Series I. Community Activism, 1966-2009, inclusive

This series primarily consists of materials related to Arai and Wong's involvement in the Asian American Movement, particularly their engagement with grassroots and arts-related organizations and institutions. Many of these organizations were small Asian American artist-driven organizations within New York, representing the needs and interests of this community during the 1970s and 1980s.

This series includes files on the Cityarts Workshop, a nonprofit community mural arts organization in the 1970s that created murals by and for communities of color. Arai's artwork was used heavily for the organization's publications and posters during her time with them. Files include promotional material, press clippings, correspondence, presentations, mural planning notes, newsletters, original sketches by artists, and photographs of events, artwork, and artists working on murals. This series also includes publications and leaflets used as inspiration for graphics and murals.

In the 1970s, Arai and Wong both worked for the Basement Workshop, which was one of the first Asian-American political, community, and arts organizations in New York City. This series contains files on projects produced by this organization, including proofs for the record album A Grain of Sand: Music for the Struggle by Asians in America and production files for the publication Yellow Pearl. Organizational records also contain photographs, promotional material, event announcements, and member lists. Many of the printed items contain Arai's artwork.

This series also contains meeting notes, letterhead, event announcements, member lists, correspondence, historic timelines, and newsletters for the Godzilla Asian American Arts Network, a New York-based Asian American arts collective and support network in the 1990s, of which Arai was a founding member. Planning files on the exhibition A New World Order are in this series, as well as a Godzilla award figurine, two graphic hats, a t-shirt, newsletters, and a video recording containing interviews with Godzilla members.

Other New York organizations with files in this series are the Museum of Chinese in the Americas (previously the New York Chinatown History Project), New York Asian Women's Center, United Asian Communities Center, Asian American Arts Alliance, and Chinatown Health Clinic. These files typically include event invitations and programs, informational brochures and booklets, posters, and correspondence. There is also a small collection of buttons in this series, documenting various Asian political causes and arts groups.