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History of the Asian Left Forum The Asian Left Forum grew out of an effort to concretize and expand networks of Asian American radical activists from different parts of the country. The forum emerged in the context of the energy and activity of local Asian community organizing projects taking place throughout the nation. The ALF is coming together in a time of left regrouping on many fronts. One of the most notable efforts has been the Black Radical Congress which occurred in Chicago in June 1998. Similar efforts are now underway in the Chicano/Latino community. Yet the most significant inspiration for the ALF has been the organizing activity of local Asian communities throughout the country. Asian immigrant workers, youth, working-class women, and Asian American, gay, lesbian and transgender communities have continued to wage valiant struggles in different cities for some time now. The current political and social conditions within our community and other communities of color provided the backdrop for a historical intergenerational gathering on May 17, 1998 in Los Angeles of the first Asian Left Forum. Nearly 100 people of Asian descent from all over the United States, including New York, the San Francisco Bay Area, Minneapolis, Washington DC, Boston, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia came together to discuss the state and future of the Asian American Left. This gathering was the first step towards opening greater dialogue among individual leftists. The primary question: "What constitutes an Asian American Left Movement?" We knew that the struggles of the working-class Asian immigrant communities are and should be the defining issues of the Asian Left in the United States. During the course of the day, however, numerous other questions arose: Who are we speaking of when we say Asian American? What do we mean by Left? How do we build a unified movement among new immigrant communities of various nationalities? How do we account for differences across gender, sexuality, and area of work? What should be the vision of an Asian American Left Movement? As we struggled around these questions, we knew that this dialogue had to continue beyond this one day. May 17th, we concluded, would be the kick-off point for future discussions and planning to happen in our respective cities. In late February 1998, representatives from different regions, (initially New York City, Philadelphia , the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles) formed an ad hoc committee to convene a nationwide meeting of Left activists. It was this meeting which grew into the first gathering of Asian Left Forum. The ad hoc committee determined that the buildup toward the Asian Left Forum should occur primarily through regional committees. These regional committees met several times and shaped the agenda of the Asian Left Forum, chose representatives for a national planning committee, and worked toward drawing in new participants. Participants in these locals included labor and community organizers, past and present members of revolutionary socialist organizations, students, and artists. National planning meetings were then conducted through a series of conference calls and covered issues including the principles of unity for the meeting, goals, logistics, transportation and outreach plans. The members of the national planning committee took the ultimate responsibility for coordinating the activities of the meeting in Los Angeles. Results of the May 17th Meeting We participants of the ALF agreed on a working definition of "Left" as well as on basic plans toward building a national formation: • Incorporate an anti-imperialist and
internationalist framework We also reached a consensus on what we wanted a national left formation to provide: • Communication/publication for information on
various struggles nationwide and to sustain contact among different locals Concretely, we reached a bottom line agreement that the ALF would be an annual gathering that would be hosted by a different city each year. We also agreed that each local should choose two representatives to sit on the National Planning Committee (NPC). Also, each local should meet regularly to build their local area’s organizing efforts. Although, the ALF has promising beginnings, the true character and work of the ALF, we concluded, is yet to be determined by those who invest in the initial building of the organization.
Contact us at: aalf_bayarea@hotmail.com |
