David and Tina Nishida Symposium & the Luskin Lecture for Thought Leadership

Join us for the official launch of Foundations and Futures: Asian American and Pacific Islander Multimedia Textbook featuring world-renowned authors, captivating conversations, exciting performances, and so much more!

Foundations and Futures is a bold new multimedia textbook that places Asian American and Pacific Islander experiences at the heart of the American story. Developed by the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, it is the most comprehensive collection ever published online, freely accessible to high school and college students and the general public. Featuring 50 chapters written by leading scholars, journalists, and community historians, the textbook highlights over 20 AAPI communities across the United States, its territories, and the Pacific. With 1,500+ media assets plus over 250 ready-to-use lesson plans for grades 9–14, it turns classrooms into powerful spaces for empathy, critical thinking, and social transformation.

Reclaiming Our Narrative: Presenting Foundations and Futures, will be the public launch of the multimedia Asian American and Pacific Islander textbook project on May 9, 2026 from 10:00am to 3:00pm (registration begins at 9:00am) at the UCLA Luskin Conference Center Ballroom.

This event will be a celebratory gathering to acknowledge the collective contributions to this monumental educational resource. We are excited to unveil the completed chapters at the event, with additional chapters published online upon completion throughout the summer.

The program will also include a keynote address by Dr. Maya Soetoro (University of Hawaiʻi, Mānoa), who will lead a learning session about the power of peace education during these divided times. At a moment when ethnic studies faces increasing scrutiny and books continue to be banned, we hope that Foundations and Futures can empower educators to uplift, protect, and preserve Asian American and Pacific Islander histories.