May is National Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage month, a time to celebrate the Asian
and Pacific Islander history and culture in the United States. The celebration originally began in 1978 when a Joint Resolution signed by President Jimmy Carter designated the first 10 days of May to Asian/Pacific Heritage Week. In 1990, President George H. W. Bush expanded the celebration to the entire month. The University Libraries joins in paying tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America’s history and are instrumental in its future success.
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have a rich heritage thousands of years old and have both shaped the history of the United States and had their lives dramatically influenced by moments in its history. Every May during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and throughout the year, we share those histories and the continuing culture thriving in communities today.
Online resources to uplift Asian and Asian American voices, encourage self-education, and offer solace are available from the Smithsonian Institution. There, you will find resources for educators, exhibitions, videos, activities, blogs and more from museums and units within the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.
To boost the voices from the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, we have collected resources from our collections and from the public. Visit https://sites.google.com/uncg.edu/uncglibaapi/home to see more!