Plaza Branch and Central Library will open late at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17 due to the Kansas City Marathon.
photo: Travis Young
It's been 34 years since the U.S. Congress established Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
The celebration takes place in May and marks two important events: the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the U.S. in 1843 and the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, in which Chinese workers played a key role.
In 2021, a presidential proclamation expanded the observance to include Native Hawaiians.
Kansas City, Missouri, didn't officially participate until 2021 and now celebrates with events like the annual Taste of AAPI Food & Cultural Festival in the West Bottoms. This year's celebration on May 2 from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. marks a "cultural kickoff" to the World Cup.
In the Kansas City metro, the AANHPI community makes up about 3% of the population. But these numbers are growing with an influx of residents with Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, Lao, and Japanese heritage.
Join the Library in May to celebrate AANHPI Heritage Month, and explore histories, cultures, and achievements with reading recommendations, films, and more.
Programming
photo: Travis Young
Stop by to see some AANHPI films at the Central Library's Film Vault, including the campy cult classic Malignant at 2 p.m. on May 3, or, at the Plaza Branch, a screening of Minari at 1 p.m. on May 15, to launch the Plaza Branch's Plaza Movie Club.
Don't miss Kansas City native Alka Joshi discuss her latest book, Six Days in Bombay on May 7. The work of historical fiction is inspired by the sudden death of Hungarian-Indian artist Amrita Sher-Gil. Note: Read the book before the event to participate in the KC Pop-Up Book Group discussion at 5:30 p.m. during the reception. RSVP here.
Kids ages 12 to 18 are invited to the Bluford Branch on Sundays in May at 2 p.m. for Sunday Game Spotlight, featuring Raji: An Ancient Epic. The game was developed by the Indian game studio Nodding Heads Games.
Signature Events Archives
On May 18, 2023, Jackie Nguyen, founder of Café Cà Phê, highlighted an installment of the Library’s four-part series on how to make entrepreneurship in Kansas City more inclusive, diverse, equitable, accessible, and liberating – more IDEAL for all.
Kanopy Steaming
Browse a wide variety of movies featuring AANHPI experiences and stories on your computer or mobile device with Kanopy.
Reading Recommendations
Explore books, films, and other digital resources that highlight AANHPI stories, experiences, and history.
