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Asian American and Pacific Islander studies resources for the classroom

All chapters of Foundations and Futures include lesson plans and curricular tools that are designed for high school students and grounded in ethnic studies pedagogy. Feel free to search our repository of primary sources and material that helps bring Asian American and Pacific Islander histories and experiences into the classroom.  

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  • Arab and Muslim Americans wait in line at a polling station in the council chambers. A pink sign sits on a bench that reads "Vote uncommitted".

    Image

    Bangladeshi Americans Voting in Hamtramck

    Immigrant voters, including Bangladeshi Americans, arrive for early primary voting in Hamtramck, Michigan, in 2024.

    Featured in:

    Bangladeshi Americans, Module 1
    View multimedia
  • Bangladeshi American Shamsun Nehar wearing a pink hijab with a polka dot dress puts the finishing touches on the three tiered wedding cake she made.

    Image

    Shamsun Nehar Puts Finishing Touches on Wedding Cake

    Entrepreneur Shamsun Nehar, founder of Cakes by Lucky, shows a wedding cake which she created and decorated. Many Bangladeshi American women run their own small businesses.

    Featured in:

    Bangladeshi Americans, Module 1
    View multimedia
  • Bangladeshi American Mohammed Chishti-Shipu stands on a chair in his office to hang his diplomas on the wall next to the completely filled bookshelf.

    Image

    Mohammed Chishti-Shipu Hangs His Diplomas in His Office

    Mohammed hangs his diplomas in the office of his accounting practice in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York.

    Featured in:

    Bangladeshi Americans, Module 1
    View multimedia
  • Bangladeshi Americans Mohammed Chishti-Shipu, in panjabi, and his wife Cherry, in salwar kameez, beside the red wood paneled wall of their new home.

    Image

    Mohammed and Cherry Chishti-Shipu Pose Outside

    Mohammed Chisti-Shipu and his wife, Cherry, pose outside of their home in Queens, New York, in 2017.

    Featured in:

    Bangladeshi Americans, Module 1
    View multimedia
  • A graph that displays the top ten U.S. metropolitan areas of Bangladeshi population in descending order from largest to smallest.

    Image

    Top Ten US Metropolitan Areas of Bangladeshi Population

    The top ten US metropolitan areas by Bangladeshi population, in 2019. (Source: Pew Research Center)

    Featured in:

    Bangladeshi Americans, Module 1
    View multimedia
  • A graph that displays the growth of the Bangladeshi population in the U.S. between 2000 and 2023.

    Image

    Graph of the Growth of the Bangladeshi Population in the US

    The growth of the Bangladeshi population in the United States from 2000 to 2023, including both immigrants as well as those born in the US. (Source: Pew Research Center)

    Featured in:

    Bangladeshi Americans, Module 1
    View multimedia
  • A sign with concrete footings placed on a lawn that reads "Welcome to Banglatown". Images of a Bengali flag and an American flag are next to the text.

    Image

    Welcome to Banglatown Sign

    A sign welcomes visitors to Banglatown, a Bangladeshi American neighborhood in Michigan straddling the Detroit/Hamtramck border.

    Featured in:

    Bangladeshi Americans, Module 1
    View multimedia
  • Iam Tongi leans against a white house posed to play his guitar. His contemplative expression shows a slight closed-mouth smile.

    Image

    Portrait of Iam Tongi

    Featured in:

    Multiracial Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans, Module 5
    View multimedia
  • Auli'i Cravalho poses against a Hawaiian backdrop. She wears a light-blue, tulle gown with embroidered pink flowers and green leafy stems.

    Image

    Auli’i Cravalho Attends the “Moana 2” UK Premiere

    Featured in:

    Multiracial Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans, Module 5
    View multimedia
  • Olivia Rodrigo sings into a microphone. She wears a black two-piece under a mesh chain-mail dress.

    Image

    Olivia Rodrigo Singing at a Concert

    Featured in:

    Multiracial Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans, Module 5
    View multimedia

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  • Chinese American chef Joyce Chen holds chopsticks and samples her food while smiling. Multiple dishes of food are displayed on the table before her.

    Module

    Module 3: The Taste of Success

    Susie J. Pak

    Chapter:

    Asian American Pioneer Entrepreneurs: Realities of the American Dream
    View module
  • TIME magazine cover entitled, "Those Asian American Whiz Kids." Six Asian American students pose, sitting and standing, in classroom.

    Module

    Module 4: Asian Americans and the Different Realties of the American Dream

    Susie J. Pak

    Chapter:

    Asian American Pioneer Entrepreneurs: Realities of the American Dream
    View module

  • Chapter

    Chapter Overview: Asian American and Pacific Islander Workers’ Organizing

    Tracy Lai and Kim Geron

    View chapter
  • A group of male laborers, wearing protective clothing and hats in a field, cut sugarcane and place them in wooden carts pulled by mules.

    Module

    Module 1: Overview of Asian American Workers

    Tracy Lai and Kim Geron

    Chapter:

    Asian American Workers’ Organizing
    View module
  • Painting of a vibrant sugarcane plantation and a snaking river that leads to a mill. Workers harvest sugarcane and use oxen to pull wagons.

    Module

    Module 2: Hawaiian Plantation Workers Organize for Justice

    Tracy Lai and Kim Geron

    Chapter:

    Asian American and Pacific Islander Workers’ Organizing
    View module
  • Five female cannery workers, dressed in aprons, overalls, rubber boots, and bandanas, rest on a dock by the ocean and drink out of paper cups.

    Module

    Module 3: Alaska Cannery Workers

    Tracy Lai and Kim Geron

    Chapter:

    Asian American and Pacific Islander Workers’ Organizing
    View module
  • A Vietnamese female nail tech in an apron, face mask and latex gloves gives a customer a pedicure while seated in front of the customer and foot bath.

    Module

    Module 4: Nail Salon Workers: Ethnic Labor Migration

    Tracy Lai and Kim Geron

    Chapter:

    Asian American and Pacific Islander Workers’ Organizing
    View module
  • Union leaders, community organizers, and worker activists visit the wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. The wall is topped with barbed wire and crosses.

    Module

    Module 5: Contemporary Asian American Labor Organizing

    Tracy Lai and Kim Geron

    Chapter:

    Asian American and Pacific Islander Workers’ Organizing
    View module
  • Set against gray fabric, this detailed story cloth shows Hmong people as they walk through lands with colorful buildings bisected by long river.

    Chapter

    Hmong Americans

    Ma Vang

    View chapter
Foundations and Futures Logo

The Asian American Studies Center acknowledges the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples as the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar (Los Angeles basin, So. Channel Islands) and pay our respects to the honuukvetam (ancestors), ‘ahiihirom (elders), and ‘eyoohiinkem (relatives/relations) past, present, and emerging.

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