‘Our history is your history’: Multimedia textbook brings Asian American and Pacific Islander experiences to the forefront

When alumnus Karen Umemoto contemplated returning to UCLA - this time as the director of the Asian American Studies Center - she dreamed about a way to bring 50 years of Asian American studies not just to more classrooms but into each and every home.

"I wondered what it would look like if we democratize the research and reach the general public using accessible technology," said Umemoto, a professor of Asian American studies and urban planning.

After she became the center's director in 2018, the idea took root. Her team started off small, with a simple prototype they called a "storybook," focused on Japanese American incarceration during World War II.

Today, that storybook has grown into a new learning and teaching resource that can be easily accessed with a few website clicks. The center's launch of "Foundations and Futures: Asian American and Pacific Islander Multimedia Textbook" features chapters spanning more than 20 ethnic communities across the United States, its territories and the Pacific. Written by more than 100 leading scholars, journalists, organizers and community historians, and featuring an extensive archive of videos, photographs, audio clips, poems and interviews, plus ready-to-use lesson plans for students in high school and college, it is the most comprehensive collection of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) histories ever made available online and freely accessible.

An expansive view of American history

Almost 25 million people identify as Asian in the United States, according to the Pew Research Center. Yet, a recent study from The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) found that one in four adults in the U.S. say they lack personal connections with anyone in the AAPI community. About half of adults say that AAPIs have little or no influence on American culture, with 47% of those surveyed unable to name a famous Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 53% unable to name a single significant moment in U.S. history related to AAPIs.

The multimedia textbook project aims to change that, with the site calling in visitors to expand their knowledge of American history through the lens of AAPI experiences, emphasizing that "our history is your history."

Users can find out more about Pacific Islander diasporas and communities, including those from Guåhan (Guam) and American Sāmoa, as well as the cultural contributions of Southeast Asian refugees. Now, anyone can also explore the stories of Congresswoman Patsy Mink, basketball player Jeremy Lin, activist Yuri Kochiyama and global peace leader Maya Soetoro. The textbook, which was also created as a response to the hate faced by Asians in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, includes the story of Vincent Chin, a victim of anti-Asian violence in the 1980s, whose death sparked a movement for justice.

Project co-director Kelly Fong has taught Asian American Studies at UCLA for over a decade and noted that being able to use this textbook in classrooms is powerful.

"It's transformative for youth to see themselves and their families centered in curriculum instead of in a paragraph, sentence, footnote or not at all," said Fong, who holds an MA and Ph.D. in archaeology from UCLA. "In centering Asian American and Pacific Islander experiences, the textbook opens possibilities for students to feel valued and learn more about the communities they belong to as well as communities they may not know much about."

Educator Uzma Quraishi, a contributing writer to the project, agreed.

"I was inspired by the thought of my 15-year-old Indian/Pakistani American niece seeing herself and her community represented in a major textbook," said Quraishi. "I thought, 'How empowering and affirming would that feel for a young Asian American today?'"

Meeting the moment

"Foundations and Futures" is being released at an important time for public education, as the movement for ethnic studies in K-12 schools and higher education has grown significantly in recent years.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed California Assembly Bill 1468 in 2020, requiring students enrolled in California State University campuses to take a class in Native American Studies, African American Studies, Asian American Studies, or Latina and Latino Studies. This was followed by AB 101 in 2021, which made California the first state to require ethnic studies for high school graduation.

There are now 22 other states that have statutes requiring ethnic studies, with Oregon, Oklahoma, Florida, Tennessee and Connecticut among those that include Asian American and Pacific Islander studies in their academic standards.

The textbook, which took six years to produce, provides schools, districts and communities with a scholar-informed, classroom-tested resource. It was developed in collaboration with educational and community organizations across the country, including the Smithsonian Asian Pacific Center, National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers and more.

Built on an innovative, ADA-compliant digital platform, the tech team behind "Foundations and Futures" ensures that learners of all abilities can access the textbook, with translation tools, reading supports and customizable display features.

Umemoto hopes that all people - regardless of their ethnicity or race - can learn from the textbook and see how intertwined and integral AAPIs have been and continue to be in shaping America.

"The histories featured in the textbook expand our understanding of the world in transformative ways. It helps grow our understanding of who we are and build mutual respect across differences," said Umemoto. "It deepens knowledge about growing societal problems and shares intergenerational wisdom to make positive change in the world."