AANPI Month

This year you will notice the shift from AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) to AANPI (Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander). This recognizes Native Hawaiians as a distinct group, rather than grouping them under "Pacific Islander." This change promotes greater visibility, supports more accurate data and funding, and acknowledges the unique history and needs of Native Hawaiian communities.

The month of May was chosen to commemorate:

1. The date of the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843.

2. The completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.

The U.S. Census bureau currently defines a member of the U.S. Asian population as "a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, but not limited to Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam."

The Census Bureau identifies Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (NHPI) as "a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands."

It is important to note that there are many Asian diasporas across the world representing many different languages, religions, cultures and faiths.