AAPI Heritage Month: May 2026

-Mina Fedor, 15 year old founder of AAPI Youth Rising. Learn more about her here.

Dear Educators,

During Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AAPI/AANHPI) Heritage Month, we have an opportunity to move beyond celebration and engage students in meaningful inquiry about the histories, perspectives, and civic contributions of diverse communities.

This year’s theme, “Power in Unity: Strengthening Communities Together,” highlights how AAPI communities have built collective strength through storytelling, collaboration, and civic action. These histories remind us that progress often comes from people working together across differences to create more just and inclusive communities.

We encourage you to use these resources not as standalone activities, but as invitations for students to investigate, discuss, and take informed action. In doing so, we honor the spirit of this year’s theme—recognizing that learning itself can be an act of community-building.

—Molly & Stacie

"The absence of Asian American history in our classrooms has serious consequences, including laying the foundations for ignorance, hate, and violence. History is not just about learning the past. It is also about belonging, and American history serves as our collective memory of “we the people” and binds us together over a shared past."

Read more from this piece featured by the Organization of American Historians by Professor Erika Lee

Made in Asian America: A History for Young People

From three-time Newbery Honoree Christina Soontornvat and award-winning historian Erika Lee comes a middle grade nonfiction that shines a light on the generations of Asian Americans who have transformed the United States and who continue to shape what it means to be American.

Check out the educators guide that accompanies it!

For other YA reading recommendations, see this list from the staff at Facing History & Ourselves.

In Detroit, Michigan on June 19, 1982, Vincent Chin, a Chinese American, was beaten to death in a hate crime by two auto workers who blamed Chin for the massive lay-offs occurring in the auto industry. Before slipping into a coma, Chin’s last words were, “It’s not fair.”

Arrested and released that same night, Ronald Ebens and Michael Nitz were charged with second-degree murder which they plead down to manslaughter. They denied the brutal attack was racially motived and received three year’s probation and a $3,000 fine. The judge, who gave the sentencing offered, the following explanation:

These aren’t the kind of men you send to jail. . . You fit the punishment to the criminal, not the crime.

They never served one night in jail. Meanwhile, Chin was buried and what was supposed to have been is wedding day. (From Zinn Education Project)

June 19th, 2022 marked the 40th anniversary of the murder

The Vincent Chin Legacy Guide from Vincent Chin Institute

What is the impact of the Vincent Chin case? from PBS Learning

From A Whisper to A Rallying Cry by Paula Yoo

• Teaching ideas from the NEA for this 2021 YA book
• Virtual author lecture with the author from the National Archives

Oakland County Connection: In 2009, the State Bar of Michigan and the Michigan Asian Pacific American Bar Association commemorated the Vincent Chin case as the 34th Michigan Legal Milestone with a historical marker which was dedicated at the Chinese Community Center in Madison Heights and a write up in the Bar Journal. A photograph of this marker is featured in this book.

Check out this C3-aligned inquiry for upper elementary students designed by Oakland University Assistant Professor Dr. Linda Doornbos (thank you, Linda!).

This inquiry and the ones below were created by the Teacher Education Research Collective, a project provided by CUFA through the NCSS Teaching with Primary Resources grant from the Library of Congress. Check out these other inquiries centering Asian American & Pacific Islander perspectives:

C3 Grade Band: 3-5

Breaking the Silence Asian American History in Georgia Ariel Cornett

Breaking the Silence: Asian American History in Indiana Patrick Keegan

Breaking the Silence: Asian Americans in Michigan Linda Doornbos

How Should We Combat Anti-Asian American Racism? Jenni Gallagher, Jenni Conrad

Paj ntaub “Flower Cloths” and Hmong History Brianne Pitts

We Are Because They Were: How do Asian American experiences reflect the story of the United States? Amber Godwin

What makes someone a citizen?: An Upper Elementary Inquiry Stephanie Schroeder

Why Did Yuri Kochiyama Take Civic Action to Strengthen Democracy? Laura H. Darolia

C3 Grade Band: 6-8

Asian American Action Against Separate And Unequal Education Sohyun An

Paj ntaub “Flower Cloths” and Hmong History Brianne Pitts

We Are Because They Were: How do Asian American experiences reflect the story of the United States? Amber Godwin

C3 Grade Band: 9-12

Asian American Action Against Separate And Unequal Education Sohyun An

Did Asian Influences Impact What It Meant to Be an Early “American”? Jason Fitzgerald

Finding Belonging Erin Bronstein, Amy Mungur

Resistance, Preservation, & Reclamation in Asian American History Melissa K. Stanley, Dana Serure

We Are Because They Were: How do Asian American experiences reflect the story of the United States? Amber Godwin

Why should we question the claim that Angel Island was the “Ellis Island of the West”?Chantelle Grace

Author and historian Erika Lee shares the story of Wong Kim Ark and the landmark 1898 Supreme Court case that guaranteed birthright citizenship, regardless of a parent’s immigration status. “This is a landmark decision. It matters to all of us. It’s not just something that applies to the rights of Asian Americans.” (Video: Washington Post Live)

United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898)

This mini-lesson explores the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause. Students learn about the difference between jus sanguinis and jus soli citizenship. They also learn about the Chinese Exclusion Act, analyze a historical political cartoon, and review the contents of the U.S. Naturalization Oath.

Summary of the case, United States v. Wong Kim Ark

I Am An American: The Wong Kim Ark Story (children's book)

Constitution in the Headlines from the National Constitution Center includes a collection of curated resources to help contextualize constitutional topics students are seeing in current events.

"The Supreme Court and Historic Birthright Citizenship Arguments" collection includes the following:

• Big Constitutional Question
• Headline Story
• Amendment Focus
• Key Ideas & Quotes
• Primary Source Spotlights
• Student Questions
• Beyond the Headlines

"Supreme Court hears arguments about birthright citizenship" Daily News Lesson from PBS includes the following:

• Video
• Summary
• Warm-Up Questions
• Essential Questions
• What Students Can Do

Click the image to access 20 brief profiles of Asian American and Pacific Islander people and events curated by Zinn Education Center. These could serve as a starting point for further investigation or simply an avenue to center traditionally lesser-heard voices.

"Engaging children with artists who look like them, have similar experiences, and come from similar backgrounds is a great source of inspiration and empowerment. By reflecting their own identities, experiences and motivations (mirrors) and also providing insight into the identities, experiences and motivations of others (windows) can move students toward more nuanced perceptions of the world around them (sliding glass doors).* Discover new BIPOC artists to add to your curriculum." (From Anti-Racist Art Teachers)

*Source: By Rudine Sims Bishop, The Ohio State University. "Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors"

The Asian American Education Project robust resource that includes lesson plans and professional development opportunities (login may be required)

Recommended Asian American Children’s Literature from Dr. Noreen Naseem Rodríguez

Asian Americans Advancing Justice has created an official K-12 curriculum to accompany the new PBS series Asian Americans. This document is a crowdsourced book list designed to support elementary and middle school educators and to supplement other existing resources, and in the spirit of the documentary there is an emphasis on books by #OwnVoices. Resources by individuals who are featured in the PBS series are noted with an asterisk (*) and books are linked to the publisher whenever possible.

The New York Public Library has curated events, books, and readings focused on AAPI Heritage Month.

The Asian American Education Project robust resource that includes lesson plans and professional development opportunities (login may be required)

The Legacies of Chinese Exclusion lesson plan from Facing History & Ourselves, along with its Classroom Resources on AAPI History and Contemporary Life

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Articles, Videos, and on the right side, Education Resources, which include activities from DocsTeach

The New York Public Library has curated events, books, and readings focused on AAPI Heritage Month.

Celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage landing page from Learning for Justice has many resources linked about history, culture and identity, as well as addressing anti-Asian bias

The Asian Americans collection from PBS Learning media includes lesson plans with video clips based on the film, Asian Americans, from PBS

Bearing Witness to Japanese American Incarceration Lesson Plan from Facing History & Ourselves

How did Japanese Americans experience and resist incarceration during World War II?

a free unit from Brown University Choices Program

Teaching about Japanese Internment (incarceration) Through Primary Sources from the Library of Congress

Korematsu v.United States (1944) from iCivics

The Immigration History Research Center (IHRC) provides resources for educators who teach about issues related to immigration in Minnesota and globally. These resources are designed to help students improve their critical thinking and research skills within the complex topics of immigration.

Flexible, interdisciplinary, and discussion-based—IHRC's educator resources are a useful collection of lesson plans and toolkits for instructors and teachers to facilitate a better understanding of immigration history. Check out their free curriculum.

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