J. Earl Moreland Lecture on Asia

Between Roots & Rivers: Asian American Journeys in Virginia

Between Roots & Rivers will explore layered histories, migrations, and lived experiences of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) in Virginia across generations. Blending archival photographs, primary documents, timelines, and narrative snapshots, Emma will highlight both well-known and lesser-told stories, from early Asian immigrants and Civil War-era figures to landmark legal cases and local community histories of Japanese American incarceration in Norfolk and beyond.  Emphasizing themes of citizenship, labor, identity, resilience, and belonging, Emma will expand on how AAPI experiences are deeply intertwined with Virginia’s past and present.

Emma Ito is the Director of Education at Virginia Humanities, where she is responsible for the development, coordination, and implementation of educational resources for K-12 students, college students, teachers, and lifelong learners. Prior to working at Virginia Humanities, Emma worked at the Library of Virginia, where she led an initiative to research and share Asian American history. Emma has also been an adjunct professor in the Virginia Commonwealth University Global Education Department and is currently an adjunct in the University Honors College. She received her B.A. and M.A. in History at Virginia Commonwealth University, where her master’s thesis was on the experiences of Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans in Virginia, with a focus on the time periods of Jim Crow and World War II. In her free time, Emma is an avid reader and bookstagrammer.

This event is free and open to the public.