As Rhode Island prepares for the World Cup and RI 250 commemorations, the nation’s first AAPI History Museum is stepping into the national spotlight, proving that local history has global resonance.
PROVIDENCE, RI — The AAPI History Museum is not just preserving the past; it is actively shaping Rhode Island’s future on the national stage. As the museum approaches its First Anniversary Celebration and Fundraiser on April 11, 2026, at the Brown Faculty Club, it has secured a highly competitive featured tour at the 2026 American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) and National Council on Public History (NCPH) Joint Conference this September.
The joint conference tour, titled “Revolutions in Survival: Jewish and AAPI Histories of Resistance and Cultural Preservation,” is a groundbreaking collaboration with the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center. It will showcase the AAPI History Museum’s current exhibit on Grace Lee Boggs, demonstrating how contemporary communities use mobile museums and exhibits as tools for civic engagement and democracy-building.
This national recognition arrives precisely as Rhode Island positions itself as a premier cultural destination. With the state preparing to serve as a spillover hub for the 2026 World Cup and gearing up for the RI 250 commemorations, the AAPI History Museum is at the center of a “stacked” year where sports tourism and civic history tourism converge. The museum has already secured funding from the RI 250 Commission for two upcoming events, cementing its role in the state’s semiquincentennial narrative.
“Our participation in the AASLH/NCPH Conference tour says a lot about the scholarship and the rarity that our museum brings to the public and the professional sector,” said Jeannie Salomon, Founder and Executive Director of the AAPI History Museum. “We are proving that AAPI history is not a niche subject; it is a central, driving force in how we understand American democracy and resilience.”
The upcoming First Anniversary Celebration will reflect this elevated national profile. The event will feature a keynote address by Connecticut’s Attorney General William Tong, a fireside chat with Bethany Li, Executive Director of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), and opening remarks by Brown University Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Matthew Guterl.
“The AAPI History Museum is doing great work by putting the smallest state at the center of world history,” shares Dr. Guterl. “And now more than ever before we need institutions that share smart, rigorous scholarship with the public, letting us revisit our past so that we can both better understand the present and prepare for the future.”
The April 11 celebration will also honor the foundational scholars whose early support helped make the museum’s rapid national rise possible, especially Dr. Jason Oliver Chang and Dr. Diego Javier Luis. We also recognize Dr. Catherine Ceniza Choy, Professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, whose influential book on the Asian American experience offered foundational inspiration for the museum’s curation. We will also recognize community leaders and young people whose contributions have helped shape the museum in meaningful ways. Among them is Dr. Chang C. Chen (邱彰), who generously contributed her decade of research and curation on Chinese American women’s legal history to the museum, and Mr. Charlie Chin, a Providence Chinatown legacy family member whose steadfast presence in the community and many business ventures have long contributed to Rhode Island’s cultural and economic life. We will also honor youth leaders such as Chichi and Evelynn, who curated the Japanese American Journey and founded the AAPI Youth Art & Writing Competition, respectively. In addition, we wish to recognize a group of public school students who, after being inspired by the museum’s content, chose to donate half of the proceeds from their bake sale to support the museum during a summer funding gap. These acts of generosity, activism, and care are exactly what we seek to lift up during our First Anniversary Celebration, as we tell the world how deeply grateful we are for those who have stood with us, especially in challenging times.
“The AAPI History Museum has transformed from the kernel of an idea into a fully realized institution in record time. The Museum tells stories of immigration and political activism that are more urgent now than ever, and it presents these stories, grounded in the lives of real people past and present, so that everyone, regardless of background, can come away with a fuller sense of US identities, communities, and histories,” shares Diego Javier Luis, PhD, Rohrbaugh Family Assistant Professor, Department of History.
By blending rigorous scholarship with community storytelling, the AAPI History Museum is demonstrating that Rhode Island is not just a backdrop for history but a leader in how history is taught, preserved, and leveraged for the future.
Event Details
What: AAPI History Museum First Anniversary Celebration and Fundraiser
When: Saturday, April 11, 2026, 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Where: Brown Faculty Club | 1 Bannister Street, Providence, RI 02912
Tickets/Support: https://aapihistorymuseum.org/first-anniversary-celebration-fundraiser/
About the AAPI History Museum: It is the first museum in the United States dedicated to Asian American and Pacific Islander history. Based in Providence, Rhode Island, it preserves and uplifts the diverse histories of AAPI communities through community-centered storytelling, helping ensure these stories are seen, understood, and carried forward.
Media Contact Jeannie Salomon, MBA | AAPI History Museum | jws@csebri.org | csebri.org | aapihistorymuseum.org
