GRAMMY Museum Mississippi to Host Free Family Day Event Celebrating AAPI Heritage

GRAMMY Museum Mississippi will host a free Family Day event celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage on Sunday, Sep. 10, and Monday, Sept. 11. The event will feature free admission to GRAMMY Museum Mississippi, a screening of the 2021 award-winning documentary film Far East Deep South, and a Backstage Pass education program with husband-and-wife music and filmmaking team (and producers of Far East Deep South) Baldwin Chiu: aka Only Won and Larissa Lam.

"It's important to us here at GRAMMY Museum Mississippi that we continue to spotlight different cultures through music," said Emily Havens, Executive Director of GRAMMY Museum Mississippi. "So, we are thrilled to bring our community together for a free Family Day event, spanning not just one but two days, celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage. I'd like to thank Baldwin Chiu and Larissa Lam for dedicating their time to this event, and our sponsors for making it possible."

The free Family Day event will take place on Sept. 10 and Sept. 11. A schedule for the two-day event is below.

Sunday, Sept. 10
12-3 p.m.: Free admission to GRAMMY Museum Mississippi

3-5 p.m.: Stories on Screen event featuring a showing of the documentary Far East Deep South, followed by a Q&A with producers Baldwin Chiu and Larissa Lam. Admission is free.

Monday, Sept. 11
10 a.m.: Backstage Pass education program with Baldwin Chiu: aka Only Won and Larissa Lam. Admission is free.

This free Family Day event is sponsored in part by the Mississippi Arts Commission, Delta Arts Alliance, Needle Specialty Products Corp., The Asian American Foundation, The King's Daughters and Sons Circle Number 2, and the Maddox Foundation.

Far East Deep South explores the seldom-told history of Chinese immigrants living in the American South during the late 1800s to mid-1900s through the eyes of Charles Chiu and his family as they travel from California to Mississippi to find answers about his father, K.C. Lou. The film provides a window into the lives of the Chinese in the South and the discrimination they faced during segregation. It not only highlights the struggles and perseverance of the Chinese, but explores the racial dynamics between the white, Black and Chinese communities and the added challenge of exclusionary immigration policies many families faced at that time.

The film presents a very personal and unique perspective on immigration, race and American identity, and features interviews with notable leaders such as Congresswoman Judy Chu; Levon Jackson, former Mayor of Pace, Miss., and historians such as Gordon Chang (author of The Chinese and the Iron Road), John Jung (author of Chopsticks in the Land of Cotton) and Jane Hong (author of Opening the Gates to Asia).

For more information on special programming at GRAMMY Museum Mississippi, visit grammymuseumms.org.

ABOUT GRAMMY MUSEUM MISSISSIPPI

Developed by the Cleveland Music Foundation-a nonprofit organization founded in 2011-the 28,000-square-foot GRAMMY Museum Mississippi is housed near the campus of Delta State University, home of the Delta Music Institute's Entertainment Industry Studies program, which features the most unique audio recording facilities in the South. Affiliated with the GRAMMY Museum Foundation, GRAMMY Museum Mississippi is dedicated to exploring the past, present, and future of music, and the cultural context from which it emerges, while casting a focused spotlight on the deep musical roots of Mississippi. The Museum features a dynamic combination of public events, educational programming, engaging multimedia presentations, and interactive permanent and traveling exhibits, including a Mississippi-centric area that introduces visitors to the impact of Mississippi's songwriters, producers, and musicians on the traditional and modern music landscape.

For more information, visit grammymuseumms.org.

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