2026 Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month at the Library of Virginia!

According to the 2020 U.S. Census, out of the 331,449,281 people who reside in the United States, 7.5%—or 24,897,495—people in the United States identify as Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Other Pacific Islander alone or in combination.¹ Their contributions have been recognized at the federal level since President Jimmy Carter signed the Joint Resolution Authorizing and requesting the President to proclaim the 7-day period beginning on May 4, 1979, as “Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week into law on October 5, 1978. The observance was extended to a month in 1990 and took its current name—Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month—in 2009. Virginia passed its own legislation in support of the observance in 2002.²

On May 4, look for a book display on Asian American history and literature in the West Reading Room. You can even check them out if you are a Virginia resident with a valid Library of Virginia library card! Of course, you will see just a few books from the Library’s collections. If you are interested in seeing the totality of what we have, try a subject search for “Asian Americans” or individual countries in the Library of Virginia Catalog. More information on how to search the catalog is available in the Catalog User Guide.

Come visit us on May 6 at noon to attend a free lecture by Virginia Humanities’ education director Emma Ito on “Between Roots and Rivers: Japanese Immigrant and Japanese American Journeys in Virginia.” Ito will explore the layered histories, migrations and lived experiences of Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans in Virginia across generations. Blending archival photographs, primary documents, timelines and narrative snapshots, she will highlight both well-known and lesser-told local histories, from World War II Japanese American incarceration in Norfolk to the stories of early immigrants at Virginia universities.

Emphasizing themes of citizenship, labor, identity, resilience and belonging, Ito will expand on how these experiences are deeply intertwined with Virginia’s past and present. Registration is required for this free event. Limited free parking is available in the deck underneath the Library building. For more information, contact education@lva.virginia.gov.

On May 20, look for an Uncommonwealth blog post on a story about the experiences of Asian Pacific Islander Desi students attending Virginia schools in the early to mid-20th century.

Look for another Uncommonwealth blog post on May 27 on the Library’s collection of U.S. Army Signal Corps Digital Collection. This collection documents the Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation, which was activated on  June 15, 1942. The Transportation Corps maintained the port and assigned members of the Signal Corps to document activities. This collection includes photographs of Japanese-American servicemen who served in the 442^nd Regimental Combat Team.