Mountain Lake PBS is proud to celebrate AAPI Heritage this May and all year round!
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a time to recognize the important role generations of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have had, and continue to play, in the story of our country. Originating as a week long celebration in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter, AAPI Heritage Month was later established in 1992 to mark the arrival of the first Japanese immigrant to the United States on May 7, 1843, as well as the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869.
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders come from almost 50 different countries and speak over 100 different languages and dialects. Continue below for resources to celebrate and learn about the diversity of Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures and histories, and helpful tools to engage in important conversations about race and allyship in America.
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Learn About AAPI History & Culture
12 Books to Celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Grades PreK-3
To celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, PBS KIDS put together a list of favorite books featuring Asian characters, written by Asian authors, or illustrated by Asian artists — all chosen by kids and parents like you! Check out these heartwarming and fun tales with your family.
Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month | All About the Holidays
Grades K-5
In the United States, May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month. Many people use the month to honor the accomplishments of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States while celebrating their diverse heritages.
Cambodia: Cambodian Inspired Egg Rolls | Relish
Grades 3-12
Relish shares stories of cultural heritage in Twin Cities communities through the universal language of food. In this episode, host Yia Vang makes egg rolls with buddy and former boss, Chef Bunbob Chhun. Chef Chhun’s parents stop by to help wrap them and to talk about recipes and growing up in their native Cambodia. Check out this video and then explore the entire Relish collection for more videos and dishes inspired by East Asian, South Asian, and Southeast Asian heritage.
Asian Americans collection
Grades 3-12
Get a bold, fresh perspective on a history that matters today, more than ever. Told through intimate and personal lives, the series and resources in the Asian Americans collection cast a new lens on U.S. history and the ongoing role that Asian Americans have played in shaping the nation’s story.
How Hula Dancers Connect Hawaii’s Past and Present | If Cities Could Dance
Grades 6-12
Honolulu is home to tourism hotspot Waikiki, and many of the city’s beachfront hotels host lavish luaus showcasing styles of hula influenced by Western music and instrumentation. But for Native Hawaiians, the origins of hula are deeply spiritual and rooted in Hawaii’s creation stories and the history and culture of their kūpuna or ancestors. Driven by the mele (poetry), hula marries movement with spoken word to express stories about specific deities, people, places, and events.
Are You “AAPI” or “Asian American”? It’s Complicated. | A People’s History of Asian America
Grades 9-12
How many A’s in AAPI? Dolly & Adrian hear from South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander voices to explore the pros and cons of disaggregating Asian American as a statistical category.
AAPI Leaders & Visionaries
Grace Lin | Reading Rockets
Grades K-8
Grace Lin is the author and illustrator of more than 20 books — from picture books to young adult novels — for kids. Most of Grace’s books are about the Asian-American experience, she believes, “Books erase bias, they make the uncommon everyday, and the mundane exotic. A book makes all cultures universal.” Watch an interview with Lin, read a short biography on the writer, and then check out a selected list of her children’s books.
Patsy Mink: Women Advancing Equality | Asian Americans
Grades 3-8
Throughout her life, Patsy Mink faced obstacles because she was Asian and female. But Mink did not give up her pursuit of a political career. In 1964, she was elected to Congress in her second attempt. In Congress, she co-authored Title IX, a law to ensure that no one will be discriminated against in education and federally-funded activities based on gender. In addition to working on Title IX, Mink also fought racial barriers by supporting civil rights legislation.
Amy Tan | American Masters collection
Grades 6-12
Known for her groundbreaking debut novel The Joy Luck Club, and bestselling novels, librettos, short stories and memoirs, Amy Tan is one of the most prominent and respected literary voices working today. A global icon for Asian Americans, Tan’s work has been translated into 35 languages and gives a brave look into the humanity of her fictional and autobiographical writing alike. Learn more about Amy Tan with the American Masters collection for the film Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir.
David Chang: Korean Immigration in the 20th Century | Finding Your Roots
Grades 6-12
In this clip from Finding Your Roots, chef David Chang learns about his Korean heritage and how his maternal great-grandfather emigrated to the United States in 1920. The accompanying essay and classroom activities expand on this theme by exploring immigration and immigration laws from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Queen Lili‘uokalani | Unladylike2020
Grades 6-12
Queen Lili‘uokalani was the first sovereign queen, and the last monarch, of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. At the time of her reign, a new Hawaiian constitution imposed by white Americans had reduced the voting rights of Hawaiian citizens and much of the monarchy’s powers, transferring power to American business owners and missionaries. Learn how Lili‘uokalani fought to restore native Hawaiian rights in this video from Unladylike2020.
Allyship & Social Justice Resources
Race, Ethnicity, and Culture Collection | Sesame Street in Communities
Grades PreK-3
Sesame Street in Communities provides parents, caregivers, and family childcare providers with support to help lay the foundations for children’s healthy development. Resources in the Race, Ethnicity, and Culture collection provide tools to help think about, ask about, and talk about race with young children, develop pride in their own unique identities, and cope with difficult race-related situations and experiences. Specific resources include content to address anti-Asian racism.
8 Tips for Choosing “Good” Picture Books Featuring Diverse, BIPOC Characters
Grades PreK-5
This article from embracerace.org contains advice for choosing, and evaluating the quality of, picture books featuring BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) characters.
Resilience and Community | be/longing: Asian Americans Now
Grades 6-12
Investigate be/longing: Asian Americans Now, a series from Exploring Hate: Antisemitism, Racism and Extremism and The Serica Initiative profiling Asian Americans from AAPI communities across the country. Actor George Takei, Pulitzer Prize winner Việt Thanh Nguyễn, and others share personal stories of exclusion, striving, and belonging in America and discuss how their communities are standing up and speaking out against hate. Engage with the short videos of this series through thoughtful discussions. Then reflect on the resilience and empowerment of Asian Americans, a key theme of each story, by creating a display case design plan for a school or library.
Activating Asian America | Rising Against Asian Hate: One Day in March
Grades 9-12
Learn how the March 2021 shooting at spas in Atlanta, Georgia raised awareness about hate crimes against Asian Americans. In one county, the district attorney declined to charge the shooter, Robert Aaron Long, with a federal hate crime. Because he targeted Asian-owned spas, family members and lawmakers asserted the role of race and gender in this crime. This media gallery uses clips from Rising Against Asian Hate: One Day in March to study the role of legislation and activism in responding to hate crimes against Asian Americans.