Greenwich Historical Society in partnership with the India Cultural Center (ICC) and the UConn Asian and Asian American Studies program in the Department of Social and Critical Inquiry is proud to announce the fourth annual student-curated exhibit My Story, Our Future: South Asian American Youth Voices in Connecticut, on view at the Historical Society through March 1. An opening reception was held on Sunday, February 1st for this year’s eleven participating students and their families featuring prominent state and local VIPs including CT State Senator Richard Blumenthal, Congressman Jim Himes; and Cayla Kumar, Miss Connecticut 2025. CT State Senator Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox was the guest speaker.
Created in alignment with Connecticut’s mandated K-12 Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) curriculum, the My Story, Our Future (MSOF) initiative began in 2022 to help build awareness of the significant contributions of South Asian Americans at the community level, and of the challenges, struggles and triumphs their immigrant families experienced in their assimilation to the U.S.
Through the vision and guidance of Dr. Jason Chang, Associate Professor of History and Asian American Studies and Director of the AAAS program at UConn, the initiative has informed the State’s AAPI curriculum roll-out to grades K-12, which took place in 2025. Chang and members of the curriculum lab used content and learnings from the students’ MSOF oral histories to help inform the course material and for training teachers throughout the state, including 40 podcasts and abstracts that enrich the material and experience for both the teachers and the students.
“It’s exciting to see the students learn about their own family history and be able to share these stories not only with each other but to now also have an archival collection with the CT Digital Archive (CTDA) thanks to the support of CT Humanities”, says Elizabeth George, UConn Workshop Instructor. “We’re so grateful for these partnerships as they’ve allowed us to preserve and share families’ stories, creating connections with communities and future generations.”
“My Story Our Future takes on additional importance this year with the semi-quincentennial anniversary of this country,” says ICC Executive Director Margie French. “An organizing theme of celebrating America’s 250th is to tell inclusive stories – stories previously untold – so all of Connecticut’s residents can see themselves reflected in the 250-year history of our nation.” Dr. Chang concurred, “The American 250 celebration theme of telling inclusive stories is a recognition of a basic cultural practice for a democracy – that no matter how old our country is we will never stop learning about each other.”
In her keynote remarks, Senator Gadkar-Wilcox shared inspirational insights on her personal journey as a Southeast Asian woman in the public sphere. Senator Blumenthal said, “The student presentations were enormously moving and inspiring.” In his remarks, Congressman Himes spoke about how our country draws strength from its diversity and immigrant population.
The Historical Society is thrilled to host the My Story, Our Future program once again. Each year, these bright and creative students become our partners as they learn and develop their skills in gathering oral histories and telling those histories through the display of material culture” says Lauren Ackerley, Assistant Director for Education. “The student-developed exhibit in tandem with these oral histories capture intimate family histories that not only strengthen the students’ understanding of their own personal histories but also expand awareness of South Asian histories and communities in Connecticut.”
Greenwich Historical Society is located at 47 Strickland Rd., Cos Cob, CT. The exhibit is on view in the museum lobby Monday – Friday, from 9am – 5pm; Saturday – Sunday, from 12pm – 4pm.
About India Cultural Center
India Cultural Center is a non-profit organization that celebrates the arts and culture of India. Its mission is to foster inclusion by educating and engaging the community in Indian culture. Programs are targeted towards both the Indian American diaspora and the community at large. ICC serves the communities of Fairfield CT and Westchester NY.
About Greenwich Historical Society
Greenwich Historical Society was founded in 1931 to preserve and interpret Greenwich history to strengthen the community’s connection to our past, to each other and to our future. The circa 1730 National Historic Landmark Bush-Holley House witnessed slavery and the American Revolution and became the site of Connecticut’s first American Impressionist art colony from 1890 to 1920. Its landscape and gardens are restored based on documentation from the site’s Impressionist era. The campus also includes a nationally accredited museum, library and archives, a museum store, café, and a community education center. Greenwich Historical Society educates thousands of school children annually and connects visitors to the history of this globally influential community through exhibitions, lectures, programs and events. It receives no town funding and relies on donations and grants to continue its work in education and preservation. Learn more at greenwichhistory.org
