Emma Gee Explained

Emma Gee was an American activist and writer, who coined the term "Asian American" with Yuji Ichioka.

Biography

In 1968, Chinese American Gee and her Japanese American partner and future husband Yuji Ichioka, both graduate students at University of California, Berkeley, founded the Asian American Political Alliance and coined the term "Asian American."^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]} She was instrumental in bringing together writings from Asians in America, most notably in the work Counterpoint (1978).^[6] Gee taught some of the earliest classes in Asian American studies at Berkeley and University of California, Los Angeles.^[7]

Gee is also an advocate of Asian American women and urged them to write and share prose and poetry. This included editing the book Asian Women (1971), developed from the first class ever taught on Asian Women in Berkeley.^{[7] [8] [9]} She was later also involved in the Pacific Asian American Women Writers West, established in 1978.^[10]

In 2004, UCLA's Asian American Studies Center created the "Yuji Ichioka and Emma Gee Endowment for Social Justice and Immigration Studies" in honor of Ichioka and Gee's work.

Emma Gee passed away on April 15, 2023.^[11]

Works

• Book: Gee . Emma . Counterpoint: Perspectives on Asian America . Los Angeles, CA . Asian American Studies Center . 1978.
• Book: Gee . Emma . Asian Women . Berkeley, CA . University of California Press . 1971.

Notes and References

1. News: Kaur . Harmeet . The term 'Asian American' has a radical history . 9 August 2022 . CNN.
2. Web site: White . Alexis . 6 June 2022 . Clarified: Understanding Asian American identity . 19 December 2022 . https://archive.today/20221219182946/https://www.wdsu.com/article/clarified-understanding-asian-american-identity/40207152 . 19 December 2022 . WDSU . en.
3. Web site: Wallace . Nina . 2017-05-08 . Yellow Power: The Origins of Asian America . 2022-12-19 . Densho: Japanese American Incarceration and Japanese Internment . en-US.
4. Web site: Cheng . Cheryl . 15 March 2021 . The Asian American Studies Center’s Enduring Legacy . 2022-12-19 . UCLA . en-US.
5. Web site: Kambhampaty . Anna . 22 May 2020 . In 1968, These Activists Coined the Term 'Asian American'—And Helped Shape Decades of Advocacy . 2022-12-19 . Time . en.
6. Choy . P. P. . Review: Counterpoint: Perspectives on Asian America, by Emma Gee . California History . 1 December 1977 . 56 . 4 . 370–371 . 10.2307/25139130 .
7. Book: Fujino . Diane Carol . Samurai Among Panthers: Richard Aoki on Race, Resistance, and a Paradoxical Life . 2012 . U of Minnesota Press . 978-0-8166-7786-3 . 185–186 . en.
8. Book: Grice . Helen . Negotiating Identities: An Introduction to Asian American Women's Writing . 2002 . Manchester University Press . 978-0-7190-6031-1 . 27 . en.
9. Book: Leong . Russell . Asian American Sexualities: Dimensions of the Gay and Lesbian Experience . 2014 . Routledge . 978-1-134-71778-1 . 14 . en.
10. Book: Wei . William . The Asian American Movement . 1993 . Temple University Press . 978-1-56639-183-2 . 85 . en.
11. Web site: Cross Currents . Emma Gee . 24 June 2024 . UCLA Asian American Studies Center . en.