Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the Inland Northwest
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is celebrated every year in the month of May. We re putting the spotlight on AAPI community members. Author: Madeline Nelson Updated: 10:47 AM PDT May 20, 2021
SPOKANE, Wash. Asian and Pacific Islander Americans make up about 6% of the U.S. population. That s more than 20 million people. Not only that, but the ancestral roots of AAPI people represent more than 50% of the world.
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is celebrated every year in the month of May. It s celebrated in May to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad. The nearly 2 thousand mile stretch of tracks was completed on May 10 in 1869.
Updated: 5:04 PM PDT May 5, 2021
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month, and we are raising a glass to local leaders in our region.
KING 5’s Chris Daniels is back with another round of Drinks with Daniels. He sat down with people who have made an impact in our region.
Watch the segments May 5-28 on KING 5.
Gary Locke
Gary Locke really needs very little introduction as Washington state s former governor, and the first Chinese-American governor in U.S. history.
He later went on to become secretary of commerce and the U.S. Ambassador to China.
We talk about his history making a political run, attacks on the Asian community, and his role now as the interim president at Bellevue College, while drinking a freshly brewed pot of coffee in his backyard on the Eastside.
More than 100 hundred years later in 1979, President Jimmy Carter signed the first presidential proclamation for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. In 1992, Congress passed an amendment that called on the people of the U.S. to observe Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month with “appropriate ceremonies, programs and activities.”
Since then, those who have origins in Asia and the Pacific Islands specially the East, Southeast, the Indian subcontinent, Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia have used the month to amplify their voices and their pride.
But AAPI Heritage Month is not just for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders it s a celebration that every American can partake in. Since many AAPI individuals have been taught to assimilate, it can be difficult for some to take pride in their cultures and truly embrace their identities. But when they know that allies are willing to uplift AAPI stories, that makes it easier for
Trailblazing Women Writers Series: AMY TAN
Thursday, May 6 at 8 PM
Thursday, May 6 at 8 PM on Facebook Live, YouTube Live, and ZOOM.
Watch AMERICAN MASTERS Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir on May 3
Engage with trailblazing author Amy Tan in conversation with actress Tamlyn Tomita on May 6 at 8pm ET.
About the Author: The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Amy Tan rejected her mother’s career expectations and chose to write fiction instead, resulting in her becoming a New York Times best-selling author. In addition to adult fiction, Tan has written two memoirs, two children’s books, numerous magazine articles, a libretto, screenplays, and more.