May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month 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 join in paying tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America’s history and are instrumental in its future success.
Resources at the National Archives
The National Archives holds a wealth of material documenting the Asian and Pacific Islanders experience, and highlights these resources online, in programs, and through traditional and social media.
Online exhibition »
Image Credit: Anna May Wong Certificate of Identity, August 18, 1924, National Archives at San Francisco (54099)
Telling All Americans' Stories: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage
The history of North America is shaped by the stories of immigrants from Asia and the Pacific and the native people of the Pacific Islands. Discover these wide-ranging stories preserved and interpreted in our nation’s parks, trails, and historic sites.
Online Exhibition »
Image Credit: Image provided by the National Park Service
Ansel Adams's Photographs of Japanese-American Internment at Manzanar
In 1943, Ansel Adams, America's most well-known photographer, documented the Manzanar War Relocation Center in California and the Japanese-Americans interned there during World War II. For the first time, digital scans of both Adams's original negatives and his photographic prints appear side by side allowing viewers to see Adams's darkroom technique, in particular, how he cropped his prints.
Image credit: Entrance to Manzanar, Manzanar Relocation Center / photograph by Ansel Adams. (Library of Congress)
Veteran's History Project
Asian Pacific Americans made lasting contributions to America's wartime efforts. Collected stories highlight service from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq.
More about Asian-Pacific American Veterans »
Image credit: Veteran in uniform, Chungking, China (Library of Congress)
For Teachers
Put the power of primary sources to work in the classroom. Browse ready-to-use lesson plans, student activities, collection guides and research aids.
Educational Resources »
Image credit: Five Asian children holding up small barbells (Library of Congress)
2018 Event Highlights
Demonstration & Book Signing
May 4
Asian Pacific American Foodways
Guest chef Patricia Tanumihardja and a Smithsonian host prepare a recipe and talk about the history and traditions behind its ingredients and culinary techniques. Born in Indonesia, raised in Singapore, and now living in the U.S., Chef Tanumihardja's cooking marries regional southeast Asian cuisine with local ingredients and a farm-to-table ethos.
(Smithsonian American History Museum)
Family Day
May 12
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Family Day
A day filled with art, performances from different regions, and a variety of crafting activities. Make a parol lantern from the Philippines, or a rubbing inspired by contemporary Korean art. Explore the galleries using a scavenger hunt to guide you to works by Asian American and Pacific Islander artists.
(Smithsonian American Art Museum)
Grades 4–6 STEAM Program
May 17-18
A Sky Above: Native Hawaiian Astronomy and Navigation
The Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, is offering a special student program: A Sky Above: Native Hawaiian Astronomy and Navigation. Rooted in STEAM principles, this immersive program will allow students to explore the intersection of science and Native Hawaiian culture.
Space is limited and advance registration is required.
(Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian)
HAWAII FESTIVAL
May 19-20
He Lani Ko Luna (A Sky Above)
Navigation and wayfinding are the focus of this two-day festival. Activities highlighting the science of traditional Hawaiian practices include scientific and artist demonstrations, storytelling, navigation workshops, a pop-up planetarium, and creative hands-on activities. Meet the Native Hawaiian scientists from the 'Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai'i..
(Smithsonian American Indian Museum)
Additional Events
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