We Are Here: 30 Inspiring Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Have Shaped the United States

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Friday, January 27, 2023 | 6pm to 7:30pm

25 West 43rd Street, Room 1000
between 5th & 6th Avenues, Manhattan

A stunning anthology licensed in partnership with the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, We Are Here celebrates 30 of the most inspiring Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in U.S. history. With over 23 million people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent living in the United States, their stories span across generations, as well as across the world. We Are Here highlights thirty noteworthy Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and the impact they’ve had on the cultural, social, and political fabric of the United States. Yao-Fen You and Andrea Kim Neighbors from the Smithsonian APA Center will be presenting.

Profiles include: Amanda Nguyen * Bruno Mars * Grace Lee Boggs * Lakshmi Singh * Naomi Osaka * Philip Vera Cruz * Vishavjit Singh * Shirin Neshat * Thenmozhi Soundararajan * Schuyler Miwon Hong Bailar * Channapha Khamvongsa * Lydia XZ Brown * Etel Adnan * Chien-Shiung Wu * Jerry Yang * Carissa Moore * Craig Santos Perez * Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson * Eddie Aikau * John Kneubuhl * Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner * Keanu Reeves * Hinaleimoana Kwai Kong Wong-Kalu * Manny Crisostomo * Momi Cazimero * Teresa Teaiwa * Mau Piailug * Taimane Gardner * Calvin and Charlene Hoe * Dinah Jane

Purchase Book: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/naomi-hirahara/we-are-here/9780762479658/

Author Bio

Presented By:

Yao-Fen You is Acting Director of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC). The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC) was founded in 1997 as a mission-critical initiative to further the inclusion of Asian Pacific Americans across the Smithsonian's collections, research, exhibitions, and programs. Having celebrated its 25th year in 2022, APAC is focused on building a national program supporting K12 education and a future gallery on the National Mall. Yao-Fen joined APAC from Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, where she was Acting Deputy Director of Curatorial and Senior Curator and Head of Product Design and Decorative Arts. Yao-Fen has also held curatorial positions at the Detroit Institute of Arts, Fogg Art Museum/Harvard Art Museums, the University of Michigan Museum of Art, and the J. Paul Getty Museum.


Presented By:

Andrea Kim Neighbors (she/her/hers) serves as the Head of Education for the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC). She collaborates with educators and Asian American and Pacific Islander community members, and content specialists on the development of APAC’s National Education Program. Before joining APAC, Andrea was Manager of Community Partnerships at The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, and Tour Manager at the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience in Seattle, WA, designing customized museum experiences to best fit the needs of local educators. Andrea is a Professorial Lecturer in the Museum Studies department at George Washington University and serves as a board member of the Museum Education Roundtable. She was a Getty Leadership NextGen 2019 Fellow and a Board Officer for the American Alliance of Museum’s Diversity Professional Network. She holds a BA and MA in Cultural Anthropology and has conducted fieldwork in Russian Far East, studying the politicization of childhood.