Immigrant History Initiative
  • About Us
    • Our Mission
    • Our Team
    • Our Annual Report
    • Our Board & Advisors
    • Our Academic Council
    • Terms of Use
  • Our Work
    • Programs & Impact
    • AAPI Family Pilot Program
    • Lesson Plans
    • Guide on Talking about Race with Kids >
      • English
      • Chinese
      • Hindi
      • Korean
      • Nepali
      • Tagalog
      • Vietnamese
    • COVID-19 Anti-Asian Racism >
      • Restorative Justice
      • Bystander Intervention
      • Smallpox, Fear & Racism in 1800s San Francisco
    • Workshops
    • Outside Resources >
      • Asian American Studies
  • News & Events
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Our Mission

THIS
IS OUR MISSION

we believe in the power of stories to transform communities
At the Immigrant History Initiative, we use history to empower Asian Americans to see ourselves as the heroes and leaders of our own stories. We are the first to reach rapidly growing, first-generation immigrant enclaves at the grassroots level. 

Our mission is to
empower Asian Americans, build empathy for multiple generations of immigrant communities, and foster solidarity to address hate and intolerance. We do this by providing comprehensive education programming and resources that center on the histories and lived experiences of immigrant communities and people of color. 

IHI’s model has four key components: 1) community education and empowerment, 2) multimedia curriculum & course design, 2) anti-racist resource development, and 4) equitable education support.
​

We work with families, communities, educators, and organizations to share the untold stories of immigrant diasporas. Immigrant history IS American history. 

OUR ROOTS

starting in our own communities
The Immigrant History Initiative (IHI) is led by founders Julia Chang Wang and Kathy Lu, two Yale Law School graduates. As children of immigrants, we grew up knowing next to nothing about our heritage in the United States. The recent resurgence of xenophobia has prompted us to think deeply about how we talk, teach, and think about migration and race as a society. We started IHI to teach about erased and whitewashed immigrant experiences from history that can help us understand our current day. Our organization seeks to preserve these narratives for generations to come. 

OUR JOURNEY

building a larger movement 
As experts in history and law, we are the first to serve new, rapidly growing Asian American communities who have never had access to this empowering knowledge. 

The Immigrant History Initiative's first pilot program was established at Yale University, training Yale undergraduates to teach a course on Chinese American history at the Southern Connecticut Chinese School in New Haven. Since then, we have broadened our reach nationally and globally:
  • We create community programs for AAPI families to learn their history, understand their identities, and bridge intergenerational chasms.
  • We design lesson plans and other educational resources for classrooms across the country.
  • We train educators and other professionals on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
If you'd like to get in touch or learn more, contact us at staff@immigranthistory.org! 
Learn About Our team
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Copyright 2021, Immigrant History Initiative Incorporated. View our Terms of Use here.
  • About Us
    • Our Mission
    • Our Team
    • Our Annual Report
    • Our Board & Advisors
    • Our Academic Council
    • Terms of Use
  • Our Work
    • Programs & Impact
    • AAPI Family Pilot Program
    • Lesson Plans
    • Guide on Talking about Race with Kids >
      • English
      • Chinese
      • Hindi
      • Korean
      • Nepali
      • Tagalog
      • Vietnamese
    • COVID-19 Anti-Asian Racism >
      • Restorative Justice
      • Bystander Intervention
      • Smallpox, Fear & Racism in 1800s San Francisco
    • Workshops
    • Outside Resources >
      • Asian American Studies
  • News & Events
    • Events
    • Get Newsletter
  • Get Involved
    • Get Involved
  • Donate