Asian Americans | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/asian-americans/RSS feed for Asian AmericansenFri, 27 Mar 2026 11:30:00 +0000'The King and I' Spotlights an English Governess Who Modernized Siamese Society. The Real Anna Leonowens Exaggerated Her Influence and Lied About Her Originshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-king-and-i-spotlights-an-english-governess-who-modernized-siamese-society-the-real-anna-leonowens-exaggerated-her-influence-and-lied-about-her-origins-180988394/The beloved musical is loosely based on a Eurasian schoolteacher's accounts of her time at King Mongkut's court. These memoirs masked her mixed-race status and unfairly portrayed the monarch as a tyrantFri, 27 Mar 2026 11:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-king-and-i-spotlights-an-english-governess-who-modernized-siamese-society-the-real-anna-leonowens-exaggerated-her-influence-and-lied-about-her-origins-180988394/After Pearl Harbor, Americans Living in Japan Endured Imprisonment, Torture and a Lengthy Battle to Return Homehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/after-pearl-harbor-americans-living-in-japan-endured-imprisonment-torture-and-a-lengthy-battle-to-return-home-180988258/A new book chronicles the tense negotiations that secured the return of nearly 3,000 Allied civilians held by the Japanese during World War IIThu, 05 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/after-pearl-harbor-americans-living-in-japan-endured-imprisonment-torture-and-a-lengthy-battle-to-return-home-180988258/The Real History of the Complex Relationship Between Chinese and Black Americans in the Mississippi Deltahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-real-history-of-the-complex-relationship-between-chinese-and-black-americans-in-the-mississippi-delta-180986615/The remarkable success of the movie “Sinners” has sparked a renewed interest in how the two communities wrestled with life under Jim CrowTue, 13 May 2025 19:29:16 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-real-history-of-the-complex-relationship-between-chinese-and-black-americans-in-the-mississippi-delta-180986615/A Field of Dreams Built in an Unlikely Place: A Japanese American Internment Camphttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-field-of-dreams-built-in-an-unlikely-place-a-japanese-american-internment-camp-180986360/A baseball diamond buried long ago at Manzanar has been rebuilt to honor the Americans who once played the sport thereThu, 03 Apr 2025 16:06:34 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-field-of-dreams-built-in-an-unlikely-place-a-japanese-american-internment-camp-180986360/On This Day in 1944, the Supreme Court Upheld the Executive Order That Incarcerated Over 120,000 Japanese Americans During World War IIhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/on-this-day-in-1944-the-supreme-court-upheld-the-executive-order-that-incarcerated-over-120000-japanese-americans-during-world-war-ii-180985616/Even at the time, the now-notorious decision provoked strong dissent from three justices worried about sliding into the "ugly abyss of racism"Wed, 18 Dec 2024 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/on-this-day-in-1944-the-supreme-court-upheld-the-executive-order-that-incarcerated-over-120000-japanese-americans-during-world-war-ii-180985616/During World War II, This Farmer Risked Everything to Help His Japanese American Neighborshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/during-world-war-ii-farmer-risked-everything-help-japanese-american-neighbors-180985441/When the U.S. government sent the Tsukamoto family to an incarceration camp in 1942, one neighbor stepped up to save the farms they left behind, giving them something to come home toWed, 20 Nov 2024 20:50:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/during-world-war-ii-farmer-risked-everything-help-japanese-american-neighbors-180985441/See a Film That Reimagines History on the Malaysian Island That Served as a Refugee Site After the Vietnam Warhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/see-a-film-that-reimagines-history-on-the-malaysian-island-that-served-as-a-refugee-site-after-the-vietnam-war-180985416/The work, now on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, tells the story of two characters on the island—the last people alive in the worldThu, 07 Nov 2024 16:11:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/see-a-film-that-reimagines-history-on-the-malaysian-island-that-served-as-a-refugee-site-after-the-vietnam-war-180985416/How Tyrus Wong Spent 106 Years Making the World More Beautifulhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/maestro-of-design-180984915/The Chinese American artist left a breathtaking legacy that ranged from fine art to Disney movies to Christmas cardsWed, 28 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/maestro-of-design-180984915/This Filipina Spy Used Her Leprosy as a Cover to Thwart the Japanese During World War IIhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-filipina-spy-used-her-leprosy-as-a-cover-to-thwart-the-japanese-during-world-war-ii-180984226/Enemy soldiers overlooked Josefina "Joey" Guerrero due to her condition. Later, her heroic actions on behalf of the Allies were largely forgottenWed, 01 May 2024 11:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-filipina-spy-used-her-leprosy-as-a-cover-to-thwart-the-japanese-during-world-war-ii-180984226/This Chinese American Aviatrix Overcame Racism to Fly for the U.S. During World War IIhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-chinese-american-aviatrix-overcame-racism-to-fly-for-the-us-during-world-war-ii-180984196/A second-generation immigrant, Hazel Ying Lee was the first Chinese American woman to receive her pilot's licenseTue, 23 Apr 2024 11:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-chinese-american-aviatrix-overcame-racism-to-fly-for-the-us-during-world-war-ii-180984196/