To promote the visibility of all Asian Americans, to raise awareness of Asian’s presence and contributions to Athens and nearby counties, and to combat anit-Asian violence and misinformation, AAAA has launched a public history project initiative in collaboration with the Southeast Ohio History Center, Athens Middle School Andrew Jackson Davison Club, and Department of history, University of Manitoba, Canada to build up a special exhibit to showcase Asian American history in Athens.

There are two parts to this project. We will be digging in archives to start mapping Asian American related events/buildings/families geographically and chronically. Artifacts will be collected and results will be presented through in person exhibits to demonstrate Asian immigration history in Athens and Southeast Ohio.

Simultaneously, we will also debut an oral history project where possible candidates with interesting, historical stories to share will be identified and interviewed. Intergenerational conversations will be encouraged and highlighted. Data will be recorded digitally and will be transcribed in hard copies as well.

To support our project, Jeongmin Kim, a history professor from Univerisy of Manitoba, Canada will host a series of workshop focused on training our volunteers on both “archival research” and “how to conduct an oral history interview”. Please check our “Upcoming Events” for exact times.

This is an on-going project and many volunteers are needed! We also need community input to help reach out for possible oral history candidates. Please contact us if you are interested! Thank you!