Our Story

About Us

The Return of Gidra (you can read all the original issues from 1969-1975 on Densho)

We received permission from original Gidra members to reboot the magazine. Some of the original members contribute to the new Gidra. If you would like to contact us, please email gidrareturns AT gmail DOT com. We are also in contact with original Gidra members. Both original and new Gidra members are available for interviews, speaking engagements, panel discussions, and as guest writers.

Mission Statement and Core Values

Affirm and cultivate Asian American creative communities and practices.

We are a cultural, creative, and political vehicle for radical Asian Americans to share their vision for a better world through art, writing, and digital media. We seek to bridge generational and empathy gaps that continue to inflict harm upon our community and marginalized members within our community. We know that through collective action and conversation, we can become a social force for positive change.

In the process, we hope to become a database of political history, art, and cultural knowledge for the contemporary generation, and those that come after.

Uplift Asian Americans and Asian America. Elevate and amplify progressive Asian American voices by providing a multimedia platform and resources. Nurture collective strength through solidarity among Asian Americans and with other PoC and Black Americans. Become a political and social force for positive change in America. Advocate for Asian Americans who are harmed by discrimination and anti-Asian violence.

Core Values

We stand against white supremacy, capitalism, heteronormativity, ableism, and all other forms of oppression. We uplift our queer, mixed, and disabled community and seek to center their voices in our work whenever possible. We are not free until all of us are free.

We are anti-imperialist and anti-war. Asian Americans harbor deep generational scars that have been inflicted by centuries of colonization and imperialism. We grieve those who have died and stand in solidarity with those who live under imperialism. We are principled in our opposition to United States aggression towards foreign countries, particularly countries engaging in just struggle against imperialism and capitalism. We are outraged by the US’s seemingly unswerving loyalty to violent international domination and hope to build collective consciousness that one day makes these excursions unthinkable.

We are multi-generational. We honor and respect Asian American activists who’ve come before us. We are here, because they were here. Words and art are not neutral. They challenge stock narratives or they don’t. We do not accept status quo narratives and images of Asians and Asian Americans. We respect each other as caring friends and family would. We work together with positive intentions to uplift ourselves and each other.