The history of a community is too often written by, for, and about the majority. In our community, this means the history passed down to us has been largely white, both in origin and in subject. But there are many groups with deep roots who have made major contributions to our community whose experiences have been left out of this history. One of these groups is our Asian-American & Pacific Islander population. As documentarians of our community's history, we seek to fill in those gaps to provide a more complete record of community life for the researchers of the future. We are seeking to do this both in this short format and with longer oral history interviews that will be collected over the coming months and years.
AADL is putting out a Call for Stories on Local AAPI History. We are looking for all stories of your experiences as an AAPI resident of our community. AADL wishes to collect as many stories as we can, good and bad, anything you are willing to share. We offer thanks in advance for those of you able and willing to help us preserve these stories to assist future historians in learning about the time in which we live.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I submit to the Call for Stories?
We want things any way you can get them to us. All of these things will get your submissions to us.
Email: callforstories@aadl.org
Online Form: https://aadl.org/form/call-for-stories-aapi-history
Voicemail: 734-327-4223 (5 minute time limit)
What types of submissions are you looking for?
We want you to tell your story the way you tell it. Written pieces of 20 words or 20,000 words. One photo or 100 photos. Voice recordings or videos of your stories. Whatever you want to document in whatever way you feel most comfortable. Pretty much any kind of file you create with your computer or phone can be uploaded via the online form or attached to an email to us.
How many times can I submit?
As many times as you would like; the more we can collect, the more complete a picture we will be able to paint for future researchers. Multiple submissions are encouraged.
Can I submit anonymously?
Yes. We are looking to collect as much material as we can, and if you would rather not have your name attached, that is fine with us. Obviously the more information we have connected to your submission, the more value it will have for researchers in the future, but anonymous material is always better than no material.
Are you going to publish this anywhere?
This project is not for the public of today, it is for the researchers and historians of the future. While it is important to share these stories today, the best way for you to do that is via your own relationships and social media. AADL urges you to do so.