Teaching Tolerance Distributes Free Classroom Posters to Celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

MONTGOMERY, Ala., April 23, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- To commemorate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May, the Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance project announced today it will offer teachers a free set of eight educational posters about Asian Pacific American history.

The posters, produced by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), offer a broad look at Asian Pacific American history – from the first Asian immigrants to the influx of highly skilled workers many decades later. Beginning Wednesday, teachers can order these posters from Teaching Tolerance at tolerance.org. The number of posters available for shipping is limited to 3,000 sets. They also can be downloaded for printing from the Teaching Tolerance website.

"We are proud to be able to offer these posters through our partnership with SITES," said Teaching Tolerance Director Maureen Costello. "Asian Pacific American history is rich with compelling and often moving stories. We hope that these posters will engage and inspire students, regardless of heritage and family history, to explore the many contributions made by Asian immigrants."

The posters are being offered in conjunction with the exhibition "I Want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story," opening May 4 at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington. The exhibition will then travel to 12 more cities nationwide.

"I Want the Wide American Earth" was created by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and SITES. The exhibition and poster set are supported by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. 

This first-of-its-kind exhibition celebrates Asian Pacific American history across a multitude of diverse cultures. It explores how Asian Pacific Americans have shaped – and have been shaped – by the course of the nation's history.

"The Smithsonian is delighted to partner with Teaching Tolerance on this project," said SITES Director Anna Cohn. "These posters will bring the moving, dramatic and evocative narrative of Asian Pacific Americans' history and culture to students across the U.S."

Teaching Tolerance is offering additional online education resources to supplement the posters, including activities and lessons in social studies, creative writing, art and communications. An exhibitor handbook with instructions for mounting, installing and promoting the posters is also available online.

Teaching Tolerance is dedicated to reducing prejudice, improving intergroup relations and supporting equitable school experiences for our nation's children. The program reaches hundreds of thousands of educators and millions of students annually through its Teaching Tolerance magazine, multimedia teaching kits, online curricula, professional development resources and classroom-friendly social justice documentaries. These materials are provided to educators at no cost.

SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for 60 years. SITES connects Americans to their cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, based in Alabama with offices in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi, is a nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry, and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society. For more information, see www.splcenter.org.

SOURCE Southern Poverty Law Center