This May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, also known as AAPI Month - a month where people of Asian and Pacific descent celebrate their history and accomplishments. Specifically, AAPI refers to anyone who is from the Asian continent and the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. This celebratory month came to fruition in the late 1970s, initially known as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week (or APAH week).
After the week was expanded into a month by Congress in 1990, May was eventually made the month for APAH Week. In 2009, the title then changed from Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week to Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. It is now a month celebrated each year with gratitude and harmony, and it is celebrated with communities putting on festivals, with educational activities that teach AAPI history and achievements.
Furthermore, it should be noted that the month of May was chosen for AAPI month because it celebrates when the first immigrants moved to the U.S. on May 7, 1843. In addition, May also acknowledges Golden Spike Day - May 10th, 1869 - which marks the completion of the transcontinental railroad, which was built with important contributions by a majority of Chinese workers.
This month is significant because it increases Asian American and Pacific people’s visibility and acknowledges their achievements, thus celebrating them as people. For this reason, we shall list some facts and accomplishments about Asian American and Pacific Islanders:
There are an estimated 22.9 million Asian Americans in the U.S. as of 2019.
There are an estimated 5.2 million people of Asian descent, except for the Taiwanese descent, in the U.S.
There are an estimated 1.6 million people of Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population in the U.S.
The current Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, is the first Asian American person ever to hold that position in the American government.
According to the “Bridge Land Theory,” Asians first migrated from Asia to what is now North America over what is theorized to be a land bridge over 15,000 years ago.
In the 16th century, Filipinos successfully escaped enslavement during the Spanish galleon trade to North America; and established a settlement in St. Malo in 1763.
During the Gold Rush in the 1850s in California, there was a large multitude of Asian immigrants who came to the West Coast and provided labor to build gold mines, necessary for the gold rush, the factories, and the transcontinental railroad.
There are notable AAPI people in the entertainment industry which we’d like to name: Jimmy O. Yang, Awkwafina, Bowen Yang, Ali Wong, Ken Jeong and Ronny Chieng are prominent in the comedy world; while actors Sandra Oh, Constance Wu, Gemma Chan, Steven Yeun, and Lucy Liu and Randall Park have made headway in film and TV.
Furthermore, in recent years, in the film industry, Asian people’s stories have acquired more attention, such as Bong Woon Ho’s cinematic achievement Parasite, which won Best Picture and Best Foreign Picture at the Academy Awards. There was also the romantic comedy drama film Crazy Rich Asians, which featured a predominantly Asian cast. Additionally, Marvel Studios have released their film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings which stars their first Asian American actors and superhero protagonist. This year, the films Everything Everywhere All At Once and Turning Red, which have featured API casts, have received praise for their creativity and refreshing storylines.
It is achievements such as these that we must acknowledge and celebrate people of AAPI descent; because nobody is truly invisible. We all exist, we must all be seen, and the best side of all of us must be brought out and celebrated.