Picketers carried signs with slogans such as, “The Asians built the railroad Why not Confucius Plaza?” Dozens were arrested.Ĭonfucius Plaza, 1974. Protests began May 16 and continued to pick up momentum through the fall. The DeMatteis Corp., in charge of building the government-funded project, rejected pleas from the youthful activists, then known as Asian Americans for Equal Employment, to honor the city’s fair- hiring policies. Throughout Chinatown, the injustices at Confucius Plaza were causing great outrage. Many young, idealistic New Yorkers of Chinese descent, some of them radical leftists, began focusing on Chinatown’s many troubling issues and decided the time had come to demand equal rights and equal access to city services. At the same time, the Asian civil rights movement was gaining momentum, partially inspired by the black civil rights campaigns of the ’60s. Already difficult living and working conditions - including overcrowding and exploitation by employers - became worse in a community that had always been neglected by City Hall. After strict immigration quotas were lifted in 1965, a large number of Chinese immigrants poured into the historic neighborhood, remaking the traditional ethnic enclave. In the 1960s and early 1970s, tumultuous national and world events were having a profound effect on Manhattan’s Chinatown. In so doing, they created a powerful grassroots movement that has endured for four decades. Moved to action by a developer who refused to hire Asian workers for the massive Confucius Plaza construction project, local activists raised their voices, staged months of protests and finally prevailed. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.The following history was written on the occasion of AAFE’s 40th anniversary in 2014.įor Asian Americans for Equality, it all began in the streets of Chinatown in 1974.

Kid who are curious about movements and protests are taken through their #resistance ABCs in this primer for peaceful protest and activism from the author of 'Rodzilla and Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag.' Full color. And together, we can accomplish anything. Jared Schorr's bold, bright illustrations brings the resistance to life making it clear that one person can make a difference. Through sparse and lyrical writing, Rob Sanders introduces abstract concepts like 'fighting for what you believe in' and turns them into something actionable. Uniting around the common good-kids have questions about all of these things they see and hear about each day. A primer for peaceful protest, resistance, and activism from the author of Rodzilla and Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag.

Peaceful fights for equal rights