#AAPI Month

[uwmspeccoll]

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: KEVIN MIYAZAKI

Today we highlight Milwaukee-based photographer and artist Kevin Miyazaki, and his book A Guide to Modern Camp Homes: 10 New Models & Plans for Persons of Japanese Ancestry. Our copy was published in 2024, but editions were also released in 2013, and 2018. Miyazaki’s statement on the final page characterizes the book as “a fictional publication containing only facts.” Styled after Sears Roebuck catalogues of the time, the optimistic salesmanship stands in harsh contrast to both the bleak descriptions of the camps, where Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated during World War II, and the heavy legacy of our nation’s human rights abuses. In a section titled Home Design, the copy assures: “Constructed mainly from wood and tar paper, your new home is designed to conform to international law.”

The book draws extensively from archival materials. Photographs come from the catalogues of the Library of Congress and include documentary work by Ansel Adams, Clem Albers, Fred Clark, Hikaru Iwasaki, Dorothea Lange, Tom Parker and Francis Stewart. First person testimonials are from Densho, a public history project documenting and preserving oral histories and primary source materials related to the unjust incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. Libby and Patrick Castro of LP/ws Design Studio crafted the architectural designs.

Copies of A Guide to Modern Camp Homes are available for purchase through the Japanese American National Museum.

See more AAPI Month posts!

--Amanda, Special Collections Graduate Intern

[rachy-chel]

Maysia 2: new year

[art]

Meet the Artist: @nyangjinart

Hi everyone! My name is Jin (she/her) and I'm a Korean American artist from NYC. I love drawing magical retro aesthetic art and cute animals that are colorful and vibrant. Art has been my comfort zone and passion for as long as I can remember, so I hope that my art can give that sense of comfort and nostalgia for others! I would have never thought my art journey would bring me to such a community of vast people who also love what I love, so I hope that I can make more connections!

Nice to meet you, Jin! Below are some pieces she has picked out for you all.

Check out more of Jin's work over at her Tumblr, @nyangjinart!

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We are highlighting some of Tumblr’s talented artists of Asian descent all month as part of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

[dearcloudheart]

proship/comship/etc dni

[quotidianish]

ASIAN AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY DAYS HAPPY TIMES SOLIDARITY FOREVER!!!!! If u wanna see middle aged trans AAPI characters with messy situationships u should totally follow me and check out my ocs. WHO I PUT IN FANCY CONSTUMES 4 THIS MONTH!!!

Closeups under cut cus I’m super proud of this. Happy aapi month my guys

[soranatus]

AAPI Heritage Month (2025) interconnecting variant covers by Cliff Chiang

[melonnabar]

Roy and Lian for AAPI

[rwuffles]

ASIAN AMERICAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH DAILY COINING EVENT.

pt: asian american and pacific islander heritage month daily coining event. end pt.

hiya! if you couldn't tell from the title: this is a daily coining event based on asian american & pacific islander heritage month. though, it's not a standard event — more similar to @vampitsm's 24 hours 24 coins event(link)!

like the title implies, we will be posting one new asian-exclusive coin everyday of may! if you're also asian american, or a pacific islander, feel free to coin alongside us for this month! if you couldn't tell what this was prompted by, read this(link).

all of my flags coined for this will be tagged with #asian mogai, #asian american pacific islander heritage month & similar tags, and our event specific tag: #aapi month coining!

could we get a boost? /not forced @vampitsm @vamptranny @radiomogai @icwdtea @nqvo @the-astropaws @love-letterworm @buntress @zoeymogai @nostalgiagender @daybreakthing @idwl @novaurora @xyrthemost @catboy-autism @pupcoins @boingogender @acronym-chaos

[whaleofatjme1920]

It’s Asian American Pacific Islander heritage month that means you can’t forget SEAsians, West Asians, Central Asians, South Asians or Pacific Islanders or I will bring plague to your homestead!!!

AAPI is MORE than East Asia!!

Being part of AAPI is a celebration for all of us; happy May <3

[warden-cygnus]

“If a man wishes to challenge the gods he must become more than a man”

[115,oc]

[whenweallvote]

Asian and Pacific Islander Americans have POWER. 🙌🏽 Representing more than 30 countries and speaking more than 100 languages, the AAPI community has a rich history and diverse culture. 

This #AAPIHeritageMonth, join us in celebrating AAPI voters — the fastest-growing voting bloc in the United States, with more than 15 million people! Let’s all get ready to fight for our communities in this year’s local elections.

[jaydencoolguy]

Okay, I need to be annoying for a bit since I'm Asian and it's AAPI Month. PLEASE start having more Asian characters or Asian headcanons. I almost never see them unless it's to push a stereotype, and it's absolutely infuriating. Yes, you absolutely can have a smart or nerdy character be Asian but they should NOT be the only Asian character in the cast. It's weird! I almost never see people make, for example, big and strong characters Asian. It's always the pathetic, nerdy, and scrawny characters. Or it's just one Asian character in a large cast. The only time I don't see this issue is when the person is Asian themselves.

Out of all POC, Asians seem to be one of the the least prevalent when it comes to Western media. This is extremely upsetting, especially when Asia is one of, if not THE largest and most diverse continent in the world. Also, you have to remember that there are way more than just East Asians (China, Japan, Korea, etc.); there's Southeast Asia, South Asia, West Asia, Central Asia, etc. I'm Chinese and I love seeing Chinese HCs, but show some love to all the other Asians too!! They're just as deprived of representation as I am.

I almost never see anyone talk about this issue because almost no one ever thinks about Asians when it comes to interpreting or making characters unless the person themself is Asian, seemingly because people only think of East Asians, who are not "POC enough". This is why I'm "annoying" about my Asian HCs or characters because I almost never see them. I want to see more good Asian representation in Western media. If you're not Asian and worried about accidental stereotyping or offensiveness, RESEARCH. ASK ASIANS QUESTIONS. LISTEN TO US. It's so easy. I understand the fear of accidentally being offensive, but you won't be if you actually put the effort in. Just don't make a character a literal racist caricature. Also almost no one listens to us when we talk about racism against Asians, which needs to be changed. I really want non-Asians to make Asian characters and representation too. Everyone, please start making more characters Asian. Thank you.

[mindboogling]

Kamaʻāina E Komo Mai Welcome Home, Kamaʻāina

🌺Happy AAPI Month!🌺 I've had this piece in mind since I visited home last year. Among the chaos of the airport's baggage claim and shuffling between impatience, a screen greets each guest in yellow text, saying those very words: "To our returning Kamaʻāina, welcome home." My heart ached when I had to leave, leading me to draw this with a lot of plant life and flowers from my nostalgia. Now I'm back on my island, reuniting with my family, and embracing my culture - I'm Kānaka Maoli and couldn't be more grateful to be home.

[art]

Meet the Artist: @kiisaes

Hi there, I'm Min / Becki (any pronouns)! I like drawing both fan and original art! I'm primarily a cartoonist and illustrator, and I aim to craft narratives that are fun and entertaining but also speak to the human condition. Comics are my one true love; I adore reading and making them, but also nerding out about the technical stuff like paneling, lettering, thumbnailing... You know, the stuff no one cares about. I post my comics on tumblr, and I have a longer comic in the works that you can check out at @chimerakingdom, if you're interested! In my free time, I like to draw (duh), play pirated DS games on my PC, read comics / manga, and hang out with my friends. I have several Kirby and shrimp plushies, but what I really want is a cat I can call some silly name like Bread.

Pleased to meet you, Min! Below are some pieces they have picked out for you all to appreciate.

For more of Min's work, be sure to check out their Tumblr, @kiisaes!

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We are highlighting some of Tumblr’s talented artists of Asian descent all month as part of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

[duckprintspress]

Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with 22 Great Queer Reads!

May is wrapping up, and with the end of May comes the end of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. There are so so so many great books coming out by AAPI authors starring AAPI characters, and so – here’s a list of some of our favorites! All of these are either BY AAPI authors, have AAPI main characters, or – in most cases – both! The contributors to this list are: Shadaras, Tris Lawrence, Nina Waters, D.V. Morse, Terra P. Waters, theirprofoundbond, Annabeth Lynch and an anonymous contributor.

Not Your Sidekick (Sidekick Squad series) by C.B. Lee

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee

“Eldest Daughter Seeks Her Wife” by N. C. Farrell from She Wears the Midnight Crown

Babel by R.F. Kuang

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

If You’ll Have Me by Eunnie

Roadqueen: Eternal Roadtrip to Love by Mira Ong Chua

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger & Steven Scott

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

Away With the Fairies by Annabeth Lynch

Meal by Blue Delliquanti & Soleil Ho

Firebird by Sunmi

After the Dragons by Cynthia Zhang

Iron Widow (Iron Widow series) by Xiran Jay Zhao

The Problem with Wishes by Annabeth Lynch

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

Hold Me (Cyclone series) by Courtney Milan

Sea Change by Gina Chung

Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix by C.B. Lee

See a book you can’t live without? You can buy it through our Bookshop.org affiliate shop!

You can view this list, and all our other lists, as shelves on Goodreads.

[mwahbabe]

in honour is aapi month i will be 10x more insufferable🌺