Boston Has Its Say in National Asian Pacific American Museum’s Final Stop

The National Asian Pacific American Museum Commission concluded its cross-country listening tour in Boston on June 30 at the Cyclorama, where commission members gathered ideas for what a future museum dedicated to Asian American and Pacific Islander history could look like.

The listening session for the effort, which was established by the federal government during the Biden Administration, was co-hosted by Mayor Michelle Wu and the Asian Community Fund at the Boston Foundation.

“It's very exciting that Boston gets to host not only a stop on this listening tour, but the final stop for the commissioners appointed federally to study a national Asian Pacific American History museum,” Mayor Wu told Sampan. “This is an effort that has bipartisan support and would tell the stories and the history and cultures of so many who have helped shape our country.”

The Boston stop on a listening session for the National Asian Pacific American Museum; Photos by Annie Jiang.

The National Asian Pacific American Museum Commission was established through federal legislation signed by Pres. Joe Biden in 2022 to study the creation of a future national museum dedicated to Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history and culture. The effort began amid a rise in recorded hate incidents targeting Asian Americans during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The bipartisan commission is gathering comments from the public through a nationwide listening tour of 20 stops. The group wants to hear what the museum should represent and how it should preserve AANHPI histories and contributions. Its findings will be compiled in a final report to Congress and the president to guide next steps for establishing the museum.

Mayor Wu delivered welcome remarks alongside Liz Cheng, executive director of the GK Fund, and Danielle Kim, executive director of the Asian Community Fund at the Boston Foundation. Opera singer Nina Yoshida Nelsen and artist Princess Moon also performed to tell their own Asian American stories. 

Rebecca Lee, senior adviser with the National Asian Pacific American Museum Commission and one of the organizers of the convening, told Sampan that the sessions vary by region but that similar sentiments are shared across.

“They want authentic storytelling when it comes to how history and culture is going to be told with the museum,” Lee said. “They want both the good parts of history to be told as well as the not so good parts, so the stories of challenge and difficulty that our communities have had to experience in history.”

Outlining the planned museum’s process were two commissioners, Chiling Tong, president and chief executive officer of the National Asian Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship, and Dennis Cheng, who served as deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of political strategy and outreach under the Biden-Harris administration.

"As a commissioner, we are not only studying the potential creation of an APA museum, but also we want to show that our community stories are recognized as an integral part of the American story,” Tong said. The “APA story is American history.”

Tong said the museum would document the contributions of Asian Pacific Americans throughout U.S. history, from people of Asian descent who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution to Filipino settlers in Louisiana and immigrants who helped build the nation's railroads. 

“We want to share your stories, our stories, stories of our community,” she said.

Tong also outlined the commission's bipartisan mission to develop recommendations for establishing the museum. She encouraged attendees to submit public comments, which will be incorporated into the commission's final recommendations to Congress and the White House.

Reflecting on being often the only Asian American in political spaces and the lack of role models, Cheng said the commission is using its listening tour to develop a blueprint for Congress on the museum’s structure and funding.

“We’ve gotten so much interest from communities across the country,” he said, describing visits to community centers, schools, universities, and small businesses during the national tour.

Prior to this final listening session, Cheng said the commission has held meetings in Washington, D.C. and across the country, hired a full-time staff team and partnered with SmithGroup on museum planning and CCS Fundraising on feasibility and fundraising strategy.

“The museum should serve as a hub, catalyst, and convener for existing museums and cultural institutions across the country,” he said.

Establishing the museum, however, will likely be a long-term process, according to Cheng. He referenced the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opened 13 years after it was authorized by Congress, as well as the National Museum of the American Latino and the American Women’s History Museum, both of which have been authorized but have yet to begin construction.

What Boston Said

Krystal Ka‘ai Hetherington, the executive director with the National Asian Pacific American Museum Commission, joined Tong and Cheng to host the listening session where community members can submit comments and present to the stage.

The listening session welcomed community members to address questions on how to ensure Asian Pacific American history and culture are adequately represented in a future museum and the location of the museum.

Several community members were invited to speak about their comments to the questions, including State Sen. Vanna Howard, who spoke about Cambodian American refugee histories and efforts to expand AAPI studies in schools. Dr. Pam Eddinger, president of Bunker Hill Community College, described the museum as a “communal soul” linking identity, education and history.

Other community members emphasized intergenerational storytelling and the role of arts in preserving diaspora histories, including Connie Chin, CEO of Global Arts Live, and Annie (An) Lei, Board President of Boston Little Saigon.

Lee-Daniel Tran, an attendee of the convening, spoke on the origin of the term Asian American and how it was influenced by Black political movements.

“One thing I really hope to see is highlighting the cross ethnic and cross racial solidarity and partnerships of Asian Americans and the Black Liberation, Black Power movement,” Tran said. “I hope we don’t forget those connections and the communities we drew inspiration from.”

Representing the India Society of Worcester, Sarita Deshpande said she attended the convening to see stronger representation of the Indian community in the museum that showcases its diversity, including its heritage, traditions and festivals.

“We would like to have it in our museum, where it especially gives the essence of India, Indian heritage and where we can have a reach of our multilingual, multicultural, multi-religious India,” Deshpande said. 

Grateful for the Boston community, Tong said each listening session has been different and described the Boston session as one of the most well-attended, with a diverse range of attendees offering feedback on the future of the museum. 

“It’s not only a building, but it's an American Dream,” Tong told Sampan. “Most importantly, we want to share our story to all Americans.”