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
Pacific American Heritage Month, and why is it celebrated in May?
A.According to the Library of Congress, “Asian/ Pacific American Heritage Month is a month to celebrate and pay tribute to the contributions generations of Asian/Pacific Americans have made to American history, society, and culture.” What do we mean by “Asian/Pacific” though? This broad term includes all 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).
On Thursday, May 27 at 7 p.m., international and #1 New York Times bestselling author Kevin Kwan visits The Music Hall's virtual stage as part of the Writers on a New England Stage series, now being presented in an intimate, online format.
Knox County celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islaner Heritage Month with new display
Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs posted a photo on Twitter of a new display of an eastern dragon in the City County Building. Author: WBIR Staff Updated: 10:48 PM EDT April 30, 2021
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. During May, people across the U.S. will celebrate Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.
Knox County started celebrating it a day early Friday with a new display in the City County Building. Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs posted a tweet with a photo of it a colorful eastern dragon displayed near the windows by the City of Knoxville s administrative offices.
May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, as designated by Congress in the early 1990s. (Prior to that, going back to 1978, its observance was a weeklong affair.)
As an acknowledgment of the myriad contributions of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, the occasion prompts both celebration and a moment s reflection. Within the music called jazz, born of the African American experience, there has always been a space for Asian-American contributions but it s often been a marginal space, even a provisional one. And as Gary Fukushima thoughtfully explored in a recent article for
DownBeat, pressure has only increased since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.