National Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! This month celebrates and honors the history and contributions Asian American and Pacific Islanders have made to U.S. society and culture.
In 1977, two resolutions were introduced to Congress to proclaim the first ten days of May as Pacific/Asian American Heritage Week; however, neither passed. In 1978, another similar resolution was introduced, passed, and signed by President Carter on October 5, 1978. This continued annually until 1990, when Congress passed a law to expand the celebration to one month. In 1992, Congress passed another law to designate May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
This virtual display showcases just a small portion of the library's digital collections that highlight Asian American and Pacific Islander history, experiences, struggles to overcome adversity, achievements, contributions, identity, and culture. To find more resources, you can use OneSearch to search across all library collections, search within a specific database or eBook collection, or check out the library's streaming media services.
Websites
- Library of Congress: Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
- National Park Service: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage
- National Park Service: Japanese American Confinement
- Smithsonian: Asian American Artists
- Asian Pacific Americans: Going for Broke Stories from the Veterans History Project
- Preserving Asian-American History and Culture
- Works by Asian American Artists from the Collection -- National Gallery of Art Pinterest board
Podcasts
Below are just a few podcasts focused on Asian American and Pacific Islander culture, history, and more. A collection of AAPI podcasts can also be found at Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective.
- Asian Americana
Explores Asian American culture and history. - Asian Enough
Podcast from the Los Angeles Times that explores being Asian American. - Self-Evident: Asian America's Stories
A podcast that aims to tell stories of Asian Americans. The second season is focused on Asian Americans taking action during the pandemic. - Saturday School
Asian American pop culture history podcast. - At the Moment: Asian American News
Covers Asian American politics and news. - They Call Us Bruce
Discusses current Asian American events and issues. - Long Distance
Dedicated to telling the stories of those in the Filipino diaspora. - Southern Fried Asian
Podcast that explores being Asian American in the South.