AANHPI Heritage Month

Asian American, Native Hawai’ian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month commemorates the histories, cultures, and contributions of communities with ancestry tracing back to the Asian continent, Hawai’ian islands, and Pacific islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Originating from Congress, Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week was recognized for the first 10 days starting on May 4, 1979. It included May 7 and May 10. May 7 was to recognize the first Japanese immigrants to the U.S. (May 7, 1843) and May 10 was to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad (May 10, 1869) which would not have been completed without the contributions of Chinese immigrants. By 1992, APA Heritage Week became Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month for the whole month of May. In 2021, a presidential proclamation expanded the name to include Native Hawai’ian. AANHPI Heritage Month is a time to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion while acknowledging the invaluable contributions and rich heritage of Asian Americans, Native Hawai'ians, and Pacific Islanders in shaping the nation's identity.

There are 20.6 million people or 6.2% of the U.S. population who identify as Asian Americans, Native Hawai’ians, and Pacific Islanders. It is even more diverse when examining the specific groups. The 2020 Census shows:

• 19.9 million people identified as Asian alone and 4.1 million people identified as Asian in combination with another race. (In Asia alone, there are 4.7 billion people with 2,300 languages spoken.)

• Roughly 690,000 people identified as Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (NHPI) alone but almost 900,000 identified as NHPI in combination with another race. (There are about 2.3 million people living in the 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 these island nations.)

Language plays an important role in any culture. The top five guardian preferred Asian languages in District 196 to date are Somali, Chinese: simplified/traditional, Vietnamese, Russian, and Arabic. Others include Korean, Lao, Tamil, Hmong, Khmer, Nepali, Japanese, Hindi, and Thai. There is history to the language individuals use. For example,

• Long time no see. | No can do. | Chop chop.

These were developed to mock new immigrants simplified use of English, especially during the first wave of laborers immigrating from China in the 19th century. Do not use these terms. Read more about other historical languages and best practices because “Our Words Matter.”

Learn more about a culture by understanding the value for six dimensions of the people who belong to that community. The dimensions are:

• Power distance,
• Individualism,
• Motivation towards achievement and success,
• Uncertainty avoidance,
• Long term orientation, and
• Indulgence.

AMAZEWorks - Asian American Identities

Access a collection of lessons on Asian American identity and lived experiences

Dr. Noreen Naseem Rodriguez - Asian American History Curriculum

Explore online resources and lessons that bring Asian American history to the classroom

EDSITEment! - Teacher's Guide: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage and History in the U.S.

Search through a collection of lessons and resources for K-12 social studies, literature and arts

Immigration History - Asian Immigration

View the various lesson ideas and historical timeline

NEA - Teaching Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage

Survey the K-12 lessons and resources

U.S. Census Bureau - Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Use student-friendly handouts to connect U.S. statistics to AANHPI communities

Dr. Noreen Naseem Rodriguez - Recommended Asian American Children's Literature

NEA - Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Recommended Titles

Imagination Soup - 100 Brilliant Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI) Children's Books

In this 13-minute read, psychiatrist Dr. Warren Ng shares root causes of microaggressions that Asian American and Pacific Islander communities face which have negative affect on their well-being and continue to cause inequities in education and the workplace. He offers 10 ways allies can champion justice and combat microaggressions.

Looking to learn more about microaggressions? Check out:

• Recognizing Microaggressions and the Messages They Send
• Interrupting Microaggressions

By changing the words that are used, one can change the perspective about a student, colleague, or guardian. Try shifting from a deficit mindset to an asset mindset with "How Words Communicate Expectations."

History Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

NEA Asian & Pacific Islander Caucus: PI & AA Resources

Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center: Celebrating 25 years