May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This cultural celebration of AAPI is observed annually in May to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843 as well as the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869 as the majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.
AAPI is observed annually in May to celebrate the contributions that generations of AAPI’s have made to American history, society and culture from across the Asia continent and from the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. To help you and your family celebrate, Santa Clara County Library District has a variety of AAPI events planned throughout the month of May.
A few of the AAPI programs for children and their families include ceramic dragons art and a variety of book clubs celebrating AAPI characters in both children's fiction and non-fiction at Cupertino Library. On Wednesday, May 8 at 4:00p.m., there will be a special storytime at Los Altos, The Year of the Dragon Family Storytime with Oliver Chin. Children and their families are invited to two different AAPI performances at Saratoga Library. On Saturday, May 18 at 2:00 p.m. there will be a Rhythms of India show featuring classical dances from India performed by Bay Area's esteemed dance schools. On Sunday, May 19 at 2:00 p.m. there will be a hula performance featuring live music and dance from local group Hula Halau `O Pi'ilani. They pride themselves on bringing Aloha and the Hawaiian cultural experience to all walks of life across the globe. Please check out all of our AAPI month programs by visiting our events page.
Children and their families may also join our AAPI Beanstack Reading Challenge and celebrate stories of Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures by reading and sharing books from our AAPI booklist for kids, opens a new window.
Don't forget about our abundant student portal resources like culture grams to learn even more about the histories and cultures that comprise of Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures.
