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For the month of May, the Asian American and Pacific Islander American communities are celebrated for their history, culture and achievements. This month is also seen as a commemoration of their contributions and influence on the United States and the world throughout history.
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is celebrated in May for two very significant events in history - the arrival of 14-year old Manjiro who was the first Japanese immigrant and the completion of the transcontinental railroad which was built with the help of roughly twenty thousand Chinese immigrants.
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Detail of "Suruga Satta no kaijō / Hiroshige-ga."
Hiroshige Andō, artist, 1858. (Library of Congress)
In 1992, Congressman Frank Horton introduced the bill to proclaim May as AAPI Heritage Month, highlighting Jeanie Jew, a former Capitol Hill staffer who had approached him with the idea almost 15 years prior to the Congressional hearing. Her concern rose from witnessing U. S. Bicentennial celebrations in 1976 and how they lacked representation for Asian Pacific Americans. For Jew, this was personal as her great grandfather had immigrated to the U. S. from China and the late 19th century was not kind to Chinese with proclamations such as The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 or the Geary Act which prohibited Chinese from entering the United States and carrying identification at all times.
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Detail of "[RS 27464, Chin Quan Chan; Seattle District, Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, Applications to Reenter, c. 1892-1900]: Chin Quan Chan Family, Chinese Exclusion Act Case File, circa 1911."
From Repository: NARA's Pacific Alaska Region, Seattle, WA. (National Archives and Records Administration on Flickr)
AAPI Heritage Month evolved from a week-long celebration to a month in 1992 and the purpose from then till now has been to bring awareness towards the history of these people who have been pushed to the fringes despite playing monumental roles in the history of the United States. Today, such discriminatory violence has risen once more and the need to amplify the voices of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans is greater than ever. It is imperative to recognize them not only as worthy of basic human rights, but as contributing members of a society that is all the more diverse and beautiful due to their inclusion.
Read some of these incredible titles from AAPI writers to experience their culture and history in their words:
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