Last Updated on May 30, 2025
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! Listenwise features a variety of stories about the experiences and contributions of Asian and Pacific Americans, addressing a range of topics, such as exclusionary immigration policies, sword fighting traditions, and representation of Asian Americans in Hollywood films. Explore Listenwise’s AAPI podcast lessons that highlight the challenges and triumphs of Asian Pacific Americans and learn about their cultural heritage.
Listening to podcasts featuring authentic voices can connect students to specific moments in time and promote understanding of others’ perspectives. Listenwise has curated middle school and high school level AAPI collections that offer diverse voices and perspectives. Browse these collections, use the “Asian” topic tag, and review the lists of stories and resources below to help students learn about the generations of Asian and Pacific Americans who have shaped and enriched America’s history.
Listenwise AAPI Podcast Lessons
Culture & Identity
- Japanese Tradition Inspires Clothing Upcycling Trend
- Who Identifies as Brown?
- Eddie Huang: Cultural Identity and Food
- Amy Tan’s Valley of Amazement
- Chinese New Year Brings Red Envelopes with Cash
- China Embraces Marathons
- Super Wealthy Children in China Learn Empathy
- Chinese Oreo Cookies
- Japanese Sword Fighting: Kendo
- Making Lunch in Japan is High Stakes
- Jhumpa Lahiri’s American Identity
- Diwali Celebrates Family
- Teens Reflect on Race in America
- The Secret Sauce of Chinese Cuisine
- Kid News: Asian Marvel Comic Superhero
- Picking Watercress and Other Family Stories
- Managing Multiple Identities in “Frankly in Love”
- Kid News: Asian Marvel Super Hero
Politics and Society
- Asian Americans in Film
- The “Model Minority” Label
- Beijing Olympics Focus World’s Attention on China
- First DACA Rhodes Scholar
- Immigrant Entrepreneurs
- North Korean Figure Skaters
- Asian American Teens Reflect on Experiences of Prejudice
- Debate: Should Race Be Considered in College Admissions?
- Race-Conscious Admissions Allowed at Harvard
- Caste System in Modern Day India
- Press Freedom Around the World
- Debate: Should houses of worship decide who may enter?
- Rohingya Refugees Trying to Make a New Life
- China Shapes the Way It’s Seen by the World
- Not Your All American Girl
U.S. History
- Entering the U.S. During the Chinese Exclusion Act
- The Human Impact of the Chinese Exclusion Act
- History of Racism Against Asian Americans
- U.S. China Trade Relationship Shaky
- The Creative Art of Coping in Japanese Internment
- What Japanese Americans Lost During WWII Internment
- U.S. President Visits Hiroshima
- US Lifts Arms Ban on Vietnam
- North Korea and U.S. Agree to Historic Meeting
World History
- Japan’s Emperor Tradition About to Change
- Japan’s Apology to China
- China: A Peaceful Empire?
- Looking Back at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square Protest, 25 Years Later
- China’s One Child Policy Ends
- Ancient Chinese Coins Reflect History
- Mao Zedong and the Cultural Revolution
- Revising Genghis Khan’s Legacy as Leader of the Mongol Empire
- Two Koreas, One Conflict
- Surviving the Cambodian Killing Fields
- A Khmer Rouge Survival Story
- Justice Delayed: The Cambodian Genocide
- Nobel Peace Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi
- Where to Bury a Former Philippine Dictator
- India-Pakistan Relations
- Trouble between India and Pakistan Dates Back to Partition
Other High-Quality Educational Resources
- Asian Pacific American Heritage Month – Library of Congress
- Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month – National Park Service
- We Are Not a Stereotype – Smithsonian Institution
- Asian American Racial Justice Toolkit – A collection of resources from grassroots organizations hosted by Asian American Pacific Islanders for Civic Empowerment
- Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage and History in the U.S. – National Endowment for the Humanities
- The Story Behind Asian Pacific American Heritage Month – TIME
- Asian Reflections on the American Landscape: Identifying Asian Heritage – National Park Service
- Celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month – Learning for Justice
- I Am Asian American – Learning for Justice
- PBS Stories on Asians and Pacific Islanders – PBS
- Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center – Smithsonian Institution
- Collections on the Transcontinental Railroad – Smithsonian Institution
