Join the Library throughout May to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with book recommendations, free online events, resources, and more.

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is celebrated nationally every year in May. In 1992, New York Congressman Frank Hortin introduced a bill that called for the celebration of the rich culture of the Asian Pacific community and the honoring of its contributions to the United States of America. It's a time to reflect on our past, celebrate for today, and look forward to tomorrow.

You may wonder—why May? What's the significance of May for the AAPI community? May 7, 1843, was the first known arrival of Japanese immigrant to the U.S. Also, on May 10, 1869, the transcontinental railroad was completed. Work on this important infrastructure project included roughly 20,000 Chinese workers.

Since the pandemic began, there has been an increase in violence towards the Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. We invite you to join us in solidarity against racism and xenophobia and to celebrate the richness of the AAPI communities. Below is a listing of upcoming programs that create space to celebrate, learn, and heal. You can also find a compilation of these events on this page along with short descriptions.

Programs for Adults

May 3, 6 – 7 PM Dancing the Asian American Experience 
May 7, 2 – 3 PM Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month – Virtual Book Discussion Club for English Language Learners
​May 19, 6 – 7 PM Asian American Authors in Conversation with Jennifer J. Chow, author of Mimi Lee Reads Between the Lines
May 19, 6 –7 PM Holding Space Book Club: Searching for Sylvie Lee
May 25, 6 –7 PM Let's Talk about Asian Hate
May 26, 1 – 2 PM David Vaughan's The Dance Historian Is In with Sachiyo Ito
May 27, 1 – 2 PM Bite-Sized Book Club: Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo

Programs for Children

May 6, 10:30 – 11:30 AM Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month – Family Storytime!  
May 11, 3:30 – 4:30 PM Chat and Draw: Asian American Cartoonists
May 13, 10:30 – 11:30 AM Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month – Family Storytime!
May 15, 11 – 12 PM Online Family Storytime in Japanese! オンラインにほんごストーリータイム 
May 20, 10:30 – 11:30 AM Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month – Family Storytime! 
May 27, 10:30 – 11:30 AM Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month – Family Storytime!
May 27, 3 – 4 PM Picture Book Pals: Celebrate Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Month!

Programs for Teens

May 10, 4 - 5 PM TeenLIVE Author Talks: Robin Ha
May 11, 4 - 5 PM Crazy for K-Pop and K-Dramas: A Virtual Discussion 
May 12, 3:30 - 4:30 PM Teen Book Discussion: The Rise of K-Pop 
May 19, 3:30 - 4:30 PM Virtual Comics Chat
May 19, 4:30 - 5:30 PM TeenLIVE Author Talks: Traci Chee
May 26, 3:30 - 4:30 PM Teen Book Discussion: From Right to Left