Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month
Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month is observed annually in May in the United States to honor the contributions and history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. This month-long celebration pays tribute to the diverse cultures and significant roles these groups have played in shaping American history. The observance emphasizes cultural awareness through various events organized by institutions such as the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution, which host activities including author panels, concerts, and workshops.
The origins of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month date back to 1978 when it began as a week-long celebration, later extending to a full month in 1990. May was chosen due to significant historical milestones, including the arrival of Japanese immigrants and the completion of the transcontinental railroad, both occurring in this month. The Asian American population has steadily grown, now recognized as one of the fastest-growing racial groups in the U.S., with a rich history that includes various immigrant waves from countries across Asia and the Pacific Islands.
Recent awareness campaigns, such as Stop AAPI Hate, have highlighted the need for solidarity against rising anti-Asian sentiment, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Celebrating this heritage month fosters appreciation for the diverse narratives and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in contemporary society.
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Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month is celebrated annually in the United States each May with the goal of paying tribute to Asian and Pacific Islanders who have shaped American history over the years. The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum work together during the month-long observance to host events such as author discussion panels, online concerts, and virtual children’s workshops.
Brief History
Asian Americans have ancestral roots in regions and countries across Asia. Eastern Asian immigrants descend from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, South Korea, North Korea, and Taiwan. South Central Asian immigrants hail from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan. Southeastern Asian immigrants include citizens of Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. West Asian immigrants include those from countries such as Cyprus, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia.
Pacific Islanders originate from one of the Pacific Ocean’s estimated twenty to thirty thousand islands. The islands south of the Tropic of Cancer, excluding Australia, are divided into three groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Melanesia includes New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands. Micronesia encompasses the Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, and the Federated States of Micronesia. Polynesia includes New Zealand, the Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, the Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, the Cook Islands, French Polynesia, and Easter Island.
Asian immigrants began arriving in the United States in 1587 when Filipinos first arrived in California. Over the years, the United States has seen several waves of Asian immigration. In the 1850s, Chinese immigrants arrived on the West Coast to labor in trades such as gold mining, factory work, and construction of the transcontinental railroad. In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which banned Chinese immigration for twenty years. Soon, Japanese and Korean immigrants started arriving to the United States and by 1885 replaced Chinese labor. However, Japanese labor immigration was restricted in 1907 after a joint agreement between Japan and the United States. In 1965, the Immigration and Nationality Act allowed for greater numbers of Asian and Pacific Islanders to enter the United States with their families, and in the mid-1970s refugees from Southeast Asia began immigrating to the country as refugees of war, violence, and hardship.
According to the 2020 US Census, 20.6 million people identified as Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Pacfic Islander alone and comprised 6.2 percent of the US population. When considering those who identify as more than one race, the population was higher, with 24 million people identifying as Asian alone or Asian in combination with another race, and nearly 900,000 people identiying as Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander alone or in combination with another race. Over the years, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have contributed to American culture and society in many ways. In 2021, Kamala Harris became the first Asian American vice president. Asian Americans have been integral in science and medicine, literature and art, sports and recreation, government and politics, and activism and law.
Each April during his presidency, President Joe Biden released a proclamation recognizing the contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders over the years. The proclamation doubled down on the administration’s commitment to combating recent surges in anti-Asian hate crimes, which increased by 339 percent in 2021. Biden also designated the Amache National Historic Site in Colorado as a new national park on March 18, 2022. Amache, which was also known as the Granada Relocation Center, was one of ten incarceration sites that was used during World War II to detain Japanese Americans. More than ten thousand people were incarcerated there from 1942 to 1945.
The abbreviation AAPI has been adopted to stand for Asian American and Pacific Islander. The abbreviation gained popularity following the Stop AAPI Hate Campaign, which raised awareness of the attacks on members of this community since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Overview
Asian-Pacific Heritage Month began as a week-long celebration in 1978. The idea to create a month dedicated to Asian Pacific Americans was introduced by former congressional staffer Jeanie Jew, who approached Representative Frank Horton in 1976. In June 1977, Horton introduced a resolution in the US House of Representatives alongside Representative Norman Y. Mineta. The resolution proposed to proclaim the first ten days of May as Asian Pacific Heritage Week. One month later, former US Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga introduced a similar bill in the Senate.
On October 5, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed a joint resolution for Asian Pacific Heritage Week. It was lengthened to a month-long celebration in 1990 when President George H. W. Bush signed a bill passed by Congress. May was officially designated as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month by 1992.
May was chosen for the celebration because of its significance historically for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans. The first immigrants from Japan arrived in the United States on May 7, 1843. The transcontinental railroad, which enlisted the work of more than twenty thousand Asian immigrants, was completed on May 10, 1869. Today, many government organizations work together to organize cultural and educational events for the month-long celebration. Each May during the 2020s, the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum hosted virtual and in-person events. These included an author discussion panel with Asian American authors who reflected on their work; an online concert from Herb Ohta, Jr., a ukulele virtuoso from Hawaii; and a virtual children’s workshop featuring a portrait of Lili’uokalani, a historic Hawaiian queen.
Bibliography
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“Asian/Pacific Heritage Month.” The Library of Congress, www.asianpacificheritage.gov. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
“Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2024: 31 Ways to Celebrate in May and Beyond.” Asia Society, 2024, asiasociety.org/texas/asian-pacific-american-heritage-month-2024. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
Monte, Lindsay M., and Hyon B. Shin. "20.6 Million People in the U.S. Identify as Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander." Broad Diversity of Asian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Population, United States Census Bureau, 25 May 2022, www.census.gov/library/stories/2022/05/aanhpi-population-diverse-geographically-dispersed.html. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
“President Biden Designates Amache National Historic Site as America’s Newest National Park.” National Park Service, 18 Mar. 2022, www.nps.gov/orgs/1207/amache-nhs-designation.htm. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
Roth, Minhae Shim. “Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.” History, 30 Apr. 2024, www.history.com/topics/holidays/asian-american-pacific-islander-heritage-month. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
Ruiz, Neil G., et al. "Diverse Cultures and Shared Experiences Shape Asian American Identities." Being Asian in America, Pew Research Center, 8 May 2023, www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/2023/05/08/diverse-cultures-and-shared-experiences-shape-asian-american-identities/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
Torchinsky, Rina. “The Story Behind Asian American Heritage, and Why It’s Celebrated in May.” NPR, 1 May 2023, www.npr.org/2022/05/02/1095812576/aapi-asian-pacific-heritage- month-origin-may-why. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.