Diversity & Inclusion: Celebrate DEI Events this Month with the Library

The Asian American & Pacific Islander Experience from PBS

• Living in Two Cultures 
• The Chinese Exclusion Act
• Escape from Saigon comic

A People's History of Asian America from PBS

          Asian Americans from PBS

      A five-part documentary that premiered in May 2020. Told through individual lives and personal histories, ASIAN AMERICANS explores the impact of this group on the country’s past, present, and future. Led by a team of Asian American filmmakers, [it ] examines the significant role of Asian Americans in shaping American history and identity, from the first wave of Asian immigrants in the 1850s and identity politics during the social and cultural turmoil of the twentieth century to modern refugee crises in a globally connected world.

South Asian American Digital Archive

Bravespace

from the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center

a compilation of original songs, sounds, and meditations created by Asian American women and non-binary artists and musicians.
Arriving amidst a period of collective trauma and heightened xenophobic violence, Bravespace offers listeners a refuge for contemplation, grief, and growth.
Commissioned at the beginning of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, APAC spent almost three years collaborating with these musicians, artists, and cultural practitioners to vividly capture how an intensely challenging moment could lead to personal discovery and collective healing. 

 Care Package from the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center

Here, you will find a range of approaches to addressing uncertainty, anxiety, and grief through vision, reflection, and healing. Most have been exhibited in past programs, but have never been made widely accessible until now.

A Day in the Life of Asian Pacific America

On May 10, 2014, over 500 people joined the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center for A Day in the Life of Asian Pacific America by capturing over 2,000 photos and videos throughout the course of a single day. Works were submitted from everywhere – throughout the United States and from around the world. This exhibit features a small selection of the work and remains an experiment in envisioning the Asian Pacific America experience as a vast and complex identity, with a history that grows richer and more complicated with each new day.

Virtual Bookshelf: Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities

Bookdragon - Book reviews for the diverse reader

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Reading List for Adults
 

Standing Together for AAPI Heritage Month

A wide collection of resources curated by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center. 

North Carolina Reads

is a statewide book club hosted by NC Humanities. In 2024, North Carolina Reads will feature five new books that explore issues of racial, social, and gender equity and the history and culture of North Carolina.

The Violin Conspiracy is the NCReads pick for May

The Violin Conspiracy is available as an eBook or Audiobook through Overdrive.

Fiction. The riveting story of a young Black musician who discovers that his old family fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius: when it’s stolen on the eve of the world’s most prestigious classical music competition, he risks everything to get it back. Growing up Black in rural North Carolina, Ray McMillian’s life is already mapped out. But Ray has a gift and a dream—he’s determined to become a world-class professional violinist, and nothing will stand in his way. Not his mother, who wants him to stop making such a racket; not the fact that he can’t afford a violin suitable to his talents; not even the racism inherent in the world of classical music.

Find out more about NC Reads and the rest of this year's picks here. 

Hmong Keeb Kwm: The Hmong Heritage Project
 

An NEH grant supported community digitization days and related public programming to capture the memories and artifacts of Hmong community members in Catawba County, North Carolina, home to the fourth largest population of Hmong immigrants in the U.S.