Asian Pacific American History

Black velvet ice skating costume with sheer long sleeves and a bodice accented with rhinestones and Swarovski crystals
Sparkles under the spotlight: Designing a costume for Kristi Yamaguchi
Picture it: you're sitting with thousands of other audience members in a darkened arena. Suddenly, a spotlight illuminates a small circle...
Blue, white, and red banner with an image of Admiral Dewey in center of white stripe, surrounded by laurels.
The mock battle that ended the Spanish-American War
George Dewey was promoted to the rank of rear admiral after the Battle of Manila Bay. Dewey was celebrated in American culture with songs,...
EDM in the history museum: Steve Aoki gear travels the world and finds a home at the museum
Music blasts toward the audience as concertgoers dance to Steve Aoki's pounding bass rhythms and bright LED displays. The DJ throws cakes...
A blue and yellow banner that reads "Please give your help" and "Bowl of Rice, Feb. 9, 10, 11,1940-S.F. Chinatown"
You're invited to a Bowl of Rice Party
Wartime often catalyzes developments in philanthropy. In 2017, the museum added the Bowl of Rice party banner, from fundraising efforts to...
La Choy and Korean cofounder Ilhan New: Negotiating Asian culinary identities in America
A photograph of Korean food products—rice wine, soy sauce, and galbi (marinated meat) sauce—at a grocery store in Washington, D.C., that I...
An illustration of a ticket that reads 'Order 9066'
A new podcast: Order 9066
Each year we mark the Day of Remembrance with events recognizing Executive Order 9066, signed on February 19, 1942, after Japan’s bombing...
A sepia photograph of a woman with dark coiffed hair in a military-style shirt. She is smiling.
Alice Tetsuko Kono: Wise, well-traveled, WAC
Museum Specialist Noriko Sanefuji and Curator Katherine Ott invited students in Dr. Samuel J. Redman's Museum and Historic Site...
A black suitcase whose case is old and warped with stripes down the center under the handle.
Leaving home behind: The fates of Japanese American houses during incarceration
Museum Specialist Noriko Sanefuji and Curator Katherine Ott invited students in Dr. Samuel J. Redman's Museum and Historic Site...
A man in a military uniform and a woman in a dark coat stand smiling in front of a house.
Carl Takei shares family memories of incarceration during World War II
Seventy-five years ago, President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. While the order avoided naming any particular ethnic...
Cover of comic book. Little boy in tears runs to father. Text: "Dad! They took away my baseball bat!"
Comic book project helps teens discover and share stories of Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II
Comics have historically been used to tell difficult stories and engage youth in important but challenging topics. Martin Luther King Jr....
Museum visitor looks at objects on a table while staff member points out features of historic objects
Reflecting on the Japanese American experience during World War II in film, spoken-word, and discussion
Our National Youth Summit on Japanese American Incarceration in World War II is just around the corner. In this national webcast...
Black and white photo of three Boy Scouts carrying a large U.S. flag with community in background, including other parade participants with bugle and drum.
Boy Scouts and barracks: Learning about Japanese American incarceration ahead of the National Youth Summit
After the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Executive Order 9066 forcibly removed all people of Japanese ancestry, citizens or not,...
(Detail) Black and white photo of gathering in center of camp with buildings in background. Boy Scouts line up while community watches. In background, high mountains with snow on top.
Barracks and Boy Scouts: Norman Mineta's story
Here at the museum, we're busy preparing for this year's National Youth Summit. The program is an interactive webcast event bringing...
Ben Kuroki's blood chit
Ben Kuroki was born on May 16, 1917, in Gothenburg, Nebraska, to Japanese immigrant parents. With the onset of World War II, Kuroki and...
Dole pineapple ad in very saturated color with can, fruit, and ukulele
5 things you probably didn't know about the ‘ukulele
The ‘ukulele, or ukulele, as it's spelled in American English ("uke" for short), is one of the first things that many people associate with...
Kubla Khan Chicken Chop Suey
From the wok to the frozen food aisle
In honor of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, archivist Cathy Keen explores how a Chinese-American entrepreneur helped introduce new...
Supermarket sushi bar
5 big questions behind American sushi
Where can you find the sushi capital of Japanese America?In downtown Los Angeles, the five-block-wide neighborhood known as "Little Tokyo"...
Roy Rogers and Trigger yo-yo, yellow and red
Throwing ourselves into Yo-Yo Heritage Month
April Fool's! It is not Yo-yo Heritage Month, so we unfortunately will not be sharing yo-yo facts all month. But...
Baseball players group photo
Baseball behind barbed wire
The year was 1944. A playoff series between two all-star baseball teams generated ample excitement. Gila River fought Heart Mountain...
G. Yamazawa
Day of Remembrance event brings reflections on home, Japanese American imprisonment through film and a poetry slam
On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which led to the imprisonment of 120,000 Americans of...
This watercolor by Akio Ujihara depicts snowy Manzanar War Relocation Center in California
A card, a pin, and a painting: Crafts from Japanese American internment camps
As part of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Project Assistant Christy Wallover shares three meaningful objects from the museum's...
Welcoming home the Japanese American Nisei Congressional Gold Medal
American Heroes: The Japanese American Nisei Congressional Gold Medal goes on display on February 19, 2014, beginning with a special...
The mysterious can of fortune
In her non-fiction exploration of the Chinese food industry in America, Fortune Cookie Chronicles, Jennifer 8. Lee finds a mystery in...
Slack key guitar
Talking and playing Hawaiian slack key guitar with Dennis Kamakahi
What do cows have to do with slack key guitar music? Sarah Coffee from our education outreach team explains.For this month's episode of the...
Saying so long to "Sweet & Sour"
Curator's note: The following post is the latest from our Sweet & Sour series, part of a project to explore the culture and...
An aspiring Top Chef talks about "The French Chef"
The first episode of The French Chef aired on WGBH on February 11, 1963, starring Julia Child. To celebrate the show’s...
Happy couple posing beneath cherry blossom trees
Falling in love: Courtship in a Japanese American incarceration camp
During the opening months of World War II, almost 120,000 Japanese Americans, two-thirds of them citizens of the United States, were forced...
Aloha and farewell to the Honorable Senator Daniel K. Inouye
Editor's note: Curatorial Assistant Noriko Sanefuji reflects on the life of Senator Daniel K. Inouye, who passed away on December 17, 2012...
A plate of General Tso's Chicken, with a side of broccoli
General Tso's Chicken: the most popular Hunanese dish in the USA
Curator’s Note: What started out as a simple research assignment for the Sweet & Sour Initiative turned into an interesting culinary...
Grant Ichikawa being interviewed by Noriko Sanefuji
Day of Remembrance: An interview with Grant Ichikawa
Editor’s note: This blog is the third in a three-part series on the 70th anniversary of Executive Order 9066. Read about the...
A day of remembrance
Editor’s note: This blog is the second in a three-part series on the 70th anniversary of Executive Order 9066.  The museum and the...
Day of remembrance: 70 years after Executive Order 9066
With the signing of Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the creation of designated...
Culture a la Carte: Would you like some Han Dynasty with your meal?
King Dragon menu, New York, NY, 1976.I recently delved into the museum’s newly acquired menu collection. My focus was a sub-set of the...
Celebrating Chinese New Year
Curator’s note: The following post is the latest from our Sweet & Sour series. Be on the lookout for the opening of our Sweet &...
"Who Will Chop Your Suey When I'm Gone?"
Can you believe that chop suey was once the most famous Chinese dish in America? The dish’s popularity helped fuel the growth of Chinese...
Origins of a fortune cookie
Earlier this year we invited Jennifer 8 Lee, author of The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, to meet with our staff and share her insights into...

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