Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Dear MOCA Friends,

First established in 1979 and reaffirmed in 1992 by Congress, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month—also known as AANHPI—is a dedicated time to celebrate the stories, heritages, and contributions of AANHPI communities through programs, ceremonies, and activities. It is a time to recognize American history more fully beyond the current narrative that is slow to change in our classrooms. History also has given us stories of how individuals have resisted, discovered their agency, found their voice, spoken up, and taken action against fear and hate.

The Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) is hosting a wide range of programming to celebrate AANHPI Heritage Month this May. The MOCA TALKS programs will feature a discussion on family relationships and mental health and a discussion with Kevin Chen, a Taiwanese novelist who will share his journey of writing Ghost Town. MOCA PERFORMS will highlight the letters from the Marcella B. Chin Dear family, who immigrated to New York in the 1800s and established a series of successful business ventures in Chinatown. MOCACREATE will host a kid-friendly workshop to design mixed-media mosaic portraits of inspiring Asian Americans. All programming is free and open to the public.

MOCA hopes that the stories told through its programming will inspire people to awaken the storyteller in all of us so that we can lift up others through our stories of remembrance and resilience.

We also invite you to visit MOCA's special exhibition Responses: Asian American Voices Resisting the Tides of Racism, before closing on June 24, 2023. Don't miss the last chance to learn the historical roots of anti-Asian racism from the early days of American history until the rise of anti-AAPI racism and violence today. Moreover, we encourage you to bring your friends and family to visit MOCA's special traveling exhibition Sour, Sweet, Bitter, Spicy: Stories of Chinese Food and Identity in America, on view through September 10, 2023, at Tangram in Flushing. This show explores how food represents not only a cultural form of expression and identity, but how it is influenced through personal stories and geographical landscapes.

MOCA is thrilled to present a curated story titled Breaking Barriers: Amazing Chinese American Women in American History from aviation and military service to Hollywood, academia, and women's suffrage on the Google Arts & Culture digital platform.

Staff Picks & Book Recommendations

- Shining a Light: Celebrating 40 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Changed the World (2023) by Veeda Bybee, Illustrated by Victo Ngai

- Banishing Orientalism: Dancing between Exotic and Familiar (2023) by Phil Chan

- Ghost Town (2022) by Kevin Chen

- Mott Street: A Chinese American Family's Story of Exclusion and Homecoming (2023) by Ava Chin

- Stuck: Why Asian Americans Don’t Reach the Top of the Corporate Ladder (2020) by Margaret M. Chin

- The Piano Tuner (2023) by Chiang-Sheng Kuo

- I Am an American: The Wong Kim Ark Story (2021) by Martha Brockenbrough and Grace Lin, illustrated by Julia Kuo

- Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now (2022) by Jeff Yang, Phil Yu, and Philip Wang

- If China Has Hands (1937) by H.T. Tsiang

- Chinese Homestyle: Everyday Plant-Based Recipes for Takeout, Dim Sum, Noodles, and More (2022) by Maggie Zhu

Stay up to date at MOCA’s website www.mocanyc.org or sign up for MOCA’s monthly e-newsletter.  

Follow MOCA on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok at @mocanyc; and WeChat at MOCANYC_USA. 

With gratitude,

The MOCA Team

MOCA TALKS
Generational Differences on Mental Health

Recorded on Wednesday, May 3, 2023

Watch On Demand

There are many misconceptions, stigmas, and stereotypes regarding mental health among AANHPI communities, and many of these beliefs are culturally based. Generational differences on mental health, particularly the stigma of mental illness, also impact knowledge and utilization of effective treatments. In our discussion of mental health across generations, we aim to describe differences amongst age groups and generational status, provide resources for support and treatment, and share strategies for discussing this often-difficult topic with family and friends. This panel discussion was conducted in Mandarin Chinese, followed by a Q&A session.

MOCA FEATURES
Tibetan Meditation Workshop with Dr. Chok Tenzin Monlam
Friday, May 5, 2023, from 7:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. EST

Museum of Chinese in America | 215 Centre Street, New York, NY 10013

Register for free

What is meditation? How does it benefit our well-being? In this workshop, Dr. Monlam will guide us into building a foundation for a meditation practice that’s appropriate to participants of all levels. In addition, we will also learn to practice Shamata (“single pointed” or “calm abiding” meditation), using supports such as breath, sound, sight, smell, taste, and other body sensations. Class materials: Yoga mat or blanket (something to sit on), cushions optional.

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