Greenwich Historical Society in partnership with the India Cultural Center (ICC) and UConn Department of Social and Critical Inquiry’s program in Asian American Studies are presenting the third annual student-curated exhibit “My Story, Our Future: South Asian American Youth Voices in Connecticut,” on view at the Historical Society from now to March 2.
Created in alignment with Connecticut’s mandated K-12 Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) curriculum, the My Story, Our Future (MSOF) initiative began in 2022 to help build awareness of the immense contributions of South Asian Americans and of the challenges, struggles and triumphs their immigrant families experienced in their assimilation to the U.S.
Through the vision and guidance of Dr. Chang, the chief proponent of the bill’s passage, South Asian American teens from area public and private high schools have developed intimate oral histories of their families’ experiences as a central feature of the MSOF exhibit. These histories, along with artifacts, photos and other memorabilia related to their South Asian American identity, have been artfully displayed with assistance from the historical society’s curatorial and education staff.
Asian American stories have been absent in American archives and textbooks. Dr. Chang believes the best way to uncover Asian American stories is through community partnerships. MSOF is an example of the new curriculum available to Connecticut schools, “We have cross-referenced content from the curriculum and MSOF, including some 25 podcasts and abstracts that enrich the material and experience for the teachers and the students. It is invaluable for teaching about the economic, cultural, social and political contributions of South Asian Americans here at home. This initiative is especially rewarding as Asian Americans, especially those of Indian origin, have outsized influence in American society, yet their contributions are often not known,” said Margie French, executive director of the India Cultural Center. “The largest number of Asian Americans in Connecticut are of Indian descent. On a national level, 70% have college degrees compared to this country’s average of less than 30%. And many CEOs from the largest corporations in the world, including Google, Microsoft, IBM, YouTube, FedEx, Chanel and MasterCard have Indian roots.”
“The Historical Society is honored once again to host this important exhibit through the lens of students who are sharing intimate family stories in a dynamic, highly creative manner to increase awareness of the societal contributions of South Asian Americans,” said Lauren Ackerley, director of public programs and exhibitions at Greenwich Historical Society. “We are confident the community will benefit from their initiative, which also will help the Historical Society to further its mission in strengthening our connection to our past, to each other and to our future.”
Greenwich Historical Society was founded in 1931 to preserve and interpret Greenwich history to strengthen the community’s connection to our past, to each other and to our future. The circa 1730 National Historic Landmark Bush-Holley House witnessed slavery and the American Revolution and became the site of Connecticut’s first American Impressionist art colony from 1890 to 1920. Its landscape and gardens are restored based on documentation from the site’s Impressionist era. The campus also includes a nationally accredited museum, library and archives, a museum store, café and a community education center.
