About
Floyd Huen is a Chinese American organizer and medical doctor from Berkeley, California. During the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF) strike at UC Berkeley, Huen served as a member of the Central Committee. This committee was a multiracial leadership group from four student groups: the Asian American Political Political Alliance (AAPA), Black Student Union (BSU), Mexican American Student Confederation (MASC), and Native American Student Union (NASU). Huen authored the original proposal for Asian American Studies and worked as the program’s first coordinator as a graduate student. As the Vice President of the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC), Huen authored the resolution to support the Ethnic Studies Library, which included a quarterly fee for the first twenty years of its existence, which provided funds for the establishment and development of the library. After the strike, the Central Committee assigned Huen as a representative to collaborate with UC Berkeley’s chancellor to develop resource plans and staffing for the new Department of Ethnic Studies. Huen also taught courses on Pacific Rim strategy, and community engagement, which were at the heart of the newly formed Asian American Studies Program.
After graduating from UC Berkeley, Huen attended the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City and entered medicine, inspired by the Civil Rights Movement to advance universal healthcare. In medical school, he co-founded Asian Americans for Equality in New York City, aiming to advance social, racial, and economic justice for the community. Huen received board certification in internal medicine, specializing in geriatric and chronic care. Huen also taught a health seminar during his time at UC Berkeley, which led him to conduct surveys in Oakland’s Chinatown. This work aided in the rise of Asian Health Services which has been and continues to be a national and statewide leader of the cultural competence movement in minority health care. He returned to Oakland to work in the community, founding various medical organizations advocating for universal health care, including the California Physicians Alliance. Huen also served as a board of trustee member for Alameda Health System, as well as the Medical Director for Highland Hospital.
Huen and his spouse Jean Quan, a former TWLF student striker and Mayor of Oakland, have been married for over 50 years and have two children. Huen managed several of Quan’s campaigns for city council, school board, and eventually mayorship. Now residing in Oakland, they continue to be involved in the community, actively engaging in political organizing efforts. Huen maintains that his approach to politics has been informed by his involvement in the TWLF strikes, working to transform theories into action.
Huen attended the TWLF 50th-anniversary event to celebrate this milestone and because he was concerned about the state of the Department of Ethnic Studies, especially because he believes the Department lacks a connection to the community. He envisioned the Department not as an academic center, but as a space focused on relevant education for students of color. Huen continues to be involved in the continuation of TWLF efforts, including the recruitment of students to restart AAPA, now renamed the Asian American Political Activation Program