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Level Up Your Commitment to Learning About the AAPI Community

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! This is the perfect time to not only recognize Asian and Pacific Islander culture, achievements, contemporary impact, and historic contributions; but to jumpstart your continued learning and commitment to allyship and understanding.

What is the AAPI Community?  The Asian Pacific Institute defines the AAPI community as "all people of Asian, Asian American or Pacific Islander ancestry, who trace their origins to the countries, states, jurisdictions and/or the diasporic communities of these geographic regions." This is however complex, incomplete, and built on Eurocentric identifiers. To further understand the complexity, we encourage you and your students/kids to read more about API Identities here.

In April we highlighted many ways that individuals and families can Level Up to Stop AAPI Hate. Please read this blog post to learn how to become a stronger ally for the AAPI community.  Part of allyship is understanding. During Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month we encourage families and classrooms to learn about the contributions and diverse cultures present in the AAPI community.



Exposure - watching and listening to raise your and your children’s understanding of who Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are; stepping outside of your own experiences to learn about new ideas, narratives, and perspectives

Resource lists, book lists, and history curriculum to raise your historical awareness about the experiences of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
  • Asian American booklist for children, young adults, and educators/parents via Social Justice Books https://socialjusticebooks.org/booklists/asian-americans/ 
  • 30 Asian American Children’s Books via Colours of Us: https://coloursofus.com/30-asian-asian-american-childrens-books/ 
  • 20 Children’s & YA Books Written by Asian Authors via Brightly: https://www.readbrightly.com/books-written-by-asian-authors/ 
  • 25 Amazing Books by Asian American and Pacific Islander Authors You Need to Read (Adults/Teens) via Mental Floss: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/583476/amazing-books-asian-american-and-pacific-islander-authors 
  • Educational Resources and Curriculum via Learning for Justice: https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/after-atlanta-teaching-about-asian-american-identity-and-history 
  • Recovering an erased history: The Chinese railroad workers who helped connect the country via NBC:  https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/recovering-erased-history-chinese-railroad-workers-who-helped-connect-country-n991136
  • How 1800s racism birthed Chinatown, Japantown and other ethnic enclaves via NBC https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/how-1800s-racism-birthed-chinatown-japantown-other-ethnic-enclaves-n997296 
  • The History of San Francisco’s Chinatown via HISTORY: https://www.history.com/topics/immigration/san-francisco-chinatown 

Engagement - participating in acts that push back against the negative stereotypes and tropes placed on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and AAPI culture

Music, art, food (restaurants and recipes) to assist you in appropriate appreciation of the diversity of Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures.
  • Asian Cuisine New York Times Cooking: https://cooking.nytimes.com/tag/asian
  • 10 Asian American Content Creators You Should Follow: https://thebutlercollegian.com/2021/04/10-asian-american-online-creators-to-follow/
  • 27 Amazing Asian American Instagram Influencers (to Connect With Today): https://www.sarahchetrit.com/asian-american-instagram-influencers/ 
  • 2018, 18 Asian Musicians to Listen To via TeenVogue: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/asian-musicians 
  • What to Watch During Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: https://www.rogerebert.com/far-flung-correspondents/what-to-watch-during-asian-pacific-american-heritage-month 
  • 10 Asian American Movies and Shows to Watch with Kids This May via Parents https://www.parents.com/fun/entertainment/movies/asian-american-movies-to-watch-with-kids/ 
  • The 20 best Asian American films of the last 20 years via LA Times https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-10-04/asian-american-films-canon 
  • The Best Asian Restaurant in Every State, According to Yelp: https://www.eatthis.com/best-asian-restaurant/ 
  • Virtual Events Calendar via Asia Society of Texas: https://asiasociety.org/texas/asian-pacific-american-heritage-month-2021 
  • Art by Asian Americans via Smithsonian American Art Museum: https://americanart.si.edu/art/highlights/asian-american 
  • Events, Resources, and Historical Articles via The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: https://asianpacificheritage.gov/

Understanding - realizing the systematic barriers that have and still prevent Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders from full access, while realizing the long history of joy, beauty, and innovation that developed in response to these challenges

Podcasts and other first person accounts to help you listen for deeper understanding.
  • Asian American Podcast via Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/lists/asian-american-podcasts-107ZztJlre 
  • 30 Asian American Podcasts to Support via WOCPodcasters: https://wocpodcasters.co/asian-american-podcasts-to-support/ 
  • Check out this list 10 Essential Podcasts From AAPI Creators via Vanity Fair: https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/04/10-essential-podcasts-from-aapi-creators 
  • Income Inequality in the U.S. Is Rising Most Rapidly Among Asians via Pew Research Center: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2018/07/12/income-inequality-in-the-u-s-is-rising-most-rapidly-among-asians/  
  • The Model Minority Myth: Harmful for Society, Harmful for the Workplace via Campaign Monitor: https://www.campaignmonitor.com/blog/email-marketing/model-minority-myth/  
  • Why Dr. Seuss Got Away with Anti-Asian Racism for So Long: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/dr-seuss-got-away-anti-asian-racism-long-rcna381  
  • The mental health impact of anti-Asian racism via American Psychological Association: https://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/07/impact-anti-asian-racism

Alignment - seeing the Asian American and Pacific Islander struggle for liberation tied to your understanding of justice and how your own justice is and is not realized in the United States

Articles, documentaries, and other resources to reveal how people can build coalitions to support the Asian and Pacific Islander community.
  • We sat down with history educators Angela Lee, Karalee Wong Nakatsuka, Stacy Yung, and Virginia Nguyen, to discuss how we might combat hate, acknowledge hurt, engage in healing, and cultivate hope as we support our Asian and Pacific Islander family, friends, students, and colleaguesHate, Hurt, Healing & Hope: AAPI Educators Teaching for Justice: https://letsk12better.buzzsprout.com/1036873/8241771-hate-hurt-healing-hope-aapi-educators-teaching-for-justice
  • Far East Deep South documentary: https://fareastdeepsouth.com/ 
  • How the US can address the 'moment of crisis' facing the AAPI community via PBS https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-the-us-can-address-the-moment-of-crisis-facing-the-aapi-community  
  • Solidarity reporting can help the cause of public safety for marginalized communities via The Objective: https://www.objectivejournalism.org/p/solidarity-reporting  
  • 'Model Minority' Myth Again Used As A Racial Wedge Between Asians And Blacks via NPR https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/04/19/524571669/model-minority-myth-again-used-as-a-racial-wedge-between-asians-and-blacks 
  • This Exploration Guide for students in high school touches on examples of Asian-Black solidarity, sources of conflict, and how we are all intertwined in the same struggle for liberation via Seattle Public Library: https://www.spl.org/programs-and-services/learning/student-success/exploration-guides/yellow-peril-supports-black-power-a-reflection-on-asian-black-solidarity

Impact - engaging in acts that, actively move to assist in the liberation of Asian and Pacific Islander people everywhere

Resources and donate links that facilitate participation in movements for elevating Asian and Pacific Islander people.
  • Meet The Organizers Who Serve (& Have Been Serving) Asian-American Communities via Refinery29 https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2021/05/10411329/asian-american-organizers 
  • Stop AAPI Hate website: https://stopaapihate.org/ 
  • How to help India during its COVID surge — 12 places you can donate via PBS: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/how-to-help-india-during-its-covid-surge-12-places-you-can-donate 
  • The History Of Solidarity Between Asian And Black Americans via NPR https://www.npr.org/2021/04/02/983925014/the-history-of-solidarity-between-asian-and-black-americans 
  • 4 Ways to Improve Access to Mental Health Services in Asian American Communities via Center for American Progress: https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/news/2018/10/10/459200/4-ways-improve-access-mental-health-services-asian-american-communities/
  • Donate, Support, or Invest! Asian American Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy: https://aapip.org/who-we-are 
  • Support AAPI political access and civic engagement via Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies: https://www.apaics.org/

Expand your circle by following awesome AAPI people and accounts on social media. In no particular order, these are a few (not all) of our faves:
​
  • Angela Lee - @MrsHistoryLee (Twitter)
  • Karalee Wong Nakatsuka -  @HistoryFrog (Twitter)
  • Christine Koh - @drchristinekoh (Twitter) / @drchristinekoh (Instagram)
  • Stacy Yung - @StacyYung (Twitter)
  • Virginia Nguyen - @VirginiaHNguyen (Twitter)
  • Cristina Briboneria - @CristinaBribs (Twitter) / @Cristina23b
  • Sree Sreenivasan - @sree (Twitter) / Sree Sreenivasan (YouTube)
  • Dr. Betina Hsieh - @ProfHsieh (Twitter)
  • Jenn Fang - @reappropriate (Twitter) / reappropriate.co (Instagram)
  • Mia Wenjen - @PragmaticMom (Twitter) / @PragmaticMom (Instagram)
  • Phil Yu - @AngryAsianMan (Twitter) / @AngryAsianMan (Instagram)
  • Ranier Maningding -  @theLLAG (Twitter) / @the.llag (Instagram)
  • Celeste Ng - @pronounced_ing (Twitter)
  • Ellen Wu - @ellendwu (Twitter)
  • Jeff Guo - @_JeffGuo (Twitter)
  • AAPI Women Lead - @aapiwomenlead (Twitter) / @aapiwomenlead (Instagram)
  • Gold House - @GoldHouseCo (Twitter) / @GoldHouseCo (Instagram)
  • Stop AAPI Hate - @StopAAPIHate (Twitter) / @StopAAPIHate (Instagram)
  • NBC Asian America - @NBCAsianAmerica (Twitter)
Discover with us!
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