7 hours Ago By Saija Maki-Waller
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a celebration that encourages recognition and education, and there’s no better place to get educated than at your local library.Throughout the year during Black History Month, Native American Heritage Month and other months of recognition, Solano County Library hosts events to honor that diversity. This month, each operating library in the county is hosting events of their own, from book clubs to cooking classes.
“Our goal is to create opportunities for our community to come together, celebrate, and learn from the many traditions that enrich our shared history,” said Suzanne Olawski, Director of Library Services, in a press release.Kicking off the month on May 1 is the Vacaville Town Square Library with a craft night featuring Japanese paper folding and Tiki art. Later this May they will also have an introduction class to the Chinese meditation and movement art Qigong and an afternoon bookclub on Charles Yu’s “Interior Chinatown.
”In Vallejo, the John F. Kennedy Library will host their Teen Rainbow Reads Book Club on Trung Le Nguyen’s graphic novel “The Magic Fish,” an evening bookclub on the graphic novel “They Called Us Enemy” and a craft event centered on the Japanese embroidery method Sashiko.Chef Roline will once again demonstrate Filipino cooking during Solano County Library’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month events.
(Courtesy of Melissa Padaca)The Vallejo Springstowne Library offers a drop-in craft all month long making Koinobori, a Japanese carp windsock that symbolizes courage and strength for children. There, people of all ages can come and make a Koinobori to bring home and display. The library is also offering a weaving event, Chinese brush painting, a martial arts demonstration and more.
In Fairfield, Suisun City and Rio Vista, event highlights include a Filipino bilingual storytime, a Iu Mien P.S Sunshine Dance Performance and a demonstration by Hale Hula O Na Pua Hula School.At the Dixon Library, local Filipino Chef, Roline Casper, will once again offer a cooking demonstration and tasting of Filipino Cuisine.
In addition to the events, Solano County Library also provides access to a selection of AAPI-centered films through Kanopy, a streaming platform for libraries. Films include “Aoki,” which tells the true story of Japanese-American Richard Aoki and his life as a founding member of the Black Panther Party and “Lucky Grandma,” a story about an 80-year-old widow in New York City’s Chinatown.Some events require pre-registration, such as Chef Roline’s cooking class, but all are free to the public.
Visit solanolibrary.com for more information on AAPI Heritage Months events and to stay up to date with their themed event cycle..
