The Full Story

About

APIA History Cincinnati is a public history initiative dedicated to uncovering and preserving the silenced history of Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) communities in the Greater Cincinnati region.

For more than 150 years, APIA individuals have lived, labored, celebrated, and built lives here, yet their histories have often been silenced, reduced to footnotes, or completely erased. Our work confronts that silence.

The Person Behind the Work

Jim Tecco is a public historian and the historian behind APIA History Cincinnati. His work focuses on uncovering the silenced histories of Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) communities in the Cincinnati region, stories often omitted from textbooks, archives, and public memory.

Jim combines archival research, oral history, digital mapping, and community collaboration to reframe our understanding of the city’s past. His approach is rooted in care, inquiry, and a commitment to honoring lives that have been historically erased and silenced.

He currently leads the Vincent Hambright Research and Oral History Project, which traces the life of one of Cincinnati’s earliest Filipino American figures. He also created Paths to the Queen City, a mapping project that traces the migration of early APIA residents to Cincinnati between 1870 and 1940.

Through every project, Jim seeks to challenge historical silences and make space for stories that deserve to be seen, remembered, and shared.

Mission

To uncover, preserve, and share the silenced histories of Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) communities in the Cincinnati region, ensuring these stories are remembered, honored, and made accessible as part of our shared public history.

Vision

A Cincinnati where APIA histories are honored and remembered, reflected in the way our city tells its stories, teaches its history, and celebrates its people.