Are you up for a challenge?
Here’s a little background: in 1978, U.S. Congress passed a resolution to designate a week to celebrate Asians and Pacific Islanders. Then, in 1990, President George H.W. Bush proclaimed it to be Asian Pacific Heritage Month.
Obviously, topics as vital as cultural heritage would ideally be celebrated and championed all year long--not limited to one week or one month per year. At the same time, we know that ceremoniously highlighting various cultures creates opportunities for learning, courageous conversations, and expanding our collective perspectives about people, cultures, and the world around us.
This month, we challenge you to learn something new about the contributions of generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America’s history and are instrumental in its future success. Check out a book of sijo or haiku poetry. Learn to cook delectable dishes from India or the Philippines. Watch a DVD to expand your views on life in the Pacific or local history here in Sonoma County. Download an eBook about the timeline history of the Transcontinental Railroad. Enjoy the displays at your local branch of the Sonoma County Library--most branches have curated inspiring offerings of relevant books for all ages!
Go ahead, spark your curiosity, engage with your community, learn something new, and grow--we dare you! Not sure where to start? Scroll down for an enthusiastically curated list of resources about Asian Pacific art & music, poetry, foods, culture & historical context, with some electronic resources at the end. OR, you may always find the nearest Sonoma County Librarian and pick their brain about interesting and thought-provoking materials that might ignite your imagination this month… and all year long.
Asian Pacific Heritage Month - Library Resources
Resources for Adults - Cultural and Historical Perspectives:
Art & Music ~
Music cultures of the Pacific, the Near East, and Asia
Growing up Asian in America : prize winning student essays & art
5,000 years of Korean art : an exhibition = [Hanʼguk misul ochʻŏnnyŏn]
The sculpture of Ruth Asawa : contours in the air
Jake Shimabukuro life on four strings (DVD)
Poetry ~
Tap dancing on the roof : sijo (poems)
Looking for the cow : modern Korean poems
A Korean century : river & fields : poems
The art of haiku : its history through poems and paintings by Japanese masters
Foods ~
Cuisines of India : the art and tradition of regional Indian cooking
Eating Korean : from barbecue to kimchi, recipes from my home
Chinese soul food : a friendly guide for homemade dumplings, stir-fries, soups, and more
The fortune cookie chronicles : adventures in the world of Chinese food
Everyday Harumi : simple Japanese food for family & friends
Historical & Cultural Context ~
The making of Asian America : a history
Filipino studies : palimpsests of nation and diaspora
Legacy to liberation : politics & culture of revolutionary Asian Pacific America
Islanders : the Pacific in the age of empire
Understanding Japan a cultural history
Giri : the Sonoma County Japanese American Citizens League oral history project.
The cats of Mirikitani (DVD)
The Chinese in Sonoma County, California, 1900-1930 : the aftermath of exclusion (Reference)
Patriot number one : American dreams in Chinatown
Empire express : building the first transcontinental railroad
Separate lives, broken dreams the saga of Chinese immigration (DVD)
Phoenix in a jade bowl : growing up in Korea
Resources for Teens
Oishinbo, a la carte. Japanese cuisine
Cool Tokyo guide : adventures in the city of kawaii fashion, train sushi, and Godzilla
Write Your Own Haiku : Write Poetry in the Japanese Tradition
Shinrin Yoku : The Japanese Art of Forest Bathing
Uprooted : the Japanese American experience during World War II
This land is our land : a history of American immigration
Yell-oh girls! : emerging voices explore culture, identity, and growing up Asian American
Atlas of Asian-American history (Reference)
Resources for Children -Cultural and Historical Perspectives:
Extraordinary Asian Pacific Americans
Whale Rider (DVD)
Kai's journey to Gold Mountain : an Angel Island story
Good fortune : my journey to Gold Mountain
Iron rails, iron men, and the race to link the nation : the story of the transcontinental railroad
The Transcontinental Railroad : a primary source history of America's first coast-to-coast railroad
To the Golden Mountain : the story of the Chinese who built the Transcontinental railroad
The puzzle of the paper daughter : a Julie mystery
Imprisoned : the betrayal of Japanese Americans during World War II
eResources
The Asian Pacific American Experience (Hoopla Digital)
Asian & Pacific Short Stories (Hoopla Digital)
Philippines (Hoopla Digital)
Authentic Recipes From The Philippines (Hoopla Digital)
Art of India (Hoopla Digital)
A Timeline History of the Transcontinental Railroad (Hoopla Digital)
The Transcontinental Railroad (Hoopla Digital)
Building The Transcontinental Railroad (Hoopla Digital)
Japanese Haiku (Hoopla Digital)
Japanese Music and Musical Instruments (Hoopla Digital)
Let's Cook Japanese Food (Hoopla Digital)
A Dictionary of Japanese Food (Hoopla Digital)
