The month of May is Asian Pacific Heritage month where recognition is given to the widespread contributions to the United States by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the areas of music, medicine, science and mathematics, technology, literature and the arts. From acupuncture to zen, the cultures, philosophies and technical knowledge of this region have enriched and expanded our lives.
May was chosen for this celebration because it commemorates?the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States in May 1843 and to honor the anniversary of the transcontinental railroad completion in May 1869 through the hard work of Chinese immigrants.
Asian History and Studies Created by a PCC Librarian, this guide covers Asian art, literature, religion, and a multitude of featured titles for suggested reading on Asian History and Studies.
Appreciation, The Tomiko Morimoto Story In this program, Tomiko Morimoto shares her inspiring story of survival and triumph in the face of the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. As a teenager, she watched the bombing from her schoolyard, losing her mother and grandfather in the attack. She went on to marry an American GI, become a professor at Vassar College, and at age 90 to advocate for world peace.
Is Affirmative Action Unfair to Asian Americans?, A Debate For more than 50 years, Americans have debated the policy of affirmative action. Defenders argue that it promotes diversity in education and the workplace, provides opportunity for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, and helps account for generations of discrimination against certain historically oppressed or marginalized groups. Critics, however, argue that it promotes “reverse” discrimination based on race or ethnicity, treats Americans as members of groups rather than as individuals, and violates the U.S. Constitution.
Rising against Asian hate: One day in March Following the aftermath of the March 2021 mass shootings at three spas in Atlanta, this film chronicles how the Asian American community came together to fight back against hate.
Breaking the Model: Stories of Asian American History and Presence Breaking the Model: Stories of Asian American History and Presence brings together four different short documentaries exploring immigration, genealogy, gentrification and resilience within America.
Asians on Demand: Mediating Race in Video Art and Activism Surveying a contemporary, cutting-edge archive of video works from the Asian diaspora, Asians on Demand uncovers the ways that diasporic artists challenge the narrow–and damaging–conceptions of Asian identity pervading mainstream media.
The Unknown Great: Stories of Japanese Americans at the Margins of History Through stories of remarkable people in Japanese American history, The Unknown Great illuminates the diversity of the Nikkei experience from the turn of the twentieth century to the present day.
Navigating White News: Asian American Journalists at Work Combining critical race studies with cultural production studies, Navigating White News: Asian American Journalists at Work is the only academic book to examine the ways that racial identification and activation matters in their understanding of news.
Asian American Histories of the United States Asian American Histories of the United States illuminates how an over-century-long history of Asian migration, labor, and community formation in the United States is fundamental to understanding the American experience and its existential crises of the early twenty-first century.
From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial That Galvanized the Asian American Movement A compelling account of the killing of Vincent Chin, the verdicts that took the Asian American community to the streets in protest, and the groundbreaking civil rights trial that followed.
Unassimilable: An Asian Diasporic Manifesto for the Twenty-first Century In this hard-hitting and deeply personal book, a combination of manifesto and memoir, scholar, sociologist, and activist Bianca Mabute-Louie transforms the ways we understand race, class, citizenship, and the concept of assimilation and its impact on Asian American communities from the nineteenth century to present day.
Corky Lee’s Asian America: Fifty Years of Photographic Justice A posthumous collection of over 200 breathtaking photographs that document the history and cultural impact of the Asian American social justice movement. Corky Lee’s Asian America represents Lee’s mission to write a history of inclusion, resistance, ethnic pride, and patriotism. This is a remarkable documentary collection of that history in the moments of its making, but it’s also a history that we continue to make.
The Unsung Great: Stories of Extraordinary Japanese Americans Showcasing the lives and achievements of relatively unknown but remarkable people in Nikkei history, scholar and journalist Greg Robinson reveals the diverse experiences of Japanese Americans and explores a wealth of themes, including mixed-race families, artistic pioneers, mass confinement, civil rights activism, and queer history.
I Am Not Your Asian Stereotype, by Canwen Xu (YouTube) Bad driver. Math wizard. Model minority. In this hilarious and insightful talk, eighteen-year-old Canwen Xu shares her Asian-American story of breaking stereotypes, reaffirming stereotypes, and driving competently on her way to buy rice.
Understanding Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage (YouTube) Vicky Nguyen, NBC News Senior Consumer Investigative correspondent, Dominic Chu, CNBC Senior Markets correspondent and Kimmy Yam, NBC Asian America reporter, discuss who falls within the AAPI community, break down historical and recent challenges for the community in the U.S. and highlight trailblazers who have broken barriers.
Asian Americans (Pew Research Center Website) Pew Research Center’s work focuses on capturing the attitudes and experiences reflecting the diverse cultures and origins represented in the Asian population living in the U.S., around topics like identity, the economy, politics and social mobility.
What is AAPI Heritage Month? from PCC Rock Creek Multicultural Center (YouTube) May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Learn more about what this month is and the history behind it.
Come Through: Asian Pacific American Voices at the Smithsonian (Smithsonian Website) Join us on an enlightening journey with our five-part video series, Come Through: Asian Pacific American Voices at the Smithsonian, where we explore the rich tapestry of Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage through the lens of museum objects.