East Meets West: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

A digital exhibit offers thoughts on the significance of specific artifacts from museum staff, Chinese American cultural and political leaders, and other community members. Phil Chan, co-founder of the organization Final Bow for Yellowface, discusses the stereotypical Fu Manchu mustache in the context of his work to change depictions of Asian people in ballet, while psychologist Catherine Ma spotlights ceramic figurines created by a family business in Manhattan’s Chinatown.

the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center is a migratory museum that brings history, art and culture to you through innovative community-focused experiences.

A virtual exhibition tells the story of the museum’s, city workers’ and supporters’ responses to last year’s fire. It includes clips of news stories, photographs and social media posts from the weeks directly after the blaze. Also featured in the exhibition is footage of MOCA’s temporary recovery area on the first day of the salvage effort.

A virtual tour of the museum allows visitors to move through a 3-D model of rooms containing art and artifacts from Chinese American communities.

Queering Japanese American History Before 1945 is the first-ever exhibit focused on Nikkei (Japanese Americans) who were involved in intimate same-sex relationships or defied gender roles in the early 20th century.

The Densho Archives contain primary sources that document the Japanese American experience from immigration in the early 1900s through redress in the 1980s, with a strong focus on the World War II mass incarceration. The archives are growing as Densho continues to record life histories and collect images and records. We provide these resources to students, teachers, researchers, and the general public for educational purposes.

13 years of documenting, preserving, and sharing stories of South Asian Americans. SAADA creates a more inclusive society by giving voice to South Asian Americans through documenting, preserving, and sharing stories that represent their unique and diverse experiences.

Asian American Writer’s Workshop established in 1992 to support writers of color. AAWW provides a unique sanctuary space for Asian American writers.

A look at the long history of Asian Americans and its role in shaping US identity. The essay also looks at the push-pull factors that have helped define demographic trends in the United States to present day and also covers some darker periods of American history, including the Congressional Exclusionary Act restricting immigration based on race and the Japanese American Internment during WWII.

Hyphen is a news and culture magazine, media outlet and community partner, that illuminates Asian America through hard-hitting investigative features on the cultural and political trends shaping the fastest-growing ethnic population in the country.

"The perception of universal success among Asian-Americans is being wielded to downplay racism's role in the persistent struggles of other minority groups, especially black Americans."

"Shaping San Francisco's archives"

While Asian Americans "only" make up about 6.7% of the U.S.'s total population (as of 2018), we are one of the fastest growing racial/ethnic groups (in terms of percentage increase) in the U.S.