Asian American Research Journal

To the community,

We are honored and excited to share our third annual volume of the Asian American Research Journal with you all. This journal was established in Fall 2020, amid the pandemic, as a means of battling historical erasure and misunderstandings of Asian American history that continue to impact our community today. Our goal is to provide a platform to center Asian American and Asian diasporic experiences, studies, and research; we believe that by uplifting each other’s voices, we can inform, educate, and spark change.

This volume’s theme of “Shaping Our Legacies” explores how generations of Asian Americans have evolved and persevered throughout time. The stories in this publication invite readers to retrace the roots of Asian American identity and contemplate how these communities have continued to persist in the face of hardship, fight against injustice, and build upon their cultures. Through this issue, we hope you will gain a deeper understanding of our present, and perhaps even a glimpse into our future, as our diverse communities continue to shape the legacies imparted upon them.

The support of our authors, editors, designers, faculty, and community members has been invaluable to Asian American Research Journal’s growth as both a publication and an academic community. We want to emphasize that none of this work would have been possible without the incredible efforts of our AARJ Board; thank you to our executive editors Vivian Kuang and Grace Huang, our chief designer An Nguyen, our communications chair Frances Chai, and our finance and operations chair Kelly Lam. Finally, our gratitude goes out to the eScholarship team and our endlessly supportive faculty sponsors, Dr. Khatharya Um and Dr. Lok Siu.

We hope you enjoy reading “Shaping Our Legacies” as much as we have!

In Solidarity,

Antonia Mou and Julianne Han

Chief Editors 2022-2023