Impact Beyond Campus: TWLF's Cultural and Societal Legacy

Image of Occupation of Alcatraz Protest, American Indians at Alcatraz entrance, in front of wall that says Indian Land

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Uncover the extensive influence of the 1969 TWLF strike at UC Berkeley beyond the university walls. This section highlights pivotal movements and community organizations that sprang from the activism of TWLF strikers, including the International Hotel strike and the Occupation of Alcatraz, among others. Both events were emblematic of the broader struggles and achievements spurred by the TWLF. This section also delves into the genesis and impact of significant community organizations and cultural landmarks that were established during and after these movements, including the influential Rainbow Sign, which served as a vibrant cultural hub for African American arts and dialogue. These entries serve to document some of TWLF's achievements and illustrate the profound cultural shifts initiated by their efforts. As we continue to expand our historical perspective, we aim to encompass the entire spectrum of the TWLF’s legacy, affirming its role in shaping modern social and political landscapes.

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International Hotel Strike

The International Hotel strike in San Francisco is a key example of the lasting influence of TWLF, demonstrating its reach beyond academia into labor and community struggles. The decade-long struggle was led mainly by Filipino and Chinese immigrants to save the hotel, the last standing block of San Francisco’s once-thriving Manilatown. Other strike activists included 1969 UC Berkeley TWLF strikers, including Emilie De Guzman, who heard about the eviction notices that residents were receiving and organized his fellow students, especially members from the Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA), to join the strike.¹¹ Another key participant from the same era was Harvey Dong, who fought against unfair labor practices and the displacement of communities due to urban gentrification.¹²The International Hotel strike, thus, stood not only as a moment of resistance against gentrification but also as a testament to the TWLF's lasting impact on activism and the fight for inclusive communities. Eventually, on August 4th, 1977, the last remaining tenants were evicted by the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD).¹³Learn more

Occupation of Alcatraz

Dr. LaNada War Jack, a pivotal leader in the 1969 UC Berkeley TWLF Strike and chair of the Native American Student Union (NASU), extended the momentum of the strike through her continued activism.¹⁴ The TWLF Strike fostered an “almost inseparable” community among Native students from SFSU and UC Berkeley, leading to a united front in social and political organizing post-strike.¹⁵ Dr. War Jack, at the request of Richard Oakes, rallied UC Berkeley students on a boat ride around Alcatraz Island, eyeing it as an opportunity for asserting Native claims.

After previous unsuccessful attempts, Native students traveled with their families to the island on November 20th, 1969 and successfully occupied Alcatraz.¹⁶ During the period leading up to and following the Occupation of Alcatraz, TWLF had advocated for academic programs that reflected the histories, struggles, and perspectives of minority communities, pushing for curricula that were relevant and empowering to students of color. In this spirit, Dr. War Jack's activism extended beyond the immediate political act of occupying Alcatraz to include a sustained commitment to nurturing a sense of identity and historical consciousness among Native students. At Alcatraz, Dr. War Jack and other Native occupiers created an environment where Indigenous history and values were taught by Indigenous people. This approach not only bolstered the Indigenous rights movement but also served as a model for how educational spaces could be transformed to center the voices and experiences of communities of color traditionally marginalized by mainstream academic institutions. The legacy of the TWLF, with its emphasis on community empowerment and self-determination, found a powerful expression in these educational initiatives, further linking the Occupation of Alcatraz to the broader objectives of the TWLF movement. Learn More

Eastwind Books of Berkeley

In 1970, TWLF 1969 UC Berkeley strikers and husband and wife team, Bea and Harvey Dong, founders of Everybody’s Bookstore in 1970, extended their commitment to promoting Ethnic Studies and social justice by acquiring Eastwind Books and Arts in 1996. This strategic move transformed Eastwind into Eastwind Books of Berkeley, an Ethnic Studies-focused bookstore and one of the nation's first bookstores dedicated to Asian American literature.

Through its unique collection focused on Asian American experiences, Ethnic Studies and social justice, the bookstore filled a critical gap in mainstream literary offerings, providing invaluable resources for scholars, students, and the wider community interested in narratives written by people of color. Eastwind Books also became a vital community hub hosting events, discussions, and activities that promoted new and existing authors, poets, and artists, fostering deeper understandings of race, culture, history, and activism. “One of the first events held was a poetry reading by San Francisco Manilatown poet laureate Al Robles, who read from his poetry collection Rappin' with 10,000 Carabaos in the Dark.”¹⁷

After 41 years of operation, Eastwind closed its physical store on April 14, 2023. However, the company has not ceased its operations. Rather, it transitioned to book publishing and organizing free community book events throughout the Bay Area. Additionally, Eastwind continues to serve customers through its online store AsiaBookCenter.com. Today, Eastwind continues as a essential bookstore deeply rooted in the legacy of the 1969 UC Berkeley TWLF movement.¹⁸Learn More

Asian Health Services

Asian Health Services (AHS) is a community-oriented health service center in Alameda County offering mental health, case management, nutrition, and dental care to patients in over sixteen languages.¹⁹ The foundation of AHS traces back to the vision of Floyd Huen, a key participant in the 1969 UC Berkeley TWLF strike and leader for Asian American Studies at UC Berkeley. Huen’s engagement in teaching a health seminar within the newly formed Department of Ethnic Studies and his subsequent health surveys in Oakland’s Chinatown highlighted the significant needs of the local Asian community, leading to the establishment of AHS in 1974.

This organization is a direct embodiment of TWLF’s leadership and principles to address systemic inequalities affecting communities of color. Through its commitment to advocating and promoting policies that make patient communities safer and healthier, AHS honors TWLF’s legacy of centering community in its work. Today, AHS provides health, social, and advocacy services for anyone regardless of income, insurance status, immigration status, language, or culture. Learn More

Creation of the Term "Asian American"

In 1968, the Founding Six members of the Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA)--Yuji Ichioka, Emma Gee, Richard Aoki, Victor Ichioka, Floyd Huen, and Victoria Wong--coined “Asian American” as a political and cultural act, reflecting a broader shift towards unity and solidarity among different Asian ethnic groups in the fight against racism, imperialism, and social injustice. AAPA was also founded as part of the ongoing Third World liberation struggles and internationalist revolution, giving birth to the Asian American Movement. The act was a conscious departure from “Oriental,” a term loaded with colonial implications. AAPA, as an anti-imperialist national grassroots community organization, initiated many ground-breaking serve-the-people programs in Asian American communities. Through its co-leadership of the 1969 TWLF strike at UC Berkeley and its broader activism, AAPA played a crucial role in advocating for the rights and recognition of Asian Americans, pushing for Ethnic Studies programs serving the needs of TW communities that would eventually include Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies, and multinational working-class solidarity.

AAPA’s introduction of “Asian American” not only introduced a new sense of community and identity but also reflected TWLF’s principles of solidarity and resistance against systemic inequalities. This new identity helped to facilitate a generation of activists and continues to influence the discourse around race, ethnicity, and activism in the U.S. Learn More

The Rainbow Sign

The Rainbow Sign was a Black cultural center and gathering space active in Berkeley, CA from 1971 and 1977.²⁰Although Rainbow Sign was not directly born out of the 1969 TWLF movement at UC Berkeley, its existence and activities deeply reflected the broader wave of activism and push for ethnic and cultural recognition that defined the era. A 1969 UC Berkeley TWLF striker and founding president of the Afro-American Student Union (AASU), Charles Brown, played a key supporting role in the creation of this center. In addition to utilizing his business savvy and musical acumen, Brown’s TWLF experience theorizing and organizing against imperialism, white supremacy, and capitalism lent him a perspective that dovetailed nicely with Rainbow Sign Mary Ann Pollar’s aim to use cultural dialogue as a tool of resistance.²¹ “In values and practice, Rainbow Sign was somewhere between a Black Nationalist headquarters and middle-class social club, allowing it to make comrades of a wide spectrum of individuals, including members of the Black Panther Party and Warren Widener, Berkeley’s first Black mayor.”²² Given Brown’s direct involvement in AASU’s leadership during the TWLF strike and the founding of Rainbow Sign, the cultural center can be seen as a manifestation of TWLF’s broader impact on creating empowering spaces for communities of color that celebrated their identity, cultures, and histories. Learn More

Footnotes

¹James Sobredo, “The Battle for the International Hotel - FoundSF,” www.foundsf.org, n.d.,https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=The_Battle_for_the_International_Hotel

²Ivan Natividad, “A History of Innovation: Berkeley Founders, Movements That Influenced Our Culture,” Berkeley, February 22, 2024, https://news.berkeley.edu/2024/02/22/a-history-of-innovation-berkeley-founders-movements-that-influenced-our-culture-6899937

³James Sobredo, “The Battle for the International Hotel - FoundSF,” www.foundsf.org, n.d.,https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=The_Battle_for_the_International_Hotel

⁴In her book, Native Resistance Dr. War Jack refers to the student organization she was the chair of that was part of the 1969 TWLF Strike as the Native American Student Association (NASA), but in her article “Native Americans and the Third World Strike at UC Berkeley,” she refers to this organization as the Native American Student Union (NASU).

⁵LaNada War Jack, Native Resistance: An Intergenerational Fight for Survival and Life (Brookfield, MO: The Donning Company Publishers, 2019), 143.

⁶LaNada War Jack, Native Resistance: An Intergenerational Fight for Survival and Life (Brookfield, MO: The Donning Company Publishers, 2019), 148.

⁷Eastwind Books of Berkeley, “About Eastwind,” Eastwind Books of Berkeley, accessed April 3, 2024,https://www.asiabookcenter.com/about-eastwind.html

⁸Ibid.

⁹Asian Health Services, “Our Mission – ASIAN HEALTH SERVICES,” Asianhealthservices.org, 2017,https://asianhealthservices.org/our-mission/