Unraveling history of Asian Americans at UI

dents really advocating for it over and over again,” the center was established in 2005, providing Asian American students with their own space to gather and share their experiences.

Lee also discussed recent issues within the Asian American community, specifically the rise in anti-Asian violencefollowing the pandemic.

She said that the violence “was not a surprise” because “there have always been waves of anti-Asian violence in times of stress.” She cited the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, the uptick in violence against “anyone seen as South Asian, Arab or Muslim” after 9/11 and modern-day anti-Chinese rhetoric.

“It’s this theme that … Asian Americans (are) not being seen as Americans,” Lee said. “Even if you’ve been here for generations and generations, there’s always the suspicion … that you have an allegiance somewhere else.”

However, Lee said the response to the violence has resulted in greater awareness because “there’s been a lot of multiracial support for Asian Americans to say (hate) is wrong.”