BY SONAM MIRPURI
CERRITOS,CA-Learning about where we come from is as important as knowing where we are going. The City of Cerritos and Cerritos Library are presenting a unique exhibition -”I Want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story.” The exhibition which began on, January 3 will be open to the public through Feb 28.
CERRITOS,CA-Learning about where we come from is as important as knowing where we are going. The City of Cerritos and Cerritos Library are presenting a unique exhibition -”I Want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story.” The exhibition which began on, January 3 will be open to the public through Feb 28.
|  Mayor of Cerritos Carol K. Chen,graced the opening with a welcome address. Presentations of dance and music by local groups as well as origami crafts and story time with Asian Pacific American themes and anime films for the children also took place. The exhibition is a celebration of Asian Pacific American history across a |
multitude of diverse cultures and explores how Asian Pacific Americans have shaped and been shaped by the course of US history. ‘I Want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story’ features stories about how immigrants from India became involved in the history of America. It depicts how during American colonial times Indian immigrants were brought to the Northeast because of the thriving East Indies trade. As well as how small groups of Indians came to America during the California Gold Rush, demonstrating how Indian immigrants faced civil rights challenges including exclusion laws that were made specifically to separate Indian immigrants from the rest of society. One of the banners showed a picture of Dalip Singh Saund, the first Asian American to serve in the United States Congress. Saund was Indian born and came to America for higher education. He later became an outspoken activist who spoke against the ban of naturalization of Asian immigrants. Saund became a US citizen after the Luce-Cellar Act passed which allowed for Filipino and Indian Americans to become naturalized citizens. Gaining citizenship Saund began his career in politics serving as Justice of Peace in Westmoreland, CA in 1950. Later he was elected into the 29th Congressional district. Saund was reelected twice. Indians have contributed in transforming the American palate. Madhur Jaffrey and Padma Lakshmi are two individuals who have facilitated in making the cuisines of India popular all over the world.Their work was highlighted in the exhibition. Jaffrey is an Indian born food writer, chef, and actor who introduced Indian cooking to the Western world through her television show, “An Introduction to Indian Cooking,” as well as her numerous books. Lakshmi authored two cookbooks and is known as a host on “Top Chef,” a popular cooking television series.
The exhibit also featured Jhumpa Lahiri. It told us about “Interpreter of Maladies,” her first short story which won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction as well as “The Namesake,” her first novel which was later made into a movie with the same name.
“I Want the Wide American Earth” by Filipino-American poet Carlos Bulosan, a man who expressed the hardships of Filipino-Americans, is where the title of this exhibit comes from. The curator of this exhibition is Lawrence-Ming Bui Davis, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center Initiative coordinator.Some of the cultural and historical objects have been obtained from the Riverside Metropolitan Museum which is a Smithsonian Institute Affliate. Unique and first of its kind, the exhibition humanizes the hardships Asian Pacific Americans have gone through to establish a place for themselves. Banners on display tell the story of the struggles the Asian immigrants faced and how they overcame grave obstacles. Additionally, there are pottery pieces, sculptures, paper fans, and other historical pieces to bring history to the present for the current generation to read and understand where they came from. The exhibition is on at the Cerritos Library located at 18025 Bloomfield Ave, CA - 90703
The exhibit also featured Jhumpa Lahiri. It told us about “Interpreter of Maladies,” her first short story which won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction as well as “The Namesake,” her first novel which was later made into a movie with the same name.
“I Want the Wide American Earth” by Filipino-American poet Carlos Bulosan, a man who expressed the hardships of Filipino-Americans, is where the title of this exhibit comes from. The curator of this exhibition is Lawrence-Ming Bui Davis, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center Initiative coordinator.Some of the cultural and historical objects have been obtained from the Riverside Metropolitan Museum which is a Smithsonian Institute Affliate. Unique and first of its kind, the exhibition humanizes the hardships Asian Pacific Americans have gone through to establish a place for themselves. Banners on display tell the story of the struggles the Asian immigrants faced and how they overcame grave obstacles. Additionally, there are pottery pieces, sculptures, paper fans, and other historical pieces to bring history to the present for the current generation to read and understand where they came from. The exhibition is on at the Cerritos Library located at 18025 Bloomfield Ave, CA - 90703
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