UMass Boston

First Massachusetts Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) Community Survey

The Institute for Asian American Studies has partnered with the MA Asian American and Pacific Islander Commission, MA Asian Pacific Islanders Civic Action Network, Asian Community Fund, The Boston Foundation, and MassINC Polling Group to conduct the first survey on the views of Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) residents of Massachusetts on topics such as health care access, financial stability, political identification and participation, sense of belonging, and federal executive orders. Over 1,400 APIAs responded to this survey and data was disaggregated for the three largest subgroups in the state: Chinese, Indians, and Vietnamese. The report, No Longer Invisible, is available on our ScholarWorks page.

Status of Asian American Studies in High School Curricula

The rise of anti-Asian hate during the pandemic sparked a national movement for Asian American studies to be included in high school curricula. Massachusetts has no such requirement in its academic standards. To ascertain the status of Asian American studies in MA public high schools, IAAS has conducted a statewide survey of humanities teachers to gather data on how they are (or are not) including Asian American studies content in their required and elective courses. The report, which is forthcoming, includes case studies of five Massachusetts Asian American studies teachers and their approaches to teaching Asian American studies. The study was conducted to provide evidence-based findings to inform teacher education, education policy, and research about best practices for Asian American Studies in humanities classrooms.

Improving Understanding, Prevention and Treatment of Substance Use Disorders among Asian Americans

IAAS is collaborating with the Trotter Institute, Gaston Institute, and the Institute for New England Native American Studies and the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services at the MA Department of Public Health to improve services for substance use disorders in communities of color. IAAS is conducting research to expand knowledge about Asian Americans and substance use disorders in Massachusetts and improve outreach and treatment. Please see our ScholarWorks page to download our report, Exploring Substance Use Among Asian Americans: Seven Themes from Interviews with Service Providers and Community Residents by Drs. Carolyn Wong and Sun S. Kim as well as the accompanying research brief.

Anti-Asian Racism Project 

The state legislature has allocated special funds to the Institute for Asian American Studies to study the history and experiences of Asian Americans with racism. Projects include tracking anti-Asian hate in MA during the pandemic, an examination of anti-Asian violence in Lowell in the 1980s, and a study on the experiences of Cambodian Americans in Lowell, during the pandemic. This latter study was conducted in partnership with the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association.
   In addition, five faculty at UMass Boston have been awarded grants to support studies on Asian American experiences with racism that became particularly acute during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Climate Change and Communities of Color in Greater Boston

The Sustainable Solutions Lab (SSL) at UMass Boston was established to address how climate change and related policies affect and neglect vulnerable populations such as low-income groups, and racial, ethnic and linguistic minorities. IAAS, Gaston Institute, Trotter Institute, and Institute for New England Native American Studies are partners in this campus-wide effort. IAAS has assisted in research on how people of color in the Boston area understand and experience climate change. Findings can be found in two reports:  Views that Matter: Race and Opinions on Climate Change of Boston Area Residentsand Voices that Matter: Boston Area Residents of Color Discuss Climate Change

To learn about our previous activities, please contact us.