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Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is is observed throughout May to pay tribute to the achievements of generations who have contributed to American life.

DIGITAL LIBRARY RESOURCES

PRINT LIBRARY RESOURCES

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS COLLECTION & EXHIBITS

Check out for links to resources you can use in your classroom! Here are some suggestions:

  • Learn the story behind the creation of Asian-Pacific Heritage Month on the In Custodia Legis blog.
  • Folklife Today features links to folk recordings from China, Japan and Korea.
  • Learn about the history of the 50th U.S. state .
  • Teaching with the Library of Congress provides ideas for working with the oral histories of veterans from the Asian-Pacific American community. You’ll find links to even more in Folklife Today.

Here are some suggestions for more primary sources relating to Asian-Pacific American heritage:

Listen to interviews with the people of Tibet as they talk about life in traditional Tibet and also under the cultural revolution.

Explore the various languages of southern Asia through the South Asian Literary Recordings Project.

Learn about Hawaiian musicLaotian American Song and Dance,and Chinese American Song in features from the Library of Congress Celebrates the Songs of America.

The World Digital Library can also lead to materials that document the lives of the ancestors of those from the Asian and Pacific Islands.

For even more, visit the Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month portal. This page features resources from a variety of federal cultural heritage organizations and teaching resources.

(Source: Library of Congress, Author Danna Bell)

STATE & LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS

NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

Learner Engagement Resources

Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center Care Package
The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center has curated a list of poems, meditations, films, and other “cultural nutrients.”

Smithsonian resources for K12 teachers searching for Asian Pacific and Pacific Islander narratives

Google Arts & Culture Video – HAPPY Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Google Arts and Culture – Celebrate Asian Pacific American Cultures

Books Matter™ | Children’s & Young Adult Literature
ADL provides an online bibliography of recommended children’s and young adult books about bias, bullying, diversity and social justice. This curated list provides age level recommended books on Asian/Asian-American/South Asian/South-Asian American/Pacific Islander people, identity, and culture.

(Source: American Library Association)

AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION INFORMATION & RESOURCES

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month celebrates of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. The term “Asian/Pacific” encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island).

Professional Learning Resources

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
The Library of Congress  provides a curated list of ready-to-use lesson plans, student activities, collection guides and research aids.

“Asian American History IS American History” receives AASL Roald Dahl’s Miss Honey Social Justice Award
The “Asian American History IS American History” project from Dunwoody Elementary School in Dunwoody, Georgia, was the recipient of the 2022 AASL Roald Dahl’s Miss Honey Social Justice Award. Sparked by the tragic Atlanta spa shooting in 2021, school librarian Sarah Sansbury and 4th-grade social studies curriculum lead Emma O’Connor, became keenly aware that their students needed to be seen, heard, and validated as American and as part of the fabric that makes up American history.

Going Beyond Tikki Tikki Tembo
In this Knowledge Quest blog post, Michelle Easley explores ways school librarians can celebration AAPI Heritage Month beyond just the two C’s – cuisine and crafts. Easley shares collection recommendations and online resouces.

Fighting Anti-Semitism and Anti-Asian Hate Through Books
In this Knowledge Quest post, blogger Karin Greenberg reviews two nonfiction books highlighting the complexities and beauty of Jewish and Asian culture. She also shares book lists with recommended titles to celebrate Jewish American Heritage and Asian American & Pacific Islander Month.