April 16, 2010 (REVISED April 27, 2010) Library of Congress to Celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month will be celebrated by the Library of Congress during the month of May with several events and a web presentation.

With a theme of “Leadership to Meet the Challenge of a Changing World,” the following events are free and open to the public; tickets are not required.

At noon on Friday, May 7, violinist Stephen Y.S. Shey will perform Philippine Classical Serenades (Kundimans) in the Coolidge Auditorium of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C. CANCELED

At noon on Friday, May 14, there will be a screening of “The Patsy Mink Story: Ahead of the Majority,” a documentary film by Kimberlee Bassford about the first Asian American woman to serve in the U.S. Congress. The film will be shown in the Mary Pickford Theater, located on the third floor (Room 301) of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.

At noon on Friday, May 21, members of SpeakEasyDC will perform “I’m NOT Going to be a Doctor: Growing Up Asian in America.” The second-generation Asian American performers include Regie Cabico, Vijai Nathan and Mim Khuc. The event will be held in Dining Room A, located on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building.

The month-long celebration will conclude with a keynote address titled “Cultural Stewardship in Asian Pacific American Communities” by Franklin Odo, founding director of the Smithsonian Institution’s Asian Pacific American Program. The program will be held at noon on Wednesday, May 26, in the Mumford Room, located on the sixth floor (Room 649) of the James Madison Building.

Odo received a master’s degree in East Asia Regional Studies from Harvard and a Ph.D. in Japanese history from Princeton University. Before joining the Smithsonian Institution in 1997, Odo was a professor of ethnic studies at the University of Hawaii and a visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Hunter College, Princeton and Columbia Universities. He is the author of “No Sword to Bury: Japanese Americans in Hawaii during World War II” and editor of “The Columbia Documentary History of the Asian American Experience.”

The Library of Congress’s extensive holdings include millions of items pertaining to Asia and Asian Pacific Americans. On May 1, the Library will launch an online resource page at www.asianpacificheritage.gov/.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov and via interactive exhibitions on a personalized website at myLOC.gov.