Betty Lee Sung, co-founder of the Asian American / Asian Research Institute (AAARI), Professor Emerita, City College of New York, and recipient of the 2017 Association for Asian American Studies Lifetime Achievement Award, established an endowment of $100,000 at the City University of New York to create a research fund under the auspices of AAARI. The fund is intended to support the research by providing funds for a research assistant, copywriter, research travel, acquisition or access to research material and similar costs so that the researcher can complete the project.
2025 Recipient
Project: Manila Bayou: Louisiana Filipinos and the Birth of Asian America
Michael Salgarolo (New York University)
Dr. Michael Salgarolo’s book project, Manila Bayou: Louisiana Filipinos and the Birth of Asian America, is a historical study that explores the lives of Filipino sailors and their descendants in the Louisiana marshlands from the mid-nineteenth century through the 1940s. The project focuses on the renegade fishing settlement of St. Malo, one of the earliest Asian communities in the United States, and traces how these “Manillamen” navigated complex landscapes of race, gender, and empire within the Jim Crow South. Salgarolo argues that these early settlers were “transimperial subjects” rather than traditional immigrants, reframing the history of Asian America as part of a global story of resistance and adaptation under colonial rule. Additionally, the work bridges the past and present by examining modern-day Filipino migrant communities in Louisiana and the ongoing environmental erasure of historical sites like St. Malo due to coastal land loss.
Michael Salgarolo, Ph.D., is a historian and Faculty Fellow in the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University, where he teaches courses in Asian/Pacific/American Studies. His research explores the intersections of race, migration, and empire, with a primary focus on the historical experiences of Filipino communities in the American South. His award-winning doctoral dissertation, which traced the social and political lives of “Manillamen” in Louisiana from the mid-nineteenth century through Philippine independence, received the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Immigration and Ethnic History Society and the NYU University-Wide Dissertation Award.
Beyond his academic research, Dr. Salgarolo is a dedicated public scholar and storyteller who uses creative mediums to engage broad audiences with history. He is the founder of Unassimilated, a walking tour company that highlights the “people’s history” of Asian America, and he leads the immersive Brooklyn-based tour Blood and Water. A former stand-up comedian, he has appeared as a historical commentator for outlets such as CNN and BuzzFeed News and contributed to the New York City Department of Education’s curriculum on Asian American and Pacific Islander history.
AAARI’s mission supports research and scholarship on policies and issues that are relevant to Asia, Asian America and other Asian diasporas, including timely concerns that pertain to New York’s diverse ethnic subgroups of Asian descent. We welcome applications from scholars working on contemporary issues in Asian American Studies, Asian Studies, and other relevant fields.
Submissions are open to researchers within and outside of CUNY, and for projects already started and/or near completion. The amount awarded will range from $1,000 to $3,000. In addition to the award, recipient agrees to the following:
- Acknowledge the Betty Lee Sung Research Endowment Fund and Asian American / Asian Research Institute – City University New York in all versions of the finished work/research/article/book.
- Present their work at an upcoming lecture/conference/workshop at the Asian American / Asian Research Institute in-person/online.
- Allow or obtain permission for the Asian American / Asian Research Institute to feature an excerpt of recipient’s work/research/research/article/book for the Institute’s academic journal, CUNY FORUM: Asian American / Asian Studies, with all appropriate copyright/acknowledgement to the recipient.
Recipient of the research award will be announced sometime in late Feb 2026.
Submission Guidelines
Click here for Submission Form
In your proposal:
- Please complete contact information on submission form.
- Provide 500-word description of your project, detailed budget on what your requested funds will be used for, and timeline for completion of project.
- Include relevant backup documentation/materials on work completed to date on the project.
Award Committee: John J. Chin, Carol Huang & Russell C. Leong
