New Asian and Asian American Historical Timeline

Just in time to celebrate Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month with NC State University's Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA), the Special Collections Research Center presents the latest Historical State timeline of the Asian and Asian American community at NC State University. NCSU Libraries Fellow, Victor Betts, from the Special Collections Research Center began this archival research project in the Summer of 2019 in hopes of highlighting the often unknown or forgotten history of Asians and Asian Americans at NC State and the American South. Betts has also provided instruction on the history of international students at NC State with English as a Foreign Language (FLE 101) instructors to teach students about this deep and diverse history. He hopes to collaborate with more faculty and student organizations in the near future and to share this knowledge with the greater Wolf Pack community and beyond.

(Above image) Teisaku Sugishita (top row, far left) of Japan with the graduating class of 1898.

(Above image) NC State basketball team plays Japan during trip to the Philippines, 1974.

The Historical State timeline identifies significant figures and moments in the history of the Asian and Asian American community at NC State University. The timeline includes information and links to digitized materials including photographs, Agromeck, Technician, student organization records, and more.

The official heritage month annually takes place in the month of May, but MSA and affiliated groups are celebrating the heritage month from March 15th to April 15th, 2020. In response to the current COVID-19 pandemic, event plans have transitioned to live streaming platforms and other asynchronous digital resources to ensure the safety of the campus community. This year’s theme for NC State’s APIDA Heritage Month celebration is “Our Story: Unraveled, inspired by students wanting to highlight that there is more to their lives than what is portrayed in the media or stereotypes”.

(Above image) Jenny Chang (bottom left corner) is the first Asian American woman to become Student Body President, 1998.

APIDA Heritage Month, also known as Asian and Pacific American (APA) Heritage Month or Asian & Pacific Islander American (APIA) Heritage Month originated with the United States Congress to celebrate Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States and to commemorate the contributions of this community throughout American history.

The Asian and Asian American Historical State Timeline is now available for research along with other timelines documenting the history of NC State University, which include African Americans, Native Americans, GLBT Community, Athletics, and many others. The Special Collections Research Center contains a growing collection which can be accessed by searching our digitized collections and online collection guides.