Amy Uyematsu (1947 – June 23, 2023) was an American poet.[1]
Early life and education
Uyematsu was a third-generation Japanese American from Pasadena, California. A graduate of University of California, Los Angeles in mathematics, Uyematsu became active in Asian American Studies in the late sixties. As a college senior, she penned the essay “The Emergence of Yellow Power in America” (Gidra, 1969), an assertion of Asian American identity influenced by the consciousness-raising theories of the Black Power movement.[2] That same year she joined the staff of the newly formed UCLA Asian American Studies Center, where she co-edited the widely-used anthology, Roots: An Asian American Reader (1971).[3]
Career
In the 1970s, Uyematsu was involved in what would become known as the Asian American movement. Modeled after the Black Power movement, it too emphasized racial pride, economic empowerment, and the creation of political and cultural institutions for Asian American people in the United States.
^Tachiki, A., Wong, E., Odo, F., & Wong, B. (1971). Roots: An Asian American Reader (1971). University of California, Los Angeles Press.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)