CONNECT with the City2025 Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month
The broad term of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) is intended to capture the Asian continent and Southeast Asian islands, as well as the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. The month of May was selected in commemoration of the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the US and the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad, completed by a majority Chinese immigrant demographic.
The term “Asian American” was developed by activists during the 1960s to create solidarity and foster political power. While the use of “AAPI” aims to unify, we acknowledge that many people within these communities believe this term erases cultures and fails to recognize health and economic disparities. There are many shared experiences, but also great differences within these communities. This year, the Library honors AAPI Heritage Month with celebrations, children’s crafts, and more.
Featured Programs
Valerie Francisco-Menchavez, PhD is an award-winning scholar-activist, researcher, writer and educator whose academic and political work calls attention to the experiences of Filipina migrants in care work industries and their indelible abilities to form solidarities and organize with one another. Dr. Francisco will discuss her newest book Caring for Caregivers (University of Washington Press, Critical Filipinx Studies Series, November 2024). Drawing on surveys, individual interviews, and caregivers’ stories as told through kuwentuhan, a Philippine cultural practice of collective storytelling, Caring for Caregivers offers an intimate examination of intergenerational care work in the Filipino American community.
Saturday, May 10 | 11:30 a.m. | Carmel Valley Library
Watch a traditional Korean folk performance that includes drumming, dancing and singing. After the performance, craft on the patio, while supplies last.
Monday, May 12 | 6:30 p.m. | Skyline Hills Library
A historical fiction which takes place in 1921, in Colonial Penang, Malaysia. A beleaguered famous writer, visits a friend and his wife, and stirs the pot. Pick up a copy at the front desk and join the discussion!
Children's Programs
StoryBox Theatre: Kamishibai Storytime
Kamishibai is a Japanese traditional storytelling that combines a dramatic recitation with a wooden theatre to showcase illustrations in an engaging family-friendly experience for all ages! Presented by Write Out Loud.
Videos
Jen Soriano and Jason Magabo Perez in Conversation
SD Circuit Sustainability Author Talks
Meet Youth Poet Anoushka Majumder
Conversations with Poets
California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick comes to San Diego
Conversations with Poets
Introducing City of SD Poet Laureate Jason Magabo Perez!
Conversations with Poets