Alameda Museum Virtual Speakers Series – AAPI Heritage Month
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have a long history in Alameda, dating back to the 19th century. 2022 marks a series of imperial and anti-Asian anniversaries. Following rising anti-Chinese sentiment in California, the Congress passed the Chineses Exclusion Act in 1882, barring Chinese immigration. Following the Filipino struggle for independence from Imperial Spain, the U.S. began its colonial occupation of the Philippines, with the formal war ending in 1902. Finally, following decades of anti-Japanese sentiment and exclusion in the U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, ordering Japanese American citizens to concentration camps. Alameda is the first community evacuated. AAPI community members in Alameda also have a long history of community and institution building. From Alameda’s Chinatown and Japantown, to…