GREENWICH, CT – 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 is proud to announce the third annual student-curated exhibit My Story, Our Future: South Asian American Youth Voices in Connecticut, on view at the Historical Society from February 3 – March 2.
An opening reception on Sunday, February 2 for participating students, their families and dignitaries, including Connecticut Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, will feature talks with organization leaders, among them Dr. Jason Chang, associate professor of History and Asian American Studies at UConn and department head of Social and Critical Inquiry.
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, will be artfully displayed with assistance from the Historical Society’s curatorial and education staff.
Initiative Informs State’s AAPI Curriculum to Roll-Out in Fall 2025
Dr. Chang and the Social and Critical Inquiry curriculum lab have used content and insights from the students’ MSOF oral histories to inform the course material and to train teachers throughout the state in advance of the roll-out to grades K-12 statewide in September.
Asian American stories have been absent in American archives and textbooks. Dr. Chang believes the best way 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,” says 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 percent have college degrees compared to the country’s average of less than 30 percent. And many CEOs from the largest corporations in the world, including Google, Microsoft, IBM, YouTube, FedEx, Chanel and MasterCard have Indian roots.”
For more information on the exhibit: https://greenwichhistory.org/event/my-story-our-future-2025/.
Greenwich Historical Society is located at 47 Strickland Rd., Cos Cob, CT. It is open Monday – Friday, from 9am – 5pm; Saturday – Sunday, from 12pm – 4pm.
About ICC and SCI-AAAS
The Department of Social and Critical Inquiry is a hub for race, diaspora, empire, transnational, Indigenous, disability, gender, and sexuality studies at UConn. We aim to distinguish the University while creating more just and free futures for all people in Connecticut and beyond. The Department’s Area in Asian and Asian American studies celebrates more than 30 years of academics and public impact. This area is home to education, community partnerships, and research about Asia and Asian diasporas in Connecticut, the U.S., and beyond. SCI-AAAS faculty and students examine the history; culture; and politics of social movements, migration, institutions, racism, imperialism, and the environment related to Asian regions, the Pacific, and the Americas.
About Greenwich Historical Society
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. Greenwich Historical Society educates thousands of school children annually and connects visitors to the history of this globally influential community through exhibitions, lectures, programs and events. It receives no town funding and relies on donations and grants to continue its work in education and preservation. Learn more at greenwichhistory.org.