Meaningful Ways to Celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May
May marks Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI Heritage Month to celebrate and honor the remarkable contributions of these communities, which include but are not limited to all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island).
This heritage month was established in June 1977 as Asian-Pacific Heritage Week during the first 10 days of May. In October 1978, President Jimmy Carter expanded the observance as an annual celebration; 12 years later, President George H.W. Bush extended the week-long celebration to a month. The official designation of May as Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month was signed 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, which involved the labor of many Chinese immigrants. Last year, President Joe Biden proclaimed May 2023 as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Below, you’ll find various literature, movies, podcasts, and activities that provide a better understanding of the AANHPI experience.
Read
“All This Could Be Different,” by Sarah Thankam Mathews - Follows the story of a young immigrant building a life for herself, exploring themes of queer love, friendship, work, and precarity in twenty-first century America.
“Oh My Mother!” by Connie Wang - A mother-daughter adventure around the world in pursuit of self-discovery, a family reckoning, and Asian American defiance.
“Yellowface” by R.F. Kuang - A satire that explores race, heritage, identity, and diversity in publishing; and an honest look at social media and cancel culture.
“House of Many Gods,” by Kiana Davenport - A deeply complex and provocative love story set against the background of Hawaii and Russia, portraying a portrait of a native Hawaiian family struggling against poverty, drug wars and the increasing military occupation of their sacred lands.
“Age of Vice,” by Deepti Kapoor - Equal parts crime thriller and family saga, transporting readers from the dusty villages of Uttar Pradesh to the urban energy of New Delhi, Age of Vice is an intoxicating novel of gangsters and lovers, false friendships, forbidden romance, and the consequences of corruption.
Watch
Plague at Golden Gate (2023) - Follows the gripping story of the race against time to save San Francisco and the nation from an outbreak of bubonic plague in 1900.
The Chinese Exclusion Act (2018) - The 1882 law that made it illegal for Chinese workers to come to America and for Chinese nationals already here ever to become U.S. citizens.
The Island Murder (2018) - In 1931, Honolulu's tropical tranquility was shattered when a young Navy wife made an allegation of rape against five nonwhite islanders.
The Rescue (2021) - A docoumentary about the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue, in which 12 boys and their football coach were trapped for 18 days in the cave in Thailand.
Bitter Melon (2018) - When a Filipino-American family reunites for a Christmas party, the holiday takes a dark turn when they conspire to murder the abusive bully of the family in this dark comedy by filmmaker H.P. Mendoza.
Listen
Deep Pacific Podcast - launched in 2020 to share Pacific Islander views and highlight underrepresented voices. Made for and created by Pacific Islanders, this program discusses the social, political, environmental, educational, scientific, and cultural circumstances that impact Pacific Islander life. The program"s mission is to evoke conversation that may ultimately lead to ideological and social change.
Model Majority - Two experienced grassroots organizers who worked as political organizers for Barack Obama, interview a wide array of guests, from lawmakers to activists to community leaders who address serious issues like equity and representation.
Modern Minorities - Conversations about "making it" despite not becoming the doctors their parents had wished they would be. Instead, the co-hosts embark on conversations about work and life through the lens of race and gender. Their entertaining and educational podcast welcomes guests from all walks of life, each providing a unique slice of what it"s like to be part of Asian Americana.
Asian Enough - Conversations that deal with the complexities of being Asian in America with celebrity guests from diverse cultures and experiences to talk about their Asian identity and what it"s like to be AAPI in America.
Desi Ladki Life - Focuses mostly on South Asian millennials and topics that impact their lives in America. Topics include visas, finding joy in one"s identity, child marriage, honor-based violence, surrogacy in South Asia, and finding boundaries with in-laws.
Act
Learn to be a Better Bystander - When you witness someone being targeted, learn how to stand up with them. Hollaback!, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to ending harassment, created a bystander intervention guide to help you prepare for a situation where you can help. Call out and report racism when you see it
Learn About the History of Anti-AAPI Racism - Examine and dismantle your own unconscious biases and misheld beliefs, such as the Model Minority Myth. Model empathy and solidarity to your family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues.
Support API Local Businesses - Check out the AMA Business Guide to support API-owned and led businesses in the Portland metro area.
Donate and Support Local API Organizations, such as API Forward, Asian Pacific Island Community Coalition of Oregon, Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon (PACCO), and more.
Engage with Asian Pacific American History and Culture - Explore the beauty and complexity of the cultures within the AAPI community this month. The American Archive of Public Broadcasting spotlights some of the rich contributions to culture from this community in their AAPI collection, viewable here. Dive into some of the many artists from the AAPI community with these lists and collections from the Art Institute of Chicago, the Recording Academy, or the UCLA School of Film and Television.