May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a national celebration honoring the contributions, legacy, and cultural impact of Asian American and Pacific Islanders throughout American history.
This yearly celebration encompasses a wide and diverse group of cultures, spanning the entire Asian continent as well as the many Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. The first iteration of an Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage acknowledgment began in 1977, when it was observed for one week. In 1992, Congress expanded it to the entire month of May. May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese person to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The vast majority of workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.
This year, the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, in collaboration with the Library of Congress and other national institutions, has curated an interactive online exhibit entitled “Care Package,” which offers poems, meditations, short films, and other “cultural nutrients” that uplift and honor Asian American narratives and experiences.
Here at Darien Library in May, we invite you to bring your young artists to the Children's Library to learn how to build like Asian-American architect Maya Lin and create crafts with COFFI; join us for showings of movies featuring AAPI stories and voices like “Broker,” "Lilo & Stitch," and "The Donut King"; or check out one of our excellent titles showcasing the breadth and depth of the Asian American and Pacific Islander experience through fiction and nonfiction. We also recommend a wealth of online resources and exhibitions, including:
- Stories, photos, and videos curated by the National Park Service, including an in-depth look at Hawaii’s national parks and a short documentary on the essential role that Chinese Americans played in shaping Yosemite
- A rich collection of Asian American Voices in Poetry, selected by the Poetry Foundation
- PBS’s excellent and extensive documentary series,“Asian Americans”(streaming online)
Celebrate AAPI Voices
Now You See Us
As domestic workers in Singapore, Corazon, Donita, and Angel are shocked when a shattering news story breaks about a maid accused of murdering her employer. No one knows family secrets like the women working in their homes, so they set out to crack the case.
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Local
In this memoir, Jessica Machado explores her family history and her inability to feel like a "local" in her father's Hawaii and her mother's American South. Even when she moves to California, she dives deep into the heritage she once tried to leave behind.
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You Are Here
This powerful book is written by 12 authors! After an incident at TSA, 12 Asian American kids' journeys collide, sending them on encounters with their fellow travelers. Follow along as
they learn about courage, family, friends, identity,
and belonging.
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