“We had a speaker come and talk about the globalization of Hello Kitty and how that was connected to post-World War Two Japanese pacification projects in the U.S.”

“That we wanted a way more complicated story of what it means to be Asian American. Or rather than — and that’s not to discredit the historical right, but to make sure that we have a different conversation around the intersections of identity and complex personhood that makes up individual and communal Asian Americans.”

Joseph Allen Ruanto-Ramirez (he/they) was the former Access Programs Advisor for UC San Diego’s Student Promoted Access Center for Education and Service (SPACES), who held that position at the time of this interview. He identifies as a queer, indigenous person from the Philippines and was born in Dirita, Philippines. He currently resides in South San Diego and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies with a Concentration in American Studies at Claremont Graduate University.

This interview covers topics including the Coalition for Critical Asian American Studies (CCAAS), Critical Asian American Studies, student advocacy for Asian American Studies at UCSD, staff and community center support for student activists, and the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Studies minor. Joseph offers insight into what student activism for the minor looked like in 2013-14 as an advisor to the CCAAS and staff at the Cross Cultural Center.

The interview was conducted on May 12, 2021 via Zoom by Emily Nguyen, who was connected with Joseph through the AAPI Studies Community Archive Project (now known as GROW). Emily is an undergraduate student at UCSD majoring in Public Health. She has a strong interest in oral history and is grateful to have learned so much from Joseph through this interview.