Asian Pacific Independence
ARVE Error: id and provider shortcodes attributes are mandatory for old shortcodes. It is recommended to switch to new shortcodes that need only url On this anniversary of India’s independence, as an Indian American I am thrilled to be part of a project at the Smithsonian that will be the first exhibition to recognize our incredible legacy.
Just as our ancestors fought for the right to determine their own destiny, this exhibition will allow us to tell our own stories. Today, we launch a campaign that invites you to share your photographs. When immigrants from India started settling in the U.S. During the early 1900s, most all popular images of these pioneers repeated the exotic stereotypes of the Orient that were already in wide circulation.
For example, the Chicago-based McLaughlin Coffee Company marketed trading cards (pictured right) with highly exotic “East Indians” whose imagery was far from the lived experience of Indian immigrants in America at the time. While some may consider these representations to be from a different era, they continue to influence the popular understanding of Indian identity. I feel that more can be said about Indian immigrants and Indian Americans when images such as those in Hollywood films like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom continue without an exhibition and curriculum to tell our story. A picture is worth a thousand words. Share your family photos and contribute to our collective storytelling. Upload photos to our page, send them to homespun@si.edu, or mail it to the address below. Please include your name or your family’s name, the year the photo was taken, and the occasion.
We will be accepting submissions until September 15, 2012. Join and like our campaign on. Your connection with us on this social platform will encourage everyone to be part of this project. To learn more about the Smithsonian Indian American Heritage Project. Happy Independence Day!
Asian Pacific Independence Ca
Warm regards, Masum Momaya, Curator How to Submit: 1. Upload to our page or send them to homespun@si.edu 2. Identify what is going in and who is in the photo 3. Identify where the photo was taken and when Mailing Address: Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program Capital Gallery Suite 7065, MRC: 516 P.O.
Box 37012 Washington, DC.