Updated: 4:18 PM CDT May 4, 2021 Shanon Maglente Product and Reviews Assistant Editor Pacific Islanders are the group that makes up the "PI" part in AAPI, or Asian American and Pacific Islander identities. They're a much smaller group — in fact, according to the 2019 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, there are roughly 1.4 million Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders "alone or in combination with one of more races who reside within the United States." Thus, this group is often underrepresented in media, and when their culture actually is featured, society often paints a false narrative of paradise. The history of the islands is complicated, but the spirit of the people who live and have origins there is unwavering.