California Museum Celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with Free Virtual Programs in Response to Anti-Asian Racism

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — April 7, 2021: The California Museum celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) with a series of free virtual programs highlighting the history and contributions of Asian Americans in California starting on Sat., April 24, 2021. In response to rising anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 pandemic, all programs are offered online for free. The series includes:

• “California Museum Live: Uprooted,” a live, Zoom-based tour of the Museum’s signature exhibit “Uprooted! Japanese Americans During WWII” led by a Japanese American docent on Sat., April 24 at 11 a.m.
• “Indomitable: The Story of Tommy Kono,” a new online exhibit launching Sat., May 1 at 10 a.m. on the Sacramento native Japanese American who began weightlifting while incarcerated at Tule Lake during World War II and went on to become one of the greatest weightlifters of all time.
• “Kokoro: The Story of Sacramento’s Japantown,” the online version of the 2017 temporary onsite exhibit chronicling the stories of a local community devastated by first by incarceration during World War II and again by 1950s redevelopment.
• APAHM Distance Learning Activities, including six worksheets designed for K-12 teachers and students, available as both downloadable PDFs and shareable Google Classroom assignments.
• “California Conversations: Sacramento’s Japantown,” a free, virtual discussion on Thurs., May 20 at 5:30 p.m. with former resident Gloria Imagire and historians Kevin Wildie, John Fair and William Burg.

Launched in 1992 through congressional legislation, APAHM recognizes the history and contributions of Asian Americans annually each May. The month marks two important milestones for the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community: the arrival of the first Japanese immigrant in the U.S. on May 7, 1843, and the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad due to the substantial contributions of Chinese laborers on May 10, 1869. For more information on or links to individual programs, visit https://californiamuseum.org/apahm.

ABOUT CALIFORNIA MUSEUM:

The California Museum educates visitors on California’s diverse history, arts, culture and unique influence on the world. Through interactive online exhibits and engaging virtual programs, the Museum inspires visitors to make their mark on history. Temporarily closed to the public during COVID-19. For more information and updates, go to https://californiamuseum.org/covid-19.