Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center

Visit Smithsonian site: API.SI.EDU
Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage
Asian Pacific America is the story of a vibrant, diverse, and resilient set of communities that have been part of the American experience for more than two hundred years. It is the story of two continents and a constellation of islands joined by the migration, exchange, and competition of people and ideas. Yet, across museums and galleries in the nation’s capital and around the country, we find only fragments of America’s rich Asian Pacific heritage.

There are more than 23 million people of Asian or Pacific Islander descent in the United States. In less than 50 years, nearly one of every ten people in America will trace his or her heritage to Asia and the Pacific--a region that covers more than one third of the earth--including the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent and the Pacific. This region is also home to nearly half of the world’s population, natural life, nations, economies, major faiths and languages. America is—and has been—a Pacific Rim nation. Our understanding of America and America’s standing in the world is richer, more compelling, and more powerful when it includes the Asian Pacific American story. The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center serves as a dynamic national resource for discovering why the Asian Pacific American experience matters every day, everywhere, and all of the time.

(from Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center)


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Educational Resources

A wonderful resource for teaching children
about the rich history of Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders.
Order on Amazon:
Shining a Light: Celebrating 40 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Changed the World!

A collective biography of 40 influential Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, from Kalpana Chawla to The Rock to Tammy Duckworth, whose historical contributions readers may not know but whose light shines on, with stunning illustrated portraits by Hugo Award nominee Victo Ngai.

Meet forty people who helped change the world in countless ways in this beautifully illustrated collective biography.
From scientists to sports stars, aerospace engineers to artists, every person shines in this collection. Dynamic portraits portray each person with bold colors and clever, precise details. Each biography celebrates the determination and courage of people who were on the forefront of changing society.

Using their specific talents, each individual fought for the space for people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent to be seen and treated with dignity and respect. Their important legacy lives on today.

Order the book here!
A Resource Guide: Learning Together
from the Smithsonian & St Olaf College Collaboration
What locales come to mind when you think about Asian Americans? There’s more to our community’s histories than the coasts and the Pacific Islands. Although the stories of Minnesota are often dominated by European settlers and immigrants, a seldom known yet equally important chapter comes from Asian Americans. Teaching at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, Prof. Ka Wong is interested in Asian American communities in the Midwest. His collaborative research with undergraduate students has explored Asian Minnesotan narratives, from Japanese Americans during WWII to Hmong American women in the Midwest to Asian American college students in Minnesota.

Sharing these stories in the classroom has also engendered the interdisciplinary course Asia in America, of which “Academic Civic Engagement” (ACE) is an integral part. Alyssa Melby, the ACE Program Director, joined forces with him and began to consider ways for students to take further action, uplifting the Asian American stories and bringing awareness to the general public, particularly in the face of rising anti-Asian prejudice due to the pandemic. Prof. Wong, Alyssa and APAC started a conversation to learn more about one another’s work and how they could support each other’s goals. This resulted in small groups of students in the Spring 2021 course pitching ideas for new Learning Lab modules based on the students’ interests and their perceived gaps of content within the series. Informed by their own stories, students proposed and presented project topics on particular issues regarding Asian and Asian American experiences, which they deemed not only compelling but also as a part of an educational effort to combat stereotypes, racism, and other important socio-cultural dilemmas. With the support of the college, students worked with APAC in the summer to make their proposals a reality.

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