Afro Asia : Revolutionary Political and Cultural Connections Between African Americans and Asian Americans

With contributions from activists, artists, and scholars, Afro Asia is a groundbreaking collection of writing on the historical alliances, cultural connections, and shared political strategies linking African Americans and Asian Americans. Bringing together autobiography, poetry, scholarly criticism, and other genres, this volume represents an activist vanguard in the cultural struggle against oppression. Afro Asia opens with analyses of historical connections between people of African and of Asian descent. An account of nineteenth-century Chinese laborers who fought against slavery and colonialism in Cuba appears alongside an exploration of African Americans' reactions to and experiences of the Korean "conflict." Contributors examine the fertile period of Afro-Asian exchange that began around the time of the 1955 Bandung Conference, the first meeting of leaders from Asian and African nations in the postcolonial era. One assesses the relationship of two important 1960s Asian American activists to Malcolm X and the Black Panthers. Mao Ze Dong's 1963 and 1968 statements in support of black liberation are juxtaposed with an overview of the influence of Maoism on African American leftists. Turning to the arts, Ishmael Reed provides a brief account of how he met and helped several Asian American writers. A Vietnamese American spoken-word artist describes the impact of black hip-hop culture on working-class urban Asian American youth. Fred Ho interviews Bill Cole, an African American jazz musician who plays Asian double-reed instruments. This pioneering collection closes with an array of creative writing, including poetry, memoir, and a dialogue about identity and friendship that two writers, one Japanese American and the other African American, have performed around the United States. Contributors: Betsy Esch, Diane C. Fujino, royal hartigan, Kim Hewitt, Cheryl Higashida, Fred Ho, Everett Hoagland, Robin D. G. Kelley, Bill V. Mullen, David Mura, Ishle Park, Alexs Pate, Thien-bao Thuc Phi, Ishmael Reed, Kalamu Ya Salaam, Maya Almachar Santos, JoYin C. Shih, Ron Wheeler, Daniel Widener, Lisa Yun Provided by publisher Acknowledgments ix Introduction / Fred Ho and Bill Mullen 1 Part I. The African and Asian Diasporas in the West: 1800–1950 Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen: The Roots to the Black-Asian Conflict / Fred Ho 20 Chinese Freedom Fighters in Cuba: From Bondage to Liberation, 1847–1898 / Lisa Yun 30 Seoul City Sue and the Bugout Blues: Black American Narratives of the Forgotten War / Daniel Widener 55 Part II. From Bandung to the Black Panthers: National Liberation, the Third World, Mao, and Malcolm Statement Supporting the Afro-American in Their Just Struggle Against Racial Discrimination by U.S. Imperialism, August 8, 1963 / Mao Zedong 91 Statement by Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, in Support of the Afro-American Struggle Against Violent Repression, April 16, 1968 / Mao Zedong 94 Black Like Mao: Red China and Black Revolution / Robin D. G. Kelley and Betsy Esch 97 The Inspiration of Mao and the Chinese Revolution on the Black Liberation Movement and the Asian Movement on the East Coast / Fred Ho 155 The Black Liberation Movement and Japanese American Activism: The Radical Activism of Richard Aoki and Yuri Kochiyama / Diane C. Fujino 165 Why Do We Lie About Telling the Truth? / Kalamu ya Salaam 198 Part III. Afro/Asian Arts: Catalysts, Collaborations, and the Coltrane Aesthetic The Yellow and the Black / Ishmael Reed 217 Not Just a "Special Issue": Gender, Sexuality, and Post-1965 Afro Asian Coalition Building in the Yardbird Reader and This Bridge Called by Back / Cheryl Higashida 220 Bill Cole: African American Musician of the Asian Double Reeds / Fred Ho 256 Martial Arts Is Nothing if Not Cool: Speculations on the Intersection between Martial Arts and African American Expressive Culture / Kim Hewitt 265 The American Drum Set: Black Musicians and Chinese Opera along the Mississippi River / royal hartigan with Fred Ho 285 Is Kung Fu Racist? / Ron Wheeler with David Kaufman 291 Yellow Lines: Asian Americans and Hip Hop / Thien-bao Thuc Phi 295 Part IV. Afro/Asia Expressive Writing Secret Colors and the Possibilities of Coalition: An African American-Asian American Collaboration / David Mura and Alexs Pate 321 We Don't Stand a Chinaman's Chance Unless We Create a Revolution / Kalamu ya Salaam 354 El Chino / Lisa Yun 359 Samchun in the Grocery Store / Ishle Park 363 Self-Rebolusyon, April 1998 / Maya Almachar Santos 365 Chyna and Me / JoYin C Shih 369 All That / Everett Hoagland 376 Contributors 379 Index 383 Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen: The Roots To The Black-asian Conflict / Fred Ho -- Chinese Freedom Fighters In Cuba: From Bondage To Liberation, 1847-1898 / Lisa Yun -- Seoul City Sue And The Bugout Blues: Black American Narratives Of The Forgotten War / Daniel Widener -- Statement Supporting The Afro-american In Their Just Struggle Against Racial Discrimination By U.s. Imperialism, August 8, 1963 / Mao Zedong -- Statement By Mao Tse-tung, Chairman Of The Central Committee Of The Communist Party Of China, In Support Of The Afro-american Struggle Against Violent Repression, April 16, 1968 / Mao Zedong -- Black Like Mao: Red China And The Black Revolution / Robin D. G. Kelley And Betsy Esch -- The Inspiration Of Mao And The Chinese Revolution On The Black Liberation Movement And Asian Movement On The East Coast / Fred Ho -- The Black Liberation Movement And Japanese American Activism: The Radical Activism Of Richard Aoki And Yuri Kochiyama / Diane C. Fujino -- Why Do We Lie About Telling The Truth? / Kalamu Ya Salaam -- The Yellow And The Black / Ishmael Reed -- Not Just A Special Issue: Gender, Sexuality, And Post-1965 Afro Asian Coalition Building In The Yardbird Reader And This Bridge Called My Back / Cheryl Higashida -- Bill Cole: African American Musician Of The Asian Double Reeds / Fred Ho -- Martial Arts Is Nothing If Not Cool: Speculations On The Intersection Between Martial Arts And African American Expressive Culture / Kim Hewitt -- The American Drum Set: Black Musicians And Chinese Opera Along The Mississippi River / Royal Hartigan With Fred Ho -- Is Kung Fu Racist? / Ron Wheeler With David Kaufman -- Yellow Lines: Asian Americans And Hip-hop / Thien-bao Thuc Phi -- Secret Colors And The Possibilities Of Coalition: An African American-asian American Collaboration / David Mura And Alexs Pate -- We Don't Stand A Chinaman's Chance Unless We Create A Revolution / Kalamu Ya Salaam -- El Chino / Lisa Yun -- Samchun In The Grocery Store / Ishle Park -- Self-rebolusyon, April 1998 / Maya Almachar Santos -- Chyna And Me / Joyin C Shih -- All That / Everett Hoagland. Edited By Fred Ho And Bill V. Mullen. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Summary:With contributions from activists, artists, and scholars, Afro Asia is a groundbreaking collection of writing on the historical alliances, cultural connections, and shared political strategies linking African Americans and Asian Americans. Bringing together autobiography, poetry, scholarly criticism, and other genres, this volume represents an activist vanguard in the cultural struggle against oppression. Afro Asia opens with analyses of historical connections between people of African and of Asian descent. An account of nineteenth-century Chinese laborers who fought against slavery and colonialism in Cuba appears alongside an exploration of African Americans' reactions to and experiences of the Korean "conflict." Contributors examine the fertile period of Afro-Asian exchange that began around the time of the 1955 Bandung Conference, the first meeting of leaders from Asian and African nations in the postcolonial era. One assesses the relationship of two important 1960s Asian American activists to Malcolm X and the Black Panthers. Mao Ze Dong's 1963 and 1968 statements in support of black liberation are juxtaposed with an overview of the influence of Maoism on African American leftists. Turning to the arts, Ishmael Reed provides a brief account of how he met and helped several Asian American writers. A Vietnamese American spoken-word artist describes the impact of black hip-hop culture on working-class urban Asian American youth. Fred Ho interviews Bill Cole, an African American jazz musician who plays Asian double-reed instruments. This pioneering collection closes with an array of creative writing, including poetry, memoir, and a dialogue about identity and friendship that two writers, one Japanese American and the other African American, have performed around the United States. Contributors: Betsy Esch, Diane C. Fujino, royal hartigan, Kim Hewitt, Cheryl Higashida, Fred Ho, Everett Hoagland, Robin D.G. Kelley, Bill V. Mullen, David Mura, Ishle Park, Alexs Pate, Thien-bao Thuc Phi, Ishmael Reed, Kalamu Ya Salaam, Maya Almachar Santos, JoYin C. Shih, Ron Wheeler, Daniel Widener, Lisa Yun -- Provided by publisher Contents 6 Acknowledgments 10 Introduction 12 Part I: The African and Asian Diasporas in the West: 1800-1950 29 Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen: The Roots to the Black-Asian Conflict 31 Chinese Freedom Fighters in Cuba: From Bondage to Liberation, 1847–1898 41 Seoul City Sue and the Bugout Blues: Black American Narratives of the Forgotten War 66 Part II: From Bandung to the Black Panthers: National Liberation, the Third World, Mao, and Malcolm 100 Statement Supporting the Afro-American in Their Just Struggle Against Racial Discrimination by U.S. Imperialism, August 8, 1963 102 Statement by Mao Tse-Tung, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, in Support of the Afro-American Struggle Against Violent Repression, April 16, 1968 105 Black Like Mao: Red China and Black Revolution 108 The Inspiration of Mao and the Chinese Revolutionon the Black Liberation Movement and the Asian Movementon the East Coast 166 The Black Liberation Movement and Japanese American Activism: The Radical Activism of Richard Aoki and Yuri Kochiyama 176 Why Do We Lie about Telling the Truth? 209 Part III: Afro-Asian Arts: Catalysts, Collaboration, and the Coltrane Aesthetic 226 The Yellow and the Black 228 Not Just a ‘‘Special Issue’’: Gender, Sexuality, and Post-1965 Afro Asian Coalition Building in the Yardbird Reader and This Bridge Called My Back 231 Bill Cole: African American Musician of the Asian Double Reeds 267 Martial Arts Is Nothing if Not Cool: Speculations on the Intersection between Martial Arts and African American Expressive Culture 276 The American Drum Set: Black Musicians and Chinese Opera along the Mississippi River 296 Yellow Lines: Asian Americans and Hip Hop 306 Is Kung Fu Racist? 302 Part IV: Afro/Asia Expressive Writing 330 Secret Colors and the Possibilities of Coalition: An African American–Asian American Collaboration 332 We Don’t Stand a Chinaman’s Chance Unless We Create a Revolution 365 El Chino 370 Samchun in the Grocery Store 374 Self-Rebolusyon, April 1998 376 Chyna and Me 380 All That 387 Contributors 390 Index 394 Nobody knows the trouble I've seen: the roots to the Black-Asian conflict / Fred Ho Chinese freedom fighters in Cuba: from bondage to liberation, 1847-1898 / Lisa Yun Seoul City Sue and the bugout blues: black American narratives of the forgotten war / Daniel Widener Statement supporting the Afro-American in their just struggle against racial discrimination by U.S. imperialism, August 8, 1963 / Mao Zedong Statement by Mao Tse-Tung, chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, in support of the Afro-American struggle against violent repression, April 16, 1968 / Mao Zedong Black like Mao: red China and the black revolution / Robin D. G. Kelley ans Betsy Esch The inspiration of Mao and the Chinese revolution on the black liberation movement and Asian movement on the East Coast / Fred Ho The black liberation movement and Japanese American activism: the radical activism of Richard Aoki and Yuri Kochiyama / Diane C. Fujino Why do we lie about telling the truth? / Kalamu ya Salaam The yellow and the black / Ishmael Reed Not just a "special issue": gender, sexuality, and post-1965 Afro Asian coalition building in the Yardbird reader and This bridge called my back / Cheryl Higashida Bill Cole: African American musician of the Asian double reeds / Fred Ho Martial arts is nothing if not cool: speculations on the intersection between martial arts and African American expressive culture / Kim Hewitt The American drum set: Black musicians and Chinese opera along the Mississippi river / royal hartigan with Fred Ho Is kung fu racist? / Ron Wheeler with David Kaufman Yellow lines: Asian Americans and hip-hop / Thien-bao Thuc Phi Secret colors and the possibilities of coalition: an African American-Asian American collaboration / David Mura and Alexs Pate We don't stand a chinaman's chance unless we create a revolution / Kalamu ya Salaam El chino / Lisa Yun Samchun in the grocery store / Ishle Park Self-rebolusyon, April 1998 / Maya Almachar Santos Chyna and me / JoYin C Shih All that / Everett Hoagland "With contributions from activists, artists, and scholars, Afro Asia is a groundbreaking collection of writing on the historical alliances, cultural connections, and shared political strategies linking African Americans and Asian Americans. Bringing together autobiography, poetry, scholarly criticism, and other genres, this volume represents an activist vanguard in the cultural struggle against oppression. Afro Asia opens with analyses of historical connections between people of African and of Asian descent. An account of nineteenth-century Chinese laborers who fought against slavery and colonialism in Cuba appears alongside an exploration of African Americans' reactions to and experiences of the Korean "conflict." Contributors examine the fertile period of Afro-Asian exchange that began around the time of the 1955 Bandung Conference, the first meeting of leaders from Asian and African nations in the postcolonial era. One assesses the relationship of two important 1960s Asian American activists to Malcolm X and the Black Panthers. Mao Ze Dong's 1963 and 1968 statements in support of black liberation are juxtaposed with an overview of the influence of Maoism on African American leftists. urning to the arts, Ishmael Reed provides a brief account of how he met and helped several Asian American writers. A Vietnamese American spoken-word artist describes the impact of black hip-hop culture on working-class urban Asian American youth. Fred Ho interviews Bill Cole, an African American jazz musician who plays Asian double-reed instruments. This pioneering collection closes with an array of creative writing, including poetry, memoir, and a dialogue about identity and friendship that two writers, one Japanese American and the other African American, have performed around the United States."--Amazon.com viewed May 17, 2022