Several times a year the Penn's Village Inclusiveness and Diversity Committee recommends several resources to help our members and friends to be more aware of the racial biases in each of us and in our society, and the resulting inequities, past and present. It is the committee’s hope that this information may even inspire us to make corrective changes. These resources assembled by Penn’s Village members represent different mediums, different perspectives and experiences, and diverse authors.
Penn’s Village welcomes and actively encourages an inclusive and diverse community of members, staff, Board of Directors and volunteers. Inclusiveness and diversity mean welcoming all and excluding no one because of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, physical abilities, religious beliefs or political beliefs.
At the very bottom of this page, blog readers have the opportunity to comment. The Inclusiveness and Diversity Committee welcomes your opinions about any of our suggested resources and any suggestions about their mission.
April, Asian American Pacific Island Heritage
Asian Art and Culture in Philadelphia
To view information about current art exhibits and upcoming events celebrating Asian culture and heritage, please click on this link: https://asianartsinitiative.org/programs/current-upcoming
Pod Cast: Asian American History 101
Asian American history 101 is a fun, family-friendly, and informative podcast co-hosted by Gen and Ted Lai, a daughter and father team. This series of podcasts will entertain and educate as Gen and Ted dive into to the vast history of Asian Pacific Americans from the struggles they faced to their contributions and triumphs. To access these podcasts click here.
Book: Strangers in the Land: Exclusion, Belonging, and the Epic Story of the Chinese in America by Michael Luo
In Strangers in the Land, award-winning journalist Michael Luo tells the story of a people who, beginning in the middle of the nineteenth century, migrated by the tens of thousands to a distant land they called Gum Shan—Gold Mountain. Americans initially welcomed these Chinese arrivals, but, as their numbers grew, horrific episodes of racial terror erupted on the Pacific coast. Federal lawmakers enacted legislation aimed at excluding Chinese laborers from the country, the first time the United States barred a people based on their race. The Chinese became the country’s earliest undocumented immigrants hounded, counted, suspected, surveilled.
Today there are more than twenty-two million people of Asian descent in the United States, and yet the “stranger” label remains for many in America. Drawing on archives from across the country and written with style and sweep, Strangers in the Land is a revelatory and unforgettable American story.
A Netflix Film: Homebound
Homebound is a 2025 East Indian film that was one of the 15 films shortlisted for the 98th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film award. Its executive producer was Martin Scorsese. The movie dramatizes the experiences of two childhood friends attempting to pass the national police exam. It explores how friendship can survive the strains and overcome the differences between class and religion. Even though it has English subtitles, it is well worth the effort to watch.