Asian America The Beautiful

As the nation celebrated July 4th and the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, in partnership with the Japanese American National Museum (JANM), AJSOCAL put together a moving slideshow celebrating the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community’s presence and contributions across 250 years of the nation’s story.

At a time when immigrant and AAPI contributions to American life need to be seen and celebrated, this was a joyous way to honor our histories with dignity and pride and to do so in our own voice. The project featured personal photographs shared with AJSOCAL by community members, partners, legislators, and leaders. The images celebrated ancestral and immigrant stories across generations: family celebrations, community gatherings, and everyday scenes. All of which honor the rich, layered, and deeply American stories of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.

Thank you to JANM’s Democracy Center for partnering with us to bring this project to Little Tokyo, and to the California Community Foundation for generously providing projection technology.

If you are unable to view the projection at JANM, Asian America the Beautiful is available for viewing below.

VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO SUBMITTED PHOTOS