Teaching Resources
Asian American history is Arkansas history. Although there are a growing number of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) histories of the South, Asian American history is often absent within Arkansas and Southern history, just as the South is often absent from mainstream Asian American history courses. This page provides a series of teaching resources, syllabi, and sample lesson plans designed to empower high school and undergraduate educators to center AAPI history in their classrooms.
Resource LIST
ARNCTA: AAPI Histories of the South | Teacher Resources
The Arkansas division of the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (ARNCTA) is part of a decades-long initiative, funded by the Freeman Foundation, and empower teachers and facilitate teaching and learning about East Asia and Asian America in K-12 schools. ARNCTA hosts a substantive collection of articles, archives, lesson plans, and other resources for teaching about AAPI history in Arkansas and surrounding states, including resources on Chinese communities in the Delta, the legacy of Japanese internment in Arkansas, Hmong and Vietnamese communities near Fort Smith, and the Marshallese Islander community in Northwest Arkansas.
Sample Syllabi: Asian American History in the South | University of Central Arkansas
This syllabus, taught by ACHP Director Dr. Zach Smith at the University of Central Arkansas in Spring 2024, includes suggestions for scholarly resources related to different aspects of Asian American history in the South, including early Filipino settlement in Louisiana, Chinese grocers in the Mississippi Delta, Japanese American internment in Southeast Arkansas, and Pacific Islander communities in Northwest Arkansas.
Lesson Plan: The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act
This lesson plan invites students to explore the consequences of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act in Arkansas. Drawing on primary source materials from the National Archives, the Library of Congress, and the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, the lesson plan includes sample readings, discussion questions, and classroom activities designed to fulfill Arkansas state social studies standards for Arkansas History and High School U.S. History.
Lesson Plan: The 1869 Southern Planters Convention on Chinese Labor
This lesson plan examines post–Civil War debates in the South over the recruitment of Chinese laborers to replace enslaved workers. Using primary source articles and editorials from Arkansas newspapers, students analyze competing perspectives on race, labor, and immigration in the Reconstruction-era South.
FILM & Discussion Guide: Far East Deep South
This discussion guide includes a timeline, discussion questions, activities, and a chapter-by-chapter breakdown to facilitate learning and conversation on themes established in Far East Deep South, an award-winning film directed by Larissa Lam and produced by Baldwin Chiu. Far East Deep South follows a Chinese American family’s journey to the Mississippi Delta, where they uncover surprising family revelations and explore the complex history of Chinese immigrants in the segregated South. The film highlights the deep connections between the Chinese and Black communities during the Jim Crow era and the lasting impact of discriminatory immigration policies.
Mississippi Delta Chinese Heritage Museum
The Mississippi Delta Chinese Heritage Museum, located in Cleveland, Mississippi, is dedicated to preserving the history and cultural legacy of Chinese immigrants in the region. Through the collection of oral histories, photographs, and artifacts, the museum documents the experiences of Chinese families who built lives in the Delta. By sharing these stories, the museum fosters a deeper understanding of the community’s contributions and the broader history of immigration, race, and identity in the American South.