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Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month This May at Your Local Long Beach Public Library
Published on Tue, Apr 28, 2026
This May, the City of Long Beach Department of Library, Arts and Culture is hosting a variety of free programs and events as parts of its annual celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.
The theme for this year’s celebration, “Festivals, Feasts, and Fun!”, encourages residents to explore a variety of cultural programs aimed at celebrating different areas of AAPI heritage ranging from informative storytelling to curated book collections.
Long Beach Public Library (LBPL) will be hosting community events all of May and through July to engage residents in valuable learning opportunities and highlight AAPI stories:
Level Up Your Space: Vintage Decor from the Philippines – Saturday, May 9 at 12 p.m.
Participating Library: Bret Harte Neighborhood Library (1595 W. Willow St.)
Members of the community will visit a featured program by curator and interior stylist Karena Apollonya Ebora Higgins. Attendees will learn how to begin their own collections of Philippine artifacts and explore the history of Filipino decorative arts.
One Book, One Coast, the West Coast
Participating Libraries: Bach Neighborhood Library (4055 N. Bellflower Blvd.), Dana Neighborhood Library (3680 Atlantic Ave.) and El Dorado Neighborhood Library (2900 Studebaker Rd.)
Take part in reading “They Called Us the Enemy” by George Takei as part of the largest book club on the West Coast. Digital copies of the eBook will be available for readers to check out via the Libby app through June 6. See the LBPL events calendar to view book club meeting dates and times taking place at participating libraries.
Fourth Annual Festival of AAPI Books (FAB) - Saturday, July 11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Participating Library: Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library (5870 Atlantic Ave.)
This annual event will feature authors of children’s, young adult and adult books to celebrate storytelling and history from AAPI communities. Attendees will meet artists, take part in family-friendly activities, do arts and crafts and learn about AAPI authors.
Residents are highly encouraged to take part in this exciting celebration to learn more about AAPI heritage. Visit the Long Beach Public Library's events calendar to view the full list of upcoming AAPI programs and activities.
