Toward Liberation, Resistance, Unity, and Healing: Experiences of Asian American Cultural Center Staff

Abstract

Through collective reflection and dialogue, three Asian American practitioners explore their experiences leading Asian American Cultural Centers (AACCs) in predominantly white institutions in this chapter. Grounded in racialized identity development and inspired by duoethnographic methods, their narratives reveal how AACC professionals navigate institutional inequities, burnout, and accountability to both students and self. The authors situate their experiences within broader racial dynamics—including the persistence of the model minority myth and racial triangulation—highlighting how these frameworks shape their professional realities. They emphasize the necessity of interdependence, community care, and solidarity across marginalized groups as mechanisms of resistance and healing. The chapter positions AACCs as critical sites of liberation work, illuminating how practitioners transform their own consciousness while advancing the collective empowerment of Asian American students and colleagues.