During the 1970s, arts and culture became vehicles for elevating the narratives of Asian Americans, a term first used in 1968 during the struggle to establish ethnic studies at California universities. Under this new pan-Asian identity, a generation of young Asian American organizers, academics, and artists emerged, ready to define themselves and their history to the rest of America. Arts and culture can serve as catalysts in propelling movements forward. The arts reflected the spirit of and supported the Asian American Movement in the fight for social and racial justice, ethnic studies, and visibility.