In this episode, Institute of Museum and Library Services Director Crosby Kemper explores Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) history and culture in Seattle beginning with a visit to the Wing Luke Museum. Established in 1967, Wing Luke Museum is a museum that focuses on art, history, and culture of Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Native Hawaiians; it is the only pan-Asian community-based museum in the US.
After a museum exhibition tour with current director Joel Tan, Crosby meets with recently retired director Beth Takekawa and author Lawrence Matsuda for a discussion of the resilience of Japanese Americans during the internment of World War II. Then, former Washington governor Gary Locke shares about his own Seattle roots and the history of the city’s Chinatown-International District before a visit with Bettie Luke, the youngest sister of Wing Luke. Bettie discusses her brother’s legacy in the community and her own lifetime spent working for social justice concerns.