AAPI Heritage Month
May 2023
What started as a 10-day recognition of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week in 1977 took over 10 years to become a commemorative month in 1990 and was renamed Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month in 2009. May was chosen for two reasons: 1) To commemorate the first known Japanese immigrants to the United States on May 7, 1843 and 2) To honor the anniversary of the transcontinental railroad which would not have been completed without the contributions of Chinese immigrants on May 10, 1869. Read how one woman’s story led to creating AAPI Heritage Month. AAPI Heritage Month is to recognize the diverse and growing communities of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander. In addition, it is to acknowledge the accomplishments and contributions they have made to the U.S.
-Image from Stanford Graduate School of Business
Asian Continent
Asian Americans* are people who were born/naturalized in the U.S. and whose ancestors are from one or more Asian countries. Asians* are people who are from one or more Asian countries. Depending on the organization, there are 45-53 countries in Asia.
The United Nations categories them as:
- Eastern Asia - e.g. China, Hong Kong, Macao, Korea, Japan, Mongolia
- South-eastern Asia - e.g. Cambodia, Laos, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
- Southern Asia - e.g. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Iran, Nepal, Sri Lanka
- Central Asia - e.g. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
- Western Asia - e.g. Georgia, Iraq, Israel, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Yemen
*More importantly, ask Asian Americans/Asians how they identify themselves.
-Image from freepik.com
Oceania Region
Pacific Islanders* are people whose origins are from the Oceania Region’s (excluding Australia) three subregions:
Melanesia - e.g. Fiji, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu
Polynesia - e.g. New Zealand, Hawai'i, Samoa, Tonga, Easter Island
Micronesia - e.g. Guam, Kiribati, Marianas, Marshall Islands, Palau
They are comprised of 10,000 islands that are continental islands (used to be attached to continents), volcanic islands, or coral islands. There are about 2.3 million people on these Pacific Islands with several hundred languages used. The most common are French and English as one or the other is the official language of all the nations.
*More importantly, ask Pacific Islanders how they identify themselves.
-Image from Britannica.com
The 2020 U.S. Census showed:
19.9 million people identify as Asian alone.
About 690,000 people identify as Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander alone. To learn more key facts, click here.
There are 19 Asian groups that make 97% of the U.S. Asian population. For detailed demographic and economic data on any of the 19 Asian groups, click here or the word cloud.
Another resource:
- Hofstede Insights Compare Countries - Type in a country and learn more about the values for six dimensions.
Who Has Been Erased from U.S. History?
Check out these timelines:
- ChangeLab: A Different Asian American Timeline - A collaborative work that outlines Asian American history and its impact on U.S. history.
- Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL): BRANDING Asian MN History Timeline - A collaborative work of historians, organizers, and educators on Asians of Minnesota.
- Immigration History: Asian Immigration - This site provides a summary with a lesson plan, including an Asian immigration timeline.
Drawn Together
Minh Lê (pronunciation) is a writer who lives in California and loves to be with his family and read books. He writes graphic novels, such as Drawn Together. Check out the Grade 3 Author Study Unit Map.
South and South-east Asian Authors
You can read and learn more about Bao Phi, Kao Kalia Yang, Ed Young, and Grace Lin from the Grade 2 Author Study Unit Map.
Inside Out & Back Again
This historical nonfiction book by Thanhhà Lai is one of many middle school books featuring AAPI characters. Click here for more books.
One Grain of Rice
A raja learns a lesson in fairness and wisdom from a clever village girl who is rewarded one grain of rice that doubles each day. Click here for activities/lessons or click on the Grade 1 Bridges in Mathematics Literature Connections for more books.
Two of Everything
Mr. and Mrs. Haktak discover a magical brass pot that doubles everything that they put into it. Click here for activities/lessons or click on the Grade 3 Bridges in Mathematics Literature Connections for more books.
All in a Day
Ten international artists illustrate the lives of children and their activities in eight locations during a 24-hour day. Click here for activities/lessons or click on the Grade 4 Bridges in Mathematics Literature Connections for more books.
Bamboo Ceiling
Association for Psychological Science: Lessons from the Bamboo Ceiling - Identify the reasons why Asians are underrepresented in leadership positions and what can be done.
Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Career Strategies for Asians by Jane Hyun - Learn the phrase "bamboo ceiling" and what you can do about it.
Medium: Shattering the Bamboo Ceiling - Understand how the bamboo ceiling impacts Asian men and Asian women.
Model Minority Myth
- Denshō: Inventing the “Model Minority”: A Critical Timeline and Reading List - Explore the history and impact on Asian American Pacific Islanders and other racialized groups.
- Learning for Justice: What is the Model Minority Myth? - Learn what it is and how to dismantle the myth.
- Teach For America (TFA): Students Labeled ‘Asian’ Are Not a Monolith. Why Are Schools Treating Them That Way? - Seek disaggregated data to dispel the myth.
- Time: Asian Americans Are Still Caught in the Trap of the “Model Minority’ Stereotype. And It Creates Inequality for All - Read the experience of Viet Thanh Nguyen, a Vietnamese Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and University Professor at the University of Southern California.
- University of Southern California: Debunking the Model Minority Myth - Read the words of Asian and Pacific American students dealing with stereotypes.