May brings not only good weather but also very interesting and important cultural celebrations for the evolution of history. In fact, Asian/American Pacific Heritage Month, a celebration of Asians and the Pacific Islands in the United States.
This month is significant in Asian-American history for two reasons: the beginning of the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States in 1843 and the contribution to the construction of the expansion of the Transcontinental Railroad, which took place in 1869, where most of the workers were Chinese immigrants. During the month, communities celebrate and recognize their influences and contributions over time made by generations of inhabitants who have their origins in West Asia, Central Asia, the Pacific Islands, the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Based on this, highlighting the unique stories and incomparable languages is of paramount importance.
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month now
This year’s theme for Asia/American Pacific Heritage Month is “Advancing Leaders Through Collaboration ”, selected by the Federal Asian Pacific American Council (FACAP), highlighting FACAP’s efforts to develop more and more leaders to promote opportunities for equality and cultural diversity for Asian Americans.
This community is the group on the rise in the US, but unfortunately it has an increase in attacks against the Asian community mainly due to the Covid-19 pandemic, in which most of the time the attackers accuse the victims of being responsible for the spread of the virus. One of the cases occurred in 2020, in Canada, that went viral after a white woman, without a mask and inside a bus, spits on an Asian man who was just sitting. The fatality spurred a wave of protests that supported several campaigns fighting these hate attacks on the Asian-American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community in the United States. As a result, movements such as “Stop Asian Hate” or “Stop AAPI hate” were responsible for registering these aggressions and fighting this discrimination.
In order to get to know their stories from different cultures, here are some of the ways to celebrate the month that is so special and meaningful to this community:
1. Self-identify and have self-compassion about your Asian-American identity;
2. Follow some community leaders and activists from the Asian Pacific Islands to access more information, such as:
–Michelle Kim (activist and co-founder of Awaken);
–Padma Lakshmi (activist, author and model);
– Amanda Nguyen (social entrepreneur, civil rights activist and founder of Rise, a non-governmental civil rights organization);
–Helen Zia (Chinese-American journalist, activist and considered a key figure in the Asian-American movement)
3. Volunteering
Support and act as a volunteer in organizations that fight racism and xenophobia against the community. “Hate is a Virus”, a movement started in 2020, is a non-profit community that fights xenophobia, even more by Covid-19 as discrimination has intensified much more. These organizations often include programs related to mental health, representation, and building solidarity and respect.
4. Educating
Educate yourself and others with APA Heritage Month histories and cultures, with government websites such as the “library of congress” there is a guide to Asian American/Pacific Island Studies providing collections from photographs to documents and oral history interviews.
5. Go to streets
The celebration is celebrated in many cities, each of which has a special event. To access them, just search for “AAPI month” and enter your city.
Fiesta Asia Street Fair, a national festival of Asian heritage held in Washington (DC) that offers a wide variety of activities, with live performances by artists, cultural exhibitions and lots of art.
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The article above was edited by Nicoly Bastos.
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