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Event: Amplifying Asian American Stories: A Self-Guided Journey through Culture, Community, and Collective Action
Date: Friday, May 30th, 2025
Time: Self-Guided
Location: Virtual 

View previous events on our YouTube channel here.

About the Event:

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month – a time to honor the voices, cultures, and contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. This self-guided resource invites you to explore those stories through film, art, literature, poetry, podcasts, and models of community action curated to deepen understanding and inspire community care. 

You can explore solo or with a group. Take your time, choose what resonates, and engage in a way that fits your rhythm. 

How to Use This Page

• Choose 1-2 resources from different categories
• Reflect on the prompts below, or talk through them with a group
• Take at least one action step to show up in solidarity with AAPI communities

Explore the following resources to deepen your connection to Asian American & Pacific Islander communities!

Section 1: EXPLORE – Stories Across Media

Explore these powerful resources to deepen your understanding of Asian American experiences — from personal reflections to cultural critiques.

Film & Video

• “Yai Nin” (2024) – Video Link
  A full-time hustler and a full-time grandmother — the charming matriarch of a Thai American family captured by her grandson.
  

• “Share” (2021) – Video Link
  An 18-year old influencer attempts to reconcile his identity online with his identity in real life.

• “Not Your Model Minority” TedxTalk – YouTube link
  Kelly Choi challenges stereotypes and anti-Asian violence.

• PBS: Asian Americans (2020) – YouTube Link
  Powerful docuseries tracing 150+ years of AAPI history in the U.S.

Articles

• “Asian Americans Are Still Caught in the Trap of the ‘Model Minority’ Stereotype. And It Creates Inequality for All”
  By Viet Thanh Nguyen – Time Magazine
  Read the article →
  A candid look at how the “model minority” myth has shaped — and harmed — Asian American identity in the U.S.
• “Why This Wave of Anti-Asian Racism Feels Different”
  By Cathy Park Hong – The Atlantic
  Read the article →
  A poetic and piercing essay on how anti-Asian violence connects to broader narratives of racial invisibility and power.
• “The Lie Beneath the Story of My Family’s Asian American Dream”
  By Michael Sakasegawa – Catapult Magazine
  Read the article →
  A deeply personal essay about generational expectations, healing, and redefining identity beyond inherited narratives.

Visual Art

• Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya’s art series – I Still Believe in Our City
  Explore here
  Public art against anti-Asian racism, rooted in healing and joy.

• Smithsonian APA Center – A Day in the Queer Asian Pacific American Life
  Browse exhibit
  Community-submitted photos showcasing the richness of identity.

• Lauren YS (@squid.licker) – View Instagram
  Surreal, emotionally raw illustrations that explore Asian American identity, gender fluidity, memory, and mythology through vivid, dreamlike visuals.

Podcasts

• Self Evident: Asian America’s Stories – Listen
  Independent show featuring diverse Asian American voices and lived experiences.

• Feeling Asian – Listen
  Honest, funny, often emotional conversations about identity, family, and culture.

• Code Switch: “Screams and Silence Revisited” – Listen
  Essential NPR episode unpacking anti-Asian violence and solidarity.

Poetry & Prose

• Ocean Vuong
  Visit Ocean Vuong’s page
  A celebrated poet and novelist whose work explores queerness, war, diaspora, and tenderness. Start with Night Sky with Exit Wounds (poetry), On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous (novel), or Time Is a Mother (poetry). His writing is lyrical, intimate, and emotionally transformative.
• Kundiman – Homepage
  A nonprofit nurturing Asian American literature. Their archive features free online poetry by a wide range of contemporary Asian American poets.
• Franny Choi
  Read selected poems
  A queer Korean American poet whose work weaves together themes of identity, science fiction, race, and resistance. Books include Soft Science, The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On, and Floating, Brilliant, Gone. Her voice is bold, inventive, and deeply moving.

Section 2: REFLECT & DISCUSS

Use these prompts for journaling, quiet reflection, or group dialogue:

• What perspectives or histories were new to you?

• Which stories resonated most? Why?

• What are some common stereotypes about Asian Americans – and how do the stories here challenge them?

• What does solidarity with AAPI communities look like in your context (home, work, community)?

• How does joy or resilience show up in these works, even in the face of pain?

Section 3: ACT

Take one small action to honor what you’ve learned:

• Report anti-Asian hate: Stop AAPI Hate

• Donate to: Asian Americans Advancing Justice, NAPAWF, Kundiman

• Share a story or artwork from above on social media

• Support an AAPI-owned business

• Host a reflection circle using this webpage as a guide

Thank You for Participating

Thank you for taking time to explore these stories and stand in solidarity with Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Whether you watched a film, shared a poem, or simply reflected quietly, your presence in this work is valuable. Through reflection, dialogue, and diverse stories, we can build a more connected, compassionate, and inclusive future.

Let us know how you used this guide by emailing us at programs@peacethroughaction.org or tagging us on social media. We’d love to hear how you are engaging with this month’s themes.