America.”
Why indeed? Because their consciousness, viewpoints, and voices make up the collective whole of this diverse nation we
call home. Yuen asserts it is important for every culture and race, mixed or not, to feel part of and be able to influence the
collective whole. Mainly, he contends, it is crucial that everyone has a voice.
In a “Hapa” interview that Yuen conducted with Pearl Fuyo Gaskins, author of “What Are You? Voices of Mixed Race
Young People,” the pair discussed the issues affecting mixed race Asian American youth.
“Being racially mixed, you are forced to figure out your place in the world in a way that other people are not,” Fuyo Gaskins told
Yuen. “But the journey can enrich your life.”
Fuyo Gaskins goes on to say that times have changed since she was a youth in self-discovery mode. Today, racially mixed
individuals are much more of the norm and much less ostracized. Yuen can relate to that younger, more included group.
While growing up in San Francisco, a city known for its diverse population and large Asian population, Yuen never felt
disconnected from his community. His father, a thirrd generation Chinese American, met his mother, a German native, while
serving with the U.S. military in Germany. Yuen chuckles when he explains that his mother, a European, is the newer
immigrant. It was the German culture that most influenced their household. Yuen’s Asian American identity didn’t really surface
until college.
“I really didn’t develop an Asian American consciousness until I attended UC-Berkeley,” Yuen admitted.
As an undergraduate student, Yuen became more interested in his Asian American roots and more involved in activism.
As a graduate student at UCLA, he became very active with the Asian American graduate student program. He didn’t really
grasp the concept of ‘other’ until moving to Madison where the Asian American population is much smaller in number.
“Forty percent of undergraduates at Berkeley are Asian American,” Yuen said. “In California, as a whole, people of Asian
descent constitute a much larger portion of the population.”
While working at UW-Madison, Yuen facilitated workshops on Asian American activism. His workshops encouraged Asian
Americans to mobilize and taught participants the tools necessary to become an effective activist.
While in Madison, Yuen found that the Chinese American and Japanese American populations were much smaller than in
his native California, and that Southeast Asians were the more visible Asian group. He encouraged these populations to
connect with their specific and varying cultures, saying that for Asian Americans one of the biggest frustrations is that, “there is
not always recognition of the vast diversity under the big umbrella term of Asian American.” Yet, in terms of activism, he finds
value in grouping Asian Americans together in order to create a larger voice, especially in places where the Asian American
population is smaller.
“In smaller numbers, it is more strategic to think about similarities,” Yuen said. “The term ‘Asian American’ is really a way
for people to mobilize politically.”
Yuen is once again living in his native San Francisco working as a study abroad advisor at UC-Berkeley. He plans to
continue his activism work and his exploration of mixed race Asian Americans and their role in the U.S.
| Anthony Yuen was the facilitator at the UW-Madison Association of Asian American Graduate Students' 2007 Fall Event: "Asian American Activism in Practice." |
by Laura Salinger
For some people, it’s simple to categorize their racial identity. They are White or African
American/Black or Asian or American Indian/Alaska Native. They are of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity
or they are not of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity. They are born to parents of the same race, of the same
ethnicity. For a growing number of U.S. citizens, however, it is not so simple. And checking ‘other’
on that census or data-gathering form just doesn’t cut it.
Over 10 years ago, in 1997, the issue was as prevalent as it is today. The Associated Press
quoted Ramona E. Douglass, a mixed-race activist from California, as saying:
“The census form allows me to select ‘other’ as a choice, but I’m not an ‘other.’ I’m a multiracial
person and should be represented.”
This was said during an active push for the addition of a multiracial category to the U.S.
Census. The effort failed, but changes were made to allow survey-takers to chose more than one
racial category. They can still, however, choose that dreaded ‘other.’
Mixed-race activist Anthony Yuen — of Chinese and German descent-would be the first to tell
you that he is not an ‘other.’ Growing up in San Francisco may have helped solidify that notion.
“I don’t think our family was ever treated as the ‘other,’ especially growing up in the Bay area,”
Yuen said.
A young, dynamic activist from San Francisco, Yuen spent two years in Madison where he
worked at UW-Madison as a study-abroad advisor and became an active member of the Asian
American Graduate Students program on campus. During that time, he helped organize the latest
For some people, it’s simple to categorize their racial identity. They are White or African
American/Black or Asian or American Indian/Alaska Native. They are of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity
or they are not of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity. They are born to parents of the same race, of the same
ethnicity. For a growing number of U.S. citizens, however, it is not so simple. And checking ‘other’
on that census or data-gathering form just doesn’t cut it.
Over 10 years ago, in 1997, the issue was as prevalent as it is today. The Associated Press
quoted Ramona E. Douglass, a mixed-race activist from California, as saying:
“The census form allows me to select ‘other’ as a choice, but I’m not an ‘other.’ I’m a multiracial
person and should be represented.”
This was said during an active push for the addition of a multiracial category to the U.S.
Census. The effort failed, but changes were made to allow survey-takers to chose more than one
racial category. They can still, however, choose that dreaded ‘other.’
Mixed-race activist Anthony Yuen — of Chinese and German descent-would be the first to tell
you that he is not an ‘other.’ Growing up in San Francisco may have helped solidify that notion.
“I don’t think our family was ever treated as the ‘other,’ especially growing up in the Bay area,”
Yuen said.
A young, dynamic activist from San Francisco, Yuen spent two years in Madison where he
worked at UW-Madison as a study-abroad advisor and became an active member of the Asian
American Graduate Students program on campus. During that time, he helped organize the latest
Laura Salinger is a freelance writer
based in Madison, Wis.
based in Madison, Wis.