Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have a diverse, deep heritage spanning thousands of years and have shaped the history of the United States. Every year in May, we recognize Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month , opens a new windowby celebrating the accomplishments, history and culture of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
A rather broad 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).
Let's recognize Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month through books, film and museum tours. You can also view the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month's website , opens a new windowto find music, poetry and literature, videos and art exhibits.
Celebrate Through Kanopy
Kanopy offers more than 30,000 of the world's best films, from award-winning documentaries to classics to new releases. You can sign up for free with your library card and watch up to 10 movies per month. You can download the Kanopy app for your preferred viewing device. (iPhone, opens a new window | iPad, opens a new window | Apple TV, opens a new window | Android, opens a new window | AndroidTV, opens a new window | Chromecast, opens a new window | Roku, opens a new window | FireTV, opens a new window | Fire Tablet, opens a new window | Samsung, opens a new window)
Follow the lists below for Kanopy movies, shows and documentaries that feature Asian or Pacific Island landscapes or characters. You can also search within Kanopy, for films related to Asia, too.
- Asian Pacific American Heritage Month – Influential Films, opens a new window
- Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, opens a new window
Celebrate Touring Museums & Exhibits
Tour museums using our FREE museum passes available through our Discover & Go service. Many museums have exhibits and displays of art, history and culture in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
You can also visit some museums virtually to tour exhibits online. The Smithsonian's Asian Pacific American Center, opens a new window is a great place to start! The Smithsonian has a number of free online exhibits available for viewing.
- A Day in the Life of Asian Pacific America, opens a new window
- The Nisei Soldier: Congressional Gold Medal, opens a new window
- H-1B, opens a new window
- Art Intersections: Asian-Latino Pop-Up Museum, opens a new window
- San Francisco Asian Art Museum, opens a new window
- Growing Up Asian In America, opens a new window
Our Millbrae Library is also currently featuring the work of Cathy Quon, a San Francisco-born, Chinese-American mixed-media artist.
Quon and her collage and assemblage artwork entitled "Silent No More: A history of anti-Asian discrimination," were previously featured in our Equity Through Art series. Watch a recording, opens a new window of that installment of the series on our YouTube, opens a new window. Quon’s art will be exhibited at San Carlos Library in June.
Celebrate With Our Staff-Curated Book Lists
How are you celebrating Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month? Let us know in the comments.
Add a comment to: Celebrating Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month