Asian American History Primer

Even though Asians have been in the US for hundreds of years, there is very little teaching of Asian American history in the classroom.  EastBridge Foundation partnered with Chinese-American Planning Council on a book project to provide an overview on Asian American history for middle school and high school age students. The goal is to provide additional insight  on the Asian American experience  to supplement what they learn in class.   

We recruited 2 college students, Melissa Ching, a Chinese American from New York attending Hunter College and Kaj Tug Emily Lee, a HMoob American from Minnesota attending Swarthmore College to be the primary authors. Both of them had participated in our Asian American history afterschool program. They had led workshops and discussion sessions on Asian American history with high school and middle school aged students.

This book is intentionally short to highligh Asian Americans in history and explore the intersectionality share with other minorities in the United States. Instead of following a chronological order, the book is organized around several key concepts: 1. Migration and Settlement History, 2. Historical Stereotypes od Asian Americans, 3. Asian American Scapegoating and Consequences, 4. Interarcial/Community Relations and Coalition Building.

From conception to book launch, this book project took almost 3 years to complete. The Book Launch Event was planned for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and held at CPC-One on May 27, 2026. Many young people and members of the community attended the event and received a print copy of the book.

You can use this link to download a digital copy of the book.