2014.036.014 Oral History Interview with David Chen July 10, 2003

 

During the interview, David Chen discusses his experience as a Chinese American activist and director of the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC), and his theory of activism. When Chen was younger, he rarely spoke. He would always wait for someone else to say the right thing, to which he would then agree. One time, as a younger student, he was forced to present a project because two of his partners did not show up. One of his classmates expressed how well-spoken he was and at that moment, Chen realized that his voice could be heard. Chen believes that in order to be an activist for peace and justice, one must see the bigger picture. Effective activism should start with institutions because that is how change can be enacted. He believes that anyone can be an activist as long as they talk, remember, observe, and are skeptical of organizations. He states that while spontaneous change comes from the bottom, sustaining change comes from the top, more specifically, from organizations. Chen joined the Organization of Chinese Americans in order to advocate for what he wanted to stand for and speak freely on those subjects. However, he also believes that a successful organizer does not talk too much because activism is about observing the smaller issues. As an activist, he believes that trust must be gained from individuals. Chen agrees that the Asian American rights movement was inspired by the Civil Rights Movement. Overall, he believes that society as a whole has become more willing to change and hopes that individuals, especially young activists, continue to act, give voice, and intellectualize.

0:00 - Introduction, questions

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0:23 - Beginnings as a CPC youth director, Chicago, Chinatown, activism, identity racism from discrimination, coming to New York for vacation, looking for jobs, youth issue, housing conditions, failing school, pressure from parents, community politics

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3:23 - Being quiet as a kid, school project from younger days, speaking up and having a voice

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6:30 - Feeling like an activist, youth program

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8:27 - Seeing the bigger picture, how to become an activist, institutional change

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10:15 - San Francisco, Midwest, student activism

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11:37 - Coming to Chinatown in the 1980s, New York changing, more white people moving into New York, diversity within neighborhood changing in Chinatown

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14:27 - Key moments in Chen’s career, joining Organization Chinese America, peace and justice issues

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16:30 - Being called a communist, Soviet Union, activism during Cold War

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17:48 - Budget issues, making a living, having a career

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19:49 - First coming to New York, supporting an issue

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22:04 - Younger and older people working together, learning lessons

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23:48 - Theory of organizing, effective methods of demonstrating

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26:14 - Korean professor, Chen as a student, education

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30:44 - Youth activism, West coast, networking, lobbying, protesting, promoting change, raising issues

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33:43 - Social working

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36:10 - Working with other groups in Chinatown, individual’s ability of seeing an organization, identifying issues and change, organization skeptics

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38:51 - Asian-American movement, Connection to African-American Civil Rights Movement, cultural movements indirectly and directly relating to one another

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40:47 - How Chinatown has changed over the years, communities continuously changing, progress, institutionalized change

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43:43 - Malcolm X, radical, Martin Luther King Jr., using history to become accepted, becoming American

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45:13 - Chen’s current projects, CPC workload, change from the bottom and change from the top

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46:45 - Organizing during younger days, sustaining change coming from the top, institutional changes, change coming from youth, individual change coming and going, systematic change

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49:24 - Encouraging young people to be activists, seeing and remembering, doing and understanding, jumping into political issues, proactive activists, intellectualizing political issues

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51:35 - Not about how old one is, burn out through activism, new opportunities, open-mindedness

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53:49 - Manhattan’s Chinatown, closing of restaurants, Chinatown’s decline

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57:02 - Diverse Chinatown, lack of new buildings

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60:42 - Artifacts to donate to the museum, pictures, being a spokesperson

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65:24 - Final thoughts

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