Foundations and Futures

Before “Linsanity” became a global phenomenon, Asian Americans were often overlooked in conversations about professional sports. In 2012, Jeremy Lin challenged stereotypes and reshaped what representation could look like on the court, inspiring millions of fans who rarely saw themselves reflected in sports and competition. 🌟

Through Foundations and Futures, we explore how figures like Jeremy Lin have expanded possibilities for future generations and helped redefine Asian American history! 📖

🏀 Read more about Asian American representation in sports and the histories that continue to shape our communities!

AsianAmericanStudies RepresentationMatters SportsHistory UCLAAASC

For Pride Month, we are honored to uplift the voices, histories, and contributions of Pacific Islander LGBTQIA+ communities!

Check out our multimedia textbook now: www.foundationsandfutures.org (link in bio!) 🤩 to learn more about LGBTQIA+ Pacific Islander narratives.

Happy PRIDE Month 🌈

FoundationsAndFutures UCLAAASC

Did you know that June 5th is National Doughnut/Donut Day?! Swipe through to learn more about Ted Ngoy, also known as the “Donut King” and his contributions to expanding Cambodian-owned donut shops across California!

Learn more about Asian American Entrepreneurs in Foundations and Futures in the chapter “Asian American Pioneer Entrepreneurs: Realities of the American Dream,” authored by Susie J. Pak

Check out the website: www.foundationsandfutures.org

Foundations and Futures is available now! For PRIDE Month we encourage you to check out our chapters the illuminate the rich histories of LGBTQ+ Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. 🥳

Share this resource with friends, family, and your community members! 🫶

Check out our multimedia textbook now: www.foundationsandfutures.org (link in bio!) 🤩

Happy PRIDE Month 🌈

Happy Pride Month! 🏳️‍🌈✨🌈

The UCLA Asian American Studies Center and Foundations and Futures remain committed to uplifting the diverse histories, voices, and experiences of all of our communities!

Art by and 🫶

Foundations and Futures is here! Developed by the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, this Asian American and Pacific Islander Multimedia Textbook includes 50 chapters, 1,500+ media assets, and 250+ ready-to-use lesson plans. This project is designed to transform classrooms into spaces of empathy, critical thinking, and change!

🔗Check out the website now: https://www.foundationsandfutures.org/

Follow us for more updates and news!

UCLAAASC UCLAAAPI

Today, Foundations and Futures & the UCLA Asian American Studies Center honors the life and legacy of Yuri Kochiyama — a visionary activist whose work helped shape the foundations of Asian American activism, ethnic studies, and cross-racial solidarity movements across the country.

Yuri Kochiyama was born Mary Yuri Nakahara on May 19, 1921 in San Pedro, California. She became one of the most iconic figures among Asian Americans dedicated to community activism and liberatory social change. As a young teen, her family was imprisoned along with 125,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. While at the Jerome, Arkansas concentration camp, she helped found the Crusaders with other women to support Japanese American soldiers sent to fight for the US military. Her ethical humanitarianism was rooted in Christianity and evolved after the war as she developed close relationships with key figures in the Civil Rights, Black Power and anti-war movements in New York City from the 1950s. She married Bill Kochiyama and they raised six children, eventually settling in Harlem where they grew their activism. Over her lifetime, Yuri committed herself to many movements, including support for political prisoners, Ethnic Studies, Japanese American redress and reparations, and organizations like Asian Americans for Action.

We welcome you to explore the richness of her life and legacy in Foundations and Futures: https://www.foundationsandfutures.org

Additional resources include the UCLA Asian American Studies Center’s digital exhibition and collection: https://learn.aasc.ucla.edu/kochiyama/

Happy Birthday Yuri 🌟

Our crowdfund is live! Help us activate Foundations and Futures into high school and college classrooms around the world 🌍

Foundations and Futures makes accessible, community-focused scholarship available to students, educators, and life long learners. Every donation helps expand educational access, support ongoing research and storytelling, and ensure that Asian American and Pacific Islander narratives remain visible, documented, and celebrated.
By investing in this work, you are helping protect histories that have too often been overlooked while creating opportunities for deeper understanding, representation, and connection. Together, we can continue building a future where our collective stories are preserved for future generations 📚✨

Donate to our crowdfund, and help us reach our goal (we are 30% there): https://crowdfunding.ucla.edu/project/49932

Share with friends, family, and your community members!

As we recognize and celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, join us for Foundations and Futures: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Reclaim Our Narrative. In partnership with the American Federation of Teacher’s (AFT) AAPI Taskforce, this webinar introducers a powerful digital curriculum designed to bring AAPI histories into every classroom. Hear directly from educators on how they used Foundations and Futures in their classrooms to spark meaningful discussions and deepen students’ understanding of history, identity, and belonging.

📆 Monday, May 18th
⏰ 7:00pm to 8:00pm (Eastern) / 4:00pm to 5:00pm (Pacific)
📍 Virtual, register here: https://calendly.com/cmacahilig/foundations-and-futures-reclaiming-our-narrative

See you all there!