May is Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month
Subject Line: Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month
Contributor: I.D.E.A Organizational Culture & Climate Subcommittee
May is Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. This year's theme is “Advancing Leaders Through Collaboration.” It is a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in the United States that pays tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America’s history. Asian/Pacific is a rather broad term, encompassing all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia.
Congress passed a law in 1992 designating the month of May to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.
There are more than 6.7 million U.S.-Born Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the United States. Today, U.S.-born Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are the fastest growing minority group in the United States. Between 2010 and 2019 the U.S.-born AAPI population increased by more than 1.4 million, or more than 26.5 percent. We celebrate and appreciate the multitude of contributions from the AAPI population!
Resources to expand your knowledge:
Explore the history, arts and culture of Asian American & Pacific Islanders in the United States : Link: 12 Ways to Celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Let’s celebrate: Click this link to learn ways to celebrate Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the classroom
Don’t miss out! click this link to find events that will help you to expand your knowledge on Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage
Click this LINK to access care package which include short films, poems, music and meditations
We encourage you to click the links below to learn about some of the many Asian Pacific American Islander that changed and improved American Life!
Larry Itliong was a Filipino American labor leader who organized West Coast farm workers, starting in the 1930s. He became well-known in the 1960s for teaming with labor leaders Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta to demand farm workers' rights. The five-year strike won better pay and benefits for agricultural workers and led to the eventual formation of the United Farm Workers. Click this link to learn more about LARRY ITLIONG
Patsy T. Mink was sworn in as first Asian American woman & woman of color in congress in 1964. Click this LINK to learn more about PATSY T. MINK
Wong Tsu helped launch US commercial aviation. Click this LINK to learn more about Wong Tsu
Mabel Ping-Hua Lee was a 16 year old chinese immigrant who helped lead a 1912 US suffrage march and fought for the voting rights of women. Click this LINK to learn more about MABEL PIN-HUA LEE
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