Ling-chi Wang Endowment
The Asian American Research Center (AARC) supports community-engaged scholarship on Asian American, Asian diaspora, and Pacific Islander communities. Since its founding in 2020 with one-time state funding, AARC has advanced a vision of public higher education grounded in community empowerment, linking research, teaching, and public service.
That vision builds on the 1969 Third World Strike at UC Berkeley, when more than 1,000 students demanded Ethnic Studies and a more responsive university. AARC continues that legacy by supporting scholarship that connects academic research to public life and social change.
AARC is now working to secure its future. Professor Emeritus Ling-chi Wang and Linda Wang provided seed funding for AARC's endowment. We have set a $5 million goal for the Ling-chi Wang Endowment to sustain community-engaged research, student mentorship, and partnerships across campus and Asian American communities.
Carrying Forward a Legacy
The campaign has drawn strong community support. AsAm News recently featured Professor Wang's work and the launch of the endowment campaign, underscoring the importance of sustaining Asian American research and public scholarship.
In another article, AsAm News highlighted Professor Wang's donation of his archive, including papers, photographs, and recordings, to UC Berkeley, preserving decades of scholarship and activism that helped shape Asian American Studies. AARC is partnering with the Ethnic Studies Library to transfer this archive and make it useful to future generations.
A banquet marking the campaign launch was held on April 22, 2026, at Far East Cafe. More than 200 community leaders, scholars, alumni, and public officials gathered to honor Professor Wang, and AARC raised over $1.1 million in gifts and pledges. Former California Assemblymember Phil Ting, author Jeff Chang, and AARC Chair Colleen Lye reflected on Wang's impact. “I can say, honestly,” said Ting, “that if it wasn’t for Ling-chi, if it wasn’t for Asian American Studies, if it wasn’t for my time at UC Berkeley, I would probably be doing something else in my life right now, and not nearly as fulfilled.” Colleen Lye said, “Ling-chi inspired me to go into academia because he set the example of a scholar who was also very much in and of the world.”
About Ling-chi Wang
In 1969, Professor Emeritus Ling-chi Wang helped establish Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley and taught the first course in Asian American Studies. That year, he also helped found Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) in San Francisco. In 2007, Amerasia dedicated a special issue to Ling-chi Wang entitled "The Quintessential Scholar-Activist."
In a 2026 op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle, Harry Mok highlights some of Wang's contributions, including his advocacy for bilingual education in San Francisco. His activism contributed to the Supreme Court ruling Lau v. Nichols, which led to services for English learners across the U.S.
At the banquet, Phil Ting recalled arriving at Berkeley and learning the university had limited Asian American admissions, a policy challenged by Professor Wang. Alongside Wang, Jeff Chang, Henry Der, and the Chinese American Alliance, students and community members organized a multi-year campaign challenging those policies. In 1989, the university reversed course and issued an apology to the Asian American community. Chang recalled a conversation with Chancellor Ira Michael Heyman after the controversy. “We never saw you coming,” the chancellor told him, acknowledging how organizing can change institutions.
Documenting Ling-chi Wang's Life
AARC partnered with CAA Oral History Project to produce a short documentary about Ling-chi’s contributions to key civil rights causes, including the voices of others who have been influenced by him over the years. The film is directed by Ursula Liang and Seng Chen. Production began in 2024 and is expected to conclude by the end of 2026.
