New York State Office of General Services Commissioner Jeanette Moy on Monday announced the opening of “Resilience & Rights: AAPI Courage in the Face of Adversity,” a new Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month exhibit that explores how AAPI New Yorkers, past and present, have challenged inequities and discriminatory legislation while fighting for civil rights.
The exhibit is located in the Governor’s Reception Room on the Capitol’s second floor and will run through the end of May.
“New York’s AAPI communities have made tremendous contributions, creating a more just and welcoming society. The 2025 AAPI Heritage Month exhibit honors several incredible people who have fought against prejudice, inequality, and injustice at the polls, in the workforce, in the media, and in everyday life,” Commissioner Moy said. “I encourage everyone to visit the State Capitol this May to learn about and celebrate the trailblazing AAPI New Yorkers whose legacies continue to inspire us today.”
“Resilience & Rights: AAPI Courage in the Face of Adversity” highlights New York’s AAPI leaders and groups that have faced discrimination with courage, creativity, and collective action to expand the fundamental rights of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
The exhibit sheds light on the life experiences of individuals in the U.S. who were subjected to the Chinese Exclusion Acts, held as prisoners in the Japanese Internment Camps of World War II, refugees fleeing war, and activists on the frontlines of the labor movement. It also showcases how their contributions have fostered a continued commitment to resisting exclusionary policies and fighting for an equitable society.
Among the AAPI New Yorkers and groups featured in the exhibit are:
Wong Chin Foo, a journalist and activist whose work contributed to combating 19th-century anti-Chinese prejudice and forming the Chinese American identity. Foo was one of the founders of the Chinese Equal Rights League, which organized protests and rallies against the Geary Act of 1892.
Dr. Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, a Chinese immigrant who advocated for women’s rights and suffrage. In 1912, Lee led the NYC Women’s Suffrage Parade on horseback at just sixteen years old.
Bijaya Khadka, a Bhutanese American based in Rochester, New York, since 2009, who started a non-profit to help immigrants and refugees settling in the U.S.
Yousaf Sherzad, an Afghan American who is the Acting President of the Afghan American Community Center in Albany, N.Y., which assists refugees with translation services, job placement, cultural orientation, and more.
Miné Okubo, a Japanese American artist who, through her work, shared her experience as a child interned in the Japanese internment camps during World War II.
The Chinese Hand Laundry Alliance (CHLA), established in the 1930s, successfully pressured New York City officials to exempt Chinese New Yorkers working in the garment industry from providing proof of citizenship while reducing hand laundry licensing fees.
The AAPI Heritage Month exhibit is free and open to the public from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. Find more information about the exhibit and visiting the New York State Capitol here.
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