藏品背景

在covid -19大流行期间, there was an increase in reported hate crimes against the 亚裔美国人 and Pacific Islander community in the U.S. 三个组织在雅典成立, 俄亥俄州 to respond to the anti-亚洲 violence and create a safe and supportive space for the community in the summer of 2021: 雅典 亚裔美国人 Alliance (AAAA级), 亚洲, 亚裔美国人, 太平洋岛民:领导力, 教育, 宣传, 与发展(AAPI-LEAD), and 亚裔美国人 Pacific Islander Student Union (AAPISU). These organizations are the first of their kind at newbb电子平台 and in 雅典, 俄亥俄州支持亚太裔社区.

关于藏品

This entirely digital collection consists of materials related to the founding of the three AAPI organizations and their first year of activities. The collection comprises five series: (1) 雅典 亚裔美国人 Alliance, (2) AAPI-LEAD, (3)亚太裔学生会, (4)联合举办活动(返校游行), 农历新年, 亚太裔文化遗产周), and (5) Written testimonies in opposition to 俄亥俄州 House Bill 322 and 327 and in support of 俄亥俄州 Senate Bill 214.

系列1-3包含创始提案, 最初的宪法, news articles written about each organization, 会议纪要及议程, 活动照片, 活动传单, 财政报告, 标志设计, and transcripts and recordings of oral interviews with the founders of each organization. These materials highlight the planning involved in creating each organization, the programming events hosted by each organization, and the individual stories about each founder during the pandemic and the process of creating each organization.

Series 4 contains photos and 传单 for events hosted by all three organizations together. 在第一年, AAAA级, AAPI-LEAD, and AAPISU walked together in the 2021 雅典 Homecoming Parade and celebrated the 农历新年 in 2022 with the Chinese 学习er’s Association and the Chinese Student Language Association. 2022年4月11-15日, the groups celebrated newbb电子平台’s first ever 亚裔美国人 Pacific Islander Heritage Week. Because AAPI Heritage Month is in May when spring semester classes are no longer in session, newbb电子平台 historically has not recognized the importance of this month. 为了庆祝, the three organizations hosted a cherry blossom event, a movie screening of “Minari” at the Athena, 主讲人Sahra Nguyen, 开放麦克风之夜, and a panel on the founding of the three organizations. 本系列包含照片, 传单, 使命宣言, 每个事件的讨论问题, and an oral interview with Miracle Faller who organized the weeklong celebrations.

Series 5 contains opponent testimonies against 俄亥俄州 House Bill 322 and 327. These two bills would limit the teaching of “divisive concepts” including systemic racism and gender fluidity in public school education. By not allowing teachers to discuss these topics in educational spaces, the bill would lead to the erasure of historically marginalized groups’ experiences in the U.S. 此外, it would make it difficult for teachers to support diverse students in the classroom if they cannot discuss the experiences of POC, 女性, 以及LGBTQIA +群体. Members of the 雅典 亚裔美国人 Alliance collaborated with 雅典 Parents for Racial Equity and the Racial Equity Coalition of 雅典 County to draft written testimonies in opposition to the bill.

2022年春天, AAAA级 collaborated with the 俄亥俄州 Progressive 亚洲 Women’s Leadership (OPAWL) and the Honest for 教育 Coalition to draft written testimonies in support of 俄亥俄州 Senate Bill 214, which would mandate the teaching of AAPI history in K-12 public schools. Leaders Fan Jiang and Yi-Ting Wang reached out to Alexis Karolin and Morgan Spehar to organize a campaign among AAPISU members and collect more written testimonies from students. 这些证词收录在系列5中.

馆藏的重要性

与罗伯特E. 和Jean R. Mahn Center’s mission to bring greater attention to materials related to people of color, LGBTQIA +, and 女性’s groups as well as prioritize the acquisition of similar materials, this collection highlights the experiences of the 亚裔美国人 and Pacific Islander community in 雅典, 俄亥俄州. This collection contributes to a more holistic history of the pandemic in the U.S. Although many people were concerned about public health, 亚裔美国人s were also concerned about physical and verbal violence as a product of anti-亚洲 racism. 此外，作为美国的少数种族.S., their experiences are often excluded from mainstream public history and culture. This collection seeks to challenge that erasure and empower the community by representing their history and asserting their existence and belonging in the U.S.