Day of Remembrance

On this day in 1942, President Roosevelt signed executive order 9066 which authorized the military to relocate over 120,000 Japanese Americans from their homes to internment centers or relocation camps. In Canada, similar evacuation orders were established with over 22,000 people confined.

The SERC Library has a broad and comprehensive collection on multicultural education and diversity for a wide variety of cultural groups. If you would like to teach your children more about this period of American history we have the following items available for loan.

The Journey: Japanese Americans, Racism and Renewal - In this 40-page children's book, artist Sheila Hamanaka relives the history of the Japanese Americans and of her own family. During World War II, while her uncle was fighting in the American army, her parents were imprisoned, and her grandfather died in a U.S. concentration camp. The author/artist has created an extraordinary visual monument to the Japanese Americans, supplementing her original creation with prose that is unique and powerful. Grades 4 and up.

A Kid's Guide to Asian American History: More than 70 Activities - This 224-page resource by Valerie Petrillo offers over 70 activities that teach about the people, experiences and events that have shaped Asian American history. It has information on the culture, people, and history from various Asian countries such as China, Japan, Korea, Philippines, India, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. It includes a section on Japanese internment camps. Grades 3-7.

Baseball Saved Us - In this 32-page children's book by Ken Mochizuki, a Japanese American boy learns to play baseball when he and his family are forced to live in an internment camp during World War II. In first person narrative, he tells how baseball gave all the boys a purpose while enduring injustice and humiliation and how their ability to play helps them after the war is over. Available in English and Spanish. Ages 8-11.

The Shadow of Hate: A History of Intolerance in America - This educational kit from Teaching Tolerance, with a 40-minute videotape, 128-page text, and 36-page teacher's guide focuses on events from three centuries in order to explore the history of intolerance in America and our country's ongoing struggle to live up to its ideals of liberty, equality, and justice. Through documentary footage and eyewitness reports, students are given a powerful perspective on historical events from the ordinary people who lived through them. Some of the events covered are the enslavement of African Americans, the Salem witch trials, the mistreatment of Native Americans, antisemitism, and the internment of Japanese Americans. Grades 6-12.

Please visit the SERC Library to look at these titles and more. Membership is free and we have a generous 3-week loan period.

Artwork by Henry Fukuhara, "Symbols of Manzanar, 2008"

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Did you know that May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month? If you're looking for ideas on how to celebrate this unique and diverse culture, check out the SERC Library, where you'll find items such as:

Teaching about Asian Pacific Americans: Effective activities, strategies, and assignments for classrooms and communities, edited by Edith Wen-Chu Chen and Glenn Omatsu (IM 973.049522 WEN)
This invaluable 316-page guide is chock full of ideas to incorporate into your classroom, ranging from simple writing exercises to ideas for exploring your local city's Chinatown. In addition to activities, it also provides basic background information on the culture and history of the various ethnic groups that fit under the broader term Asian Pacific Americans.


Round is a mooncake: A book of shapes, by Roseanne Thong. Illustrated by Grace Lin (YP F THO)
This colorful 36-page picture book teaches and reinforces children's knowledge of shapes by having the young protagonist look at the objects that surround her. From the square-shaped tofu and radish cakes to the round paper lanterns and cups of Jasmine tea, the author and illustrator take the reader on a sweet little journey while also providing a valuable cultural lesson, complete with a glossary for the more unfamiliar terms.


Sixteen years in sixteen seconds: The Sammy Lee story, by Paula Yoo, illustrations by Dom Lee (YP B LEE)
This 32-page biography tells the story of Dr. Sammy Lee, the first Asian American to win an Olympic gold medal. Despite having to struggle against discrimination in his younger years as a Korean American, Dr. Lee pursued his dream of becoming an Olympic diver, and this moving story highlights his impressive life and accomplishments.



A kid's guide to Asian American history: More than 70 activities, by Valerie Petrillo (IM 973.0495 PET)
This handy 244-page book offers a wide variety of kid-friendly activities designed to teach and celebrate Asian American culture and history. Along with guidance for more commonly known aspects of Asian American culture, such as writing a haiku poem or conducting a Japanese tea ceremony, there are also more obscure offerings, such as how to cook Bibingka, a tradtional dessert of the Philippines and how to play pov pob, a Hmong ball-tossing game.

What better way to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month than with a book or two?? See you at SERC!