This May, Emory Libraries celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month by highlighting the pathbreaking work of the Georgia Asian American Community Archive Initiative. GAACAI aims to identify, collect, preserve, and promote materials related to the history and experience of Asian Americans in Georgia. The first initiative of its kind, it addresses critical gaps in a broader archival landscape that often overlooks Asian Americans.
GAACAI members at the first zine workshop, “South Asians in Atlanta,” hosted by Emory Libraries in October 2024. From left, Emory subject librarians Chella Vaidyanathan, Gautham Reddy, Erica Bruchko, and Saira Raza.
GAACAI was launched last spring by Emory librarians Erica Bruchko, Pakeeza Hameed, Saira Raza, Gautham Reddy, and Chella Vaidyanathan. The group had been working together to explore and improve resources for Asian American Studies, a subject of growing interest at Emory as well as the greater Atlanta area. As part of this work, they reviewed local archives, university special collections, and historical societies to map relevant resources. They were surprised to discover that materials focused on Asian Americans in the South were few and far between. Even more surprising was the fact that no historical or cultural preservation organizations in Georgia was actively focused on building collections in this area.
Atlanta serves as a major hub for Asian American communities across Georgia and the Southeast. The US Census recorded a doubling of this population in the Atlanta area over the past two decades. Today, there are an estimated 325,000 residents in the 10-county Atlanta region who claim Asian ancestry. This accounts for 7% of the metro population. Georgia’s state legislature boasts eleven Asian American representatives – notably, the largest such group in the country.
Atlanta’s northern suburbs, especially those in Gwinnett County, are known for their marvelous range of grocery stores, restaurants, small businesses, cultural organizations, and places of worship serving Asian community needs. The city is also home to a flourishing local ethnic media ecosystem, from local radio shows focused on Vietnamese music to Korean newspapers and Indian broadcast television. These communities have become integral to Atlanta and contributed to the 21st century globalization of Georgia.
GAACAI seeks to build archival collections that document this moment of dynamic social and cultural flourishing. For its initial collection focus, GAACAI has worked with Emory Libraries to prioritize locally published Asian American community magazines. Community magazines are typically free, widely circulated, and exist in print or digital forms. They contain news, businesses, and services that are hyperlocal and community specific. This often gives them an ephemeral quality. Community magazines represent a snapshot of the current needs, perspectives, and aspirations of their audiences and offer a fascinating glimpse into the variety of ways people make Atlanta home.
Asian Americans are not a monolithic community. They are diverse and include numerous nationalities, ethnicities, languages, and religious traditions. GAACAI has organized its collection strategy by Asian sub-regions. Over the last year, it focused on establishing workflows to acquire South Asian community magazines in the Atlanta area. It’s currently reviewing Korean community magazines with support from Ayoung Kim, a doctoral student at Emory’s Department of English.
Issues of Khabar magazine, reflecting perspectives from South Asians in Georgia on topics as diverse as the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the impact of 9/11, and the search for identity among second-generation Indian Americans.
A core GAACAI acquisition last spring was the back run for Khabar Magazine, the longest running Indian magazine in the Southeast. Based in Duluth, Georgia, Khabar began in 1992 as a coupon mailer for South Asian businesses before evolving into a full-fledged magazine in 1995. In 2008, the publication had achieved a circulation of nearly 25,000 copies and was listed as “best community magazine” by Atlanta magazine. Today, the magazine has a readership of over 120,000 and is distributed across Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina.
Besides its focus on expanding archival resources, GAACAI also advocates for greater public awareness of and engagement with Asian American histories in Georgia. The initiative has partnered with community members and organizations to create more accessible and interactive learning opportunities.
GAACAI’s zine workshops have been particularly successful at inviting community members to experiment with using archival materials to share their own stories. In October 2024, GAACAI held a three-hour workshop called “South Asians in Atlanta.” This workshop introduced participants to the history of Asian American immigration through an exploration of the Khabar Magazine archive. Over 40 people registered and participants reported they were eager for more opportunities to learn.
A zine produced at one of GAACAI’s zine workshops, mixing archival materials from community magazines with personal memories and expression.
In March 2025, GAACAI held another three-hour workshop called “Making Home” in collaboration with an art installation by Gyun Hur commemorating the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings. The event brought together participants from across the state to collectively learn, reflect, and grieve the impact of these traumatic mass shootings on the Asian American community.
Audience members at the GAACAI March 2025 workshop, “Making Home,” listening to a presentation on Asian American histories in the South. The workshop was hosted by the Goat Farm Arts Center in Midtown Atlanta, in collaboration with Gyun Hur’s installation, “Our Mothers, Our waters, Our Peace.”
In recognition of its programmatic work, GAACAI was recently awarded a grant by the Georgia Humanities Council. This grant supports the initiative’s efforts to bolster community storytelling opportunities and make local history more accessible. The grant allowed GAACAI to organize a discussion among three community advocates around the vital role of small community businesses in creating a sense of belonging. The event featured Parthiv Parekh (Khabar Magazine’s founder and editor), Diana Bui (We Love Buford Highway, Inc. board member), and Asha Gomez (chef, cookbook author, restaurateur). Upcoming events include a booth at the Atlanta Festival of India and another zine workshop in fall 2025.
GAACAI brings valuable attention to a community that has long been neglected by local archival institutions. The initiative strives to build relationships with libraries, archives, and museums to advocate for more inclusive collections that represent the full vibrancy of contemporary Georgia. By centering Asian American stories, GAACAI helps reimagine popular and scholarly notions of Atlanta, Georgia, and the southern US.
—by Gautham Reddy, South Asian Studies and religion librarian