The North Olympic Library System (NOLS) is highlighting Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May with a series of discussions and an exhibit that will travel around the county.
Participants are invited to learn about perspectives of the South Vietnamese of the Vietnam War, attend a discussion with author Jamie Ford, or check out a Smithsonian traveling exhibit on an Asian Pacific American Story.
• “Hidden Histories: The South Vietnamese Side of the Vietnam War,” 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 3.
How did the South Vietnamese military really experience the Vietnam War?
In this Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau presentation, historian Julie Pham draws from interviews she conducted with 40 South Vietnamese military veterans in the United States, and illuminates how people can remember historical events differently. Registration is required to attend the event.
Julie Pham
Humanities Washington sparks conversation and critical thinking using story as a catalyst, nurturing thoughtful and engaged communities across the state. Speakers Bureau is one of Humanities Washington’s oldest and most popular programs. For more about Speakers Bureau, visit humanities.org/programs/speakers.
• “Racebending: Adventures in a Bicultural World” with Jamie Ford, 2 p.m. Saturday, May 21
Ford, an acclaimed novelist, will discuss an early example of cultural appropriation and assimilation when his great-grandfather changed his name from Min Chung to William Ford and the generational ripple effect that had on his family.
Ford also will talk about what the future might hold as the nation approaches 2045, the year the Brookings Institute predicts people of color will become the ethnic majority in the U.S.
He’ll discuss why finding the truth in historical fiction is so important and how he came to write about subjects so close to his personal past and future.
Registration is required to view the event live. A recording will be made available for two weeks after the event.
Ford’s debut, “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet,” spent two years on the New York Times bestseller list and won the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature.
His second book, “Songs of Willow Frost,” was also a national bestseller. His novel “Love and Other Consolation Prizes” was published in 2017. Jamie’s most recent novel, The Many Daughters of Afong Moy, will be published in June 2022.
• “I Want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story” (exhibit), May-July 2022
The Asian Pacific American story has roots that reach across borders and span oceans — but the tale is quintessentially American. This tale is being presented in a series of eight posters that will be displayed at the Port Angeles Library in May, the Forks Library in June, and the Clallam Bay Library in July; it will not be on display at the Sequim Library because of space constraints.
I Want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story was created by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. The exhibition is supported by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Teacher resources courtesy of Teaching Tolerance.
The Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month program series is generously supported by local Friends of Library groups.
For additional information about library programs and services, visit nols.org, email discover@nols.org, or follow North Olympic Library System on Facebook and Instagram.
