A commission established to look into the feasibility of a National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture officially got underway Thursday.
A ceremonial swearing-in of eight commission members took place at the Library of Congress before an invitation-only audience.
In an unusual move that has not been explained, the celebratory event was designated as “closed press” meaning the media was not allowed to attend.
While there are a handful of museums dedicated to AAPIs around the country, this would be the first national AAPI museum. The National Museum of African American History and Culture opened in 2016. The National Museum of the American Indian opened in 2004.
President Trump signed into law the National Museum of the American Latino Act during his first term. The act allowed both the Latino Museum and an American Woman History Museum to function online, but there is no physical building. The Washingtonian reports that Trump’s proposed budget for the Smithsonian cuts all funding for the planned National Museum of the American Latino. The fate of a physical building for this museum remains uncertain.
Efforts to establish an AAPI museum received a huge boost in 2022, when a bill sponsored by Rep Grace Meng (D-NY) established the commission.
“A national museum dedicated to collecting, preserving, and displaying our rich history is long overdue. I am proud to lead the Congressional effort to establish the first national museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture, and today’s convening represents an important step toward this goal. I am grateful to each of the Commissioners for their service and I look forward to working with the Commission to create this national museum.”
The commission is bipartisan. The members include:
- Dr. Jay Xu (California), Chair – Director Emeritus, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
- Chiling Tong (Maryland), Chair – President and CEO, National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship
- Joanne Kwong (New York), Vice Chair – President, Pearl River Mart
- Tina Wei Smith (Kentucky), Vice Chair – Former Executive Director, White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
- Dennis Cheng (New York) – Former Deputy Political Director, The White House
- The Honorable Rodney Davis (Illinois) – Former U.S. Representative (IL-13)
- Kevin D. Kim (New York) – Former Commissioner, New York City Department of Small Business Services
- The Honorable Michelle Steel (California) – Former U.S. Representative (CA-45)
“A national museum dedicated to Asian Pacific American history and culture would not only preserve and celebrate the contributions of Asian Pacific Americans to the building of America today,” said the Honorable Elaine L. Chao, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation, U.S. Secretary of Labor, and the first Asian American woman appointed to a President’s Cabinet. “It is to educate, inspire, and foster greater understanding of the Asian Pacific Americans community, especially during these times of increasing anti-Asian sentiments, violence and discrimination. And most importantly, this Museum would bring all Americans closer together—by showing how our stories intersect and how much we share in common.”
Krystal Ka‘ai Hetherington. formerly executive director of the White House Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus will serve as executive director of the commission.
The commission plans to hold listening sessions with members of the Asian Pacific American community and ultimately will submit a final report to the President and Congress.
