Search the Media Repository
Discover the curated images, videos, and primary sources featured throughout Foundations and Futures
History is more than just text on a page; it is the photographs, voices, and artifacts of the people who lived it. The images and recordings featured across Foundations and Futures are part of a meticulously curated media repository. Whether you are building a lesson plan or investigating an artifact, you can use this database to trace the provenance of our media: discover who created an asset, the historical context behind it, and how it can be used to bring Asian American and Pacific Islander experiences into your classroom.
Multimedia
Chapters
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Video
The Secret War: Hmong Soldiers Who Served Alongside Americans in Vietnam
Dr. Chia Youyee Vang discusses the complexities of Hmong soldiers’ involvement in the Vietnam War, noting their critical role in rescuing American soldiers as well as fighting in place of US troops as “proxy soldiers.”
Featured in:
Hmong Americans, Module 2
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Image
Lao Hmong American War Memorial
This memorial in Fresno, CA was completed in 2005 to commemorate the Hmong and Lao veterans who sacrificed their lives in service of the US in Vietnam and the “secret war” in Laos.
Featured in:
Hmong Americans, Module 2
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Image
Dia Cha’s Story Cloth
This story cloth includes the representation of Hmong way of life and forced migration across different borders in China and Southeast Asia.
Featured in:
Hmong Americans, Module 1
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Image
Noob Ncoos
A Noob Ncoos, a gift for elders placed in the coffin and buried for wealth and prosperity in the afterlife.
Featured in:
Hmong Americans, Module 1
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Video
Qeej Performance
Paul Vang, a student at the Hmong Cultural Center of Minnesota plays the qeej– a bamboo pipe instrument that holds deep significance in Hmong culture.
Featured in:
Hmong Americans, Module 1
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Image
Regions of Origins for Hmong Populations
This map illustrates the geographic regions that Hmong populations originate from.
Featured in:
Hmong Americans, Module 1
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Video
Being Hmong American Clip
Pa Houa discusses the unique historical experiences of Hmong Americans in this clip from Pew Research Center’s “Being Asian in America.” Her reflection highlights the complexities of locating Hmong to a place but also the beautiful ethic of Hmong resistance to notions of geopolitical origins.
Featured in:
Hmong Americans, Module 1
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Video
Invisible Seams
This clip shows an intergenerational appreciation and exchange between two women in the garment industry, Joy Mao and Lorraine Lam, brought together by the W.O.W. Project, a community arts initiative rooted in New York City’s Chinatown.
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Image
ILGWU Quilt: Childcare
Childcare was an extremely important issue for Chinese women garment workers. Through organized efforts, Chinese women members of Local 23-25 made their voices heard. The Garment Industry Day Care Center of Chinatown opened in 1983.
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Image
ILGWU Quilt: 1982 Strike
This square, made by Katie Quan, pays tribute to the successful 1982 ILGWU strike.
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Image
ILGWU Quilt: Union Socializing
This square highlights social unionism activities including bowling, painting, theater, dancing, and music.
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Image
ILGWU Quilt: Protests in D.C.
Protest signs in front of the capitol building in Washington DC where ILGWU members frequently attended demonstrations in support of immigrant and worker rights.
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Image
ILGWU Quilt: Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
This square pays respects to the legacy of garment worker unionism through depicting the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1911). Massive protests following the fire pushed for new workplace safety regulations and energized the ILGWU’s growth.
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Image
ILGWU Quilt
ILGWU’s social unionism in the 1980s is vividly depicted in this quilt made by members of Local 23-25 from the Chinese and the Hispanic committees of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW). The twelve squares illustrate their history and values.
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Image
Empowering Younger Generations
Shui Mak Ka (center, with raised hand) continues to use her voice and union experience to empower younger generations to organize.
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Video
9/11 Effect on New York Garment Factories
In this clip, May Chen discusses how the closure of Lower Manhattan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks prevented workers and suppliers from accessing Chinatown garment factories. These barriers brought the Chinatown garment industry to a standstill.
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Video
Bangladeshi Activist Addresses Convention
Bangladeshi worker and activist Kalpona Akter addresses an audience at the 2025 United Steelworkers Convention. United Steelworkers is a labor union in North America. This clip shows the power of organizing and an international solidarity of workers.
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Image
Garment Workers Protest in Bangladesh
Garment workers in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, participate in a 2024 rally on the anniversary of the Rana Plaza building collapse to raise awareness of workers’ need for unionizing and safe working conditions.
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Women Supporters at Rally
An intergenerational group of Chinese women garment workers and supporters listen intently to speakers at the rally.
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Text
Local 23-25 Newsletter
This page from the Local 23-25 News describes the rallies, with organizing efforts illustrated throughout the 10 pages. These newsletters were published in Chinese, Spanish, and English.
