May: Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, a month that celebrates, honors, and recognizes all those who are of Asian and Pacific Islander descent.
In 1977, Representatives Frank Horton (NY) and Norman Mineta (CA) proposed the establishment of Asian Pacific Heritage Week, a weeklong celebration of the accomplishments of early AAPI individuals like Dr. Mabel Ping-Hua Lee (activist and suffragist) and Patsy Mink (first Asian American elected into Congress). The resolution was then passed in 1978, with President Carter issuing Proclamation 4650 and Congress establishing the entire month of May for the celebration in 1992. The month of May was chosen for its importance to the Asian American community, with it marking the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants in 1843 and the finalization of the Transcontinental Railroad that was built largely thanks to Chinese labor.
Important figures to the celebration today include: Chien-Shiung Wu, an essential physicist to the Manhattan Project who helped develop the process of separating Uranium into Uranium-235 and Uranium-238 isotopes; Amy Tan, the important writer of the critically acclaimed “The Joy Luck Club,” which explored Chinese culture and history, as well as made it wildly accessible to the masses; Vice President Kamala Harris, an attorney and important political figure of the modern world, who is the first female African-Asian American U.S Vice President, and the highest-ranking female and Asian American official in U.S history.
Today, the month still holds significant meaning to the AAPI community, serving as a beacon to celebrate our cultural heritage, the accomplishments of the community, and an opportunity to teach others. In recent times, the month has held an especially important significance, given the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic, where many AAPI were targeted with racial discrimination. This month encourages the solidarity and togetherness we have as a community against the anti-AAPI sentiment and further advocates for the acceptance and equality of all.
