Early life

As a young man, his primary interest was surfing; but he was encouraged to leave Hawaii to broaden his horizons by going to college elsewhere. His undergraduate experiences at College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio caused him to begin asking the kinds of questions which evolved into the foundation of his career. He was awarded an undergraduate degree in 1961.

His graduate studies at the University of California led to a Ph.D in American history from Berkeley in 1967.

Academic career

His initial teaching experience was at the University of California at Los Angeles, where he taught the first Black History course offered at that institution. One of his students on the first day asked what the class was going to learn about "revolutionary tactics," and he later recalled that his immediate response was to suggest that he hoped students would learn skills of critical thinking and effective writing -- and that these could be quite revolutionary.

In 1972, he accepted a teaching position at Berkeley where his general survey course, "Racial Inequality in America: a Comparative Perspective," led the development of an undergraduate ethnic studies major and an ethnic studies Ph.D. program. For the next three decades, he continued to be an important contributor in the growth of the program. He was involved in developing the school's multicultural requirement for graduation: the American Cultures Requirement. The long-time Professor of Asian American Studies accepted a new status as professor emeritus in 2004.

His views, his teaching and his published works led to opportunities to share his ideas in venues around the world.