Module 4: Housing as a Fundamental Human Right Part II: Save the International Hotel
Was Asian American Activism successful in improving the lives of Asian Americans?
Throughout the nine-year fight to save the I-Hotel, hotel residents, including Manong Wahat Tompao and Manong Frank Alarcon, used their growing political awareness to challenge gentrification and eviction and demand accountability from the city. Residents demanded that public officials like Mayor Moscone prioritize the well-being of the general public instead of profit-driven goals. They believed the city had a responsibility to address the needs of all residents, especially the poor, elderly, and disadvantaged.
This module examines how the I-Hotel residents fought to make housing a human right and what their movement for affordable housing ultimately accomplished.
How did I-Hotel residents lead the fight to make housing a human right?
How did the anti-eviction organizing efforts build community? How did this impact the movement to save the I-Hotel?
How did Filipino American organizers keep the I-Hotel movement alive, even after residents were evicted? What did their ongoing fight for safe and affordable housing ultimately accomplish?
