About AAAYA

The story of the Asian Community at Yale starts in 1850 with Yung Wing, who became the first Chinese student to enroll in an American university.  After graduating in 1854, Yung went on to a distinguished career as a diplomat and businessman.  He was a founder of the Chinese Educational Mission, which sponsored 120 Chinese students to study science and engineering at colleges in the Northeast during the 1870s.

Since those beginnings, the Asian and Asian American population at Yale has grown to be the vibrant community it is today.  There have been many milestones along the way. Key among them:

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• Don Nakanishi ‘71 (1949 - 2016) formed the Asian American Student Association (AASA), the first cultural organization for Asian students.  At the time, there were approximately 50 Asian students amongst an undergraduate population of 4600.  Don’s aspiration was for a place for Asian students to come together to form political alliances and combat isolation.  His inspiration came from observing and allying with the African American and Mexican American students at Yale who were also actively organizing at that time. Don is recognized for pioneering the field of Asian American studies in the US.

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• In 1969, AASA was formed with 35 students.  One of its first initiatives was to lobby Yale to broaden its commitment to minority communities beyond African American students and admit more Asian American students from low-income families to Yale.  Yale became one of the first universities to include Asian Americans in its affirmative action program.

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• In 1978, AASA had grown but, with two small rooms in the basement of Bingham Hall on Old Campus, it run out of space.  Nick Chen ‘79 organizes a meeting with President Bart Giamatti to ask for a center for AASA.

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• In 1981, the dream of having a space for Asian American students at Yale was finally realized.  The Asian American Cultural Center (AACC) opened on 295 Crown Street.  Assistant Dean Dr. Maria Brumell served as its founding director.

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• In a 1993 study, The Asian American Studies Task Force find that an overwhelming number of students want more academic commitment in Asian students.  This eventually led to the establishment of the Ethnicity, Race, and Migration (ERM) program in 1997.

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• In April 2014, the first Asian Alumni Reunion was held at Yale.  Keynote speakers included Indra Nooyi (CEO of PepsiCo), playwright David Henry Hwang, Gary Locke (former governor of Washington), and composer Vijay Iyer.  Held on the 160th anniversary of Yung Wing’s graduation, 300 alumni gathered at Yale for a weekend of panel discussions, cultural events, and a reception dinner.
   

• The Asian American Studies Conference was held in 2015.  This collaboration between the AACC and Yale Asian American Task Force emphasizes the broadening scope of Asian studies to include visual culture, art, music, and disability studies

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