Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Celebrated in May each year, Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month recognizes the challenges faced by Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Native Hawaiians and their vital contributions to the American story. The theme for this year is “Advancing Leaders Through Purpose-Driven Service.”

In 1978, the U.S. Congress recognized Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. In 1990 Congress passed a law expanding the observance to a month for that year, and in 1992 Congress passed a law annually designating May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. In 2009 President Barack Obama expanded the Asian/Pacific American commemoration to include Pacific Islanders and issued his proclamation in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

The month of May was chosen 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.

(Information courtesy of the Department of Defense Education Activity)

During May, the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion presented a webinar titled “The AAPI Community: Its History in the U.S., Identity and Mental Health Implications.” Presenters were Dr. Nahree Doh, associate director of clinical and outreach services at The University of Alabama Counseling Center, and Dr. Steve Ramey, professor of Religious Studies and the director of Asian Studies at UA. View the video.

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Visit these websites to learn more about the theme and history of the month as well as find facts and resources about the AAPI community.

Anti-Asian Bias and Hate
This page on the UA Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion website provides resources, UA’s statement against anti-Asian hate crimes, and information about the Stop Asian Hate Vigil held in April on campus.

U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity

Federal Asian Pacific American Council
This council selects the theme for the month and provides AAPI Heritage Month history, population data–like the image to the right–and other resources.

PBS.org
Celebrate the month with a collection of PBS video stories that explore the history, traditions and culture of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.Gov
Several national agencies, museums and departments join in paying tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America’s history and are instrumental in its future success.

National Park Service Celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
There are countless stories and historical events connected to national parks and communities shared through National Park Service programs and partners.

Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
The Center provides resources to help #StopAsianHate, a video series on Asian American heritage, resources for educators, arts education for classrooms, an education video series breaking down Asian Pacific American bias, and a digital storytelling initiative preserving Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander stories.

National Archives
This page includes research links, presidential proclamations, blog posts and articles, videos, images, and education resources.

Learning for Justice.org
This website provides free resources to educators to supplement their curriculum, inform their practices and create inclusive school communities. Founded by the Southern Poverty Law Center under the name Teaching Tolerance in 1991, Learning for Justice was originally created to prevent the growth of hate by reducing prejudice. In 2021, the organization changed its name to better reflect its mission of justice for all. Learning for Justice offers the following articles to help educators navigate and fight anti-Asian hate and bias:

• After Atlanta: Teaching About Asian American Identity and History
• We Still Haven’t Learned From This
• Behind the Shield

DiversityInc.com
A new study reports that 8 in 10 Asian Americans believe they are regularly discriminated against in the United States.

Stop AAPI Hate.org
The Stop AAPI Hate reporting center was launched in March 2020 in response to the alarming escalation in xenophobia and bigotry resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The center tracks and responds to incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, shunning, and child bullying against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. Founding organizations are the Asian Pacific Planning and Policy Council, Chinese for Affirmative Action, and the Asian American Studies Department of San Francisco State University.