My high school was so woke in the 90’s, it already offered Asian American Studies classes. I didn’t take them, because I figured the essence of my own being meant I already knew what I needed to know about my own identity. So it wasn’t until my freshman year at UC Davis that I took an Asian American History class, only because all my required courses for my computer science major were filled up. My professor was Bill Ong Hing, and within the first lecture I was hooked. By the end of that year I had entered the world of community organizing, and I eventually graduated with an Asian American Studies minor. Throughout my whole college career, I had no idea what I was going to do with these ethnic studies courses, or the library of books I had collected. It was 15 years ago when I picked up Carlos Bulosan’s America is in the Heart for that first class that changed my life, and I feel so honored to share that moment of inspiration with the world now.
It feels amazing to come full circle with my work at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, by presenting this film adaptation of Bulosan’s book, directed by Frank Chi and featuring Hasan Minhaj, Ivy Quicho and Junot DÃaz. America is in the Heart was one of my first encounters with an American history that actually included experiences I could identify with. I’m so proud of this project and I hope it introduces a whole new generation to this masterpiece.