What tools can we use to address caricatures and stereotypes critically and responsibly with learners? Do we need to use caricatures at all?

This collection is a part of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center’s “We Are Not A Stereotype” series, breaking down Asian Pacific American bias. In this topical collection about challenging caricatures, you will have the opportunity to participate in a visual analysis of a historic caricature of Queen Liliʻuokalani, and learn how the image perpetuated anti-Black rhetoric in the United States during the late 1800s. This collection is an extension of an educational video featuring Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative curators Healoha Johnston (Curator of Asian Pacific American Women’s Cultural History) and Ashleigh Coren (Curator of Women’s History Content and Interpretation at the National Portrait Gallery) and includes:

• A video presentation by Healoha Johnston and Ashleigh Coren that includes historical context, visual analysis, and tips about including a counter narrative if a caricature is being used in classroom materials

• Guiding questions to use when applying the “See, Wonder, Connect” thinking routine

• Pairs of images that show other caricatures with a counter image

• Links to additional resources about stereotypes and key takeaways from Healoha’s and Ashleigh’s video presentation