2022
In 1978, a joint congressional resolution established Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week.
The first 10 days of May were chosen to coincide with two important milestones in Asian/Pacific American history:
- The arrival in the United States of the first Japanese immigrants (May 7, 1843)
- Contributions of Chinese workers to the building of the transcontinental railroad completed May 10, 1869
In 1992, Congress expanded the observance to a monthlong celebration, now known as Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.
(Source: Census.gov blogpost: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: May 2022)
Books Highlighting Asian American / Pacific Islander Experience - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Explore over 20 hand-picked book lists for all ages and interests, featuring fiction and non-fiction titles by contemporary authors. Topics range from history and politics to civil rights, from picture books to graphic novels, sci-fi, romance, mystery and more.
Asian and Asian Heritage Romance
Viet Nam
Asian American Pacific Heritage: Food
Asian in America
Asian and Asian American Authors: eBooks and eAudio
Events at the Library
{{ e.title }}
{{ e.campus.name }}
{{ e.start | dateFormat }} All Day
{{ e.start | dateFormat }} {{ e.start | timeFormat }} - {{ e.end | timeFormat }}
{{ e.description | plainText | trunc(descMax) }} [see more] RSVP
- {{ e.start | dateFormatShort }} - {{ e.title }}
Little Saigon Walking Tour
Writer Kim O'Connell takes us on a journey through a part of Clarendon once named "Little Saigon," drawing on her personal story to tell part of Arlington's history.
The project, “Echoes of Little Saigon,” was made possible with a generous grant from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities (VFH) and support from Arlington Cultural Affairs, a division of Arlington Economic Development; Arlington’s Historic Preservation Program in the Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development; and the Arlington County Library’s Center for Local History. Read Kim's writing on her website.