Collecting and Archiving Asian American Stories During COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has seen a dramatic rise in anti-Asian sentiment in the United States.  The Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) in New York has been trying to document the experiences of Chinese Americans as they navigate through this tumultuous time.  While the collecting effort started out strong, they began to falter when an unforeseen event caused the social priorities of the country to shift dramatically.  This shift has also cause cultural institutions like MOCA to rethink their responsibilities in the face of social change and how they can use their platform as thought leaders.