Creating a haven for Asian American Studies in the community colleges spans multiple levels, from advocating for state legislation that recognizes Asian American Studies as a discipline, to fostering inclusive and critical classrooms, to negotiating the politics of institutionalization. This roundtable, sponsored by AAAS’s Community College Section, will explore how community college educators develop safe spaces for Asian American Studies as speakers share their stories of:

*Institutional governance and faculty leadership in the creation of the Ethnic Studies requirement for the California Community College system

*Community responsive pedagogy that fosters curiosity, inclusivity, and belonging in the AAS classroom

*Composition courses centered on the pedagogy of comparative reading to explore literacy, language, identity, and power

*Hiring practices and institutional politics that conflate Ethnic Studies and Area Studies, raising questions about Asian American Studies in general education requirements

Following remarks from speakers, session participants will discuss how the community colleges inform their own story of and advocacy for Asian American Studies.