By Chris Huang, AACRAO Vice President for Information Technology, Associate Vice Chancellor and Registrar at Purdue University Fort Wayne
Greetings, AACRAObats! (term credited to BD Wong, 2023 Annual Meeting opening speaker).
As May approaches, there will be many celebrations: graduating students will celebrate commencement; Star Wars fans will celebrate May the 4th (be with you); and people around the world will celebrate Mother’s Day. The month of May also means we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.
At dictionary.com, the term heritage is defined as:
- Something that is handed down from the past as a tradition;
- Something that comes or belongs to one by reason of birth; an inherited lot or portion.
I don’t know about you, but when I think back to my high school days (which is so last century), I do not recall any activities/events in May for AAPI Heritage Month. I don’t recall any programming in college either (for the record, I attended a small, private, liberal arts college). I wasn’t even aware that Chinese workers helped build the transcontinental railroad until it was referenced in the movie, “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story.” Given the current climate in the United States related to equity and inclusion, allow me to share a little background about AAPI Heritage Month, the term ‘Asian American,’ and some of the events/activities AACRAO’s AAPI Caucus has planned. Please read on to learn more.
According to asianpacificheritage.gov, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month was the first “Pacific/Asian American Heritage Week” from a resolution passed and signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1978 that became Public Law 95-419. It remained one week until 1992 when Congress passed Public Law 102-450, and AAPI Heritage became the month of May.
Why was May selected? As stated at asianpacificheritage.gov, “The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869…[since] the majority of workers who laid the tracks were Chinese Immigrants.”
The term ‘Asian American and Pacific Islander’ is very broad and includes the continent of Asia and the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia (you can find the complete list of islands in the 2022 AAPI Heritage Month article). The Asian American Pacific Islander group is not a monolith, as “Asian Americans can trace their roots to more than 20 countries in East and Southeast Asia, and the Indian Subcontinent, each with unique histories, cultures, languages, and other characteristics” (Pew Research Center).
The term ‘Asian American’ was first coined by Emma Gee and Yuji Ichioka, University of California – Berkley graduate students, as a way to bring all the different groups under one umbrella (Time Magazine). This term replaced “oriental,” which has racist and colonialist connotations, and in 2016, President Obama signed a bill prohibiting the use of that term in all federal documents (PBS). From 1980-1990, the term Asian American was broadened to include Pacific Islanders.
To celebrate AAPI Heritage Month, AACRAO’s AAPI Caucus is planning several activities to raise awareness and support the AAPI community:
Sign up to run/walk a 5K with AAPI5k.org. AAPI Caucus Member Michelle Tsigaridas Weller is organizing a team in New York City on Sunday, May 12. Register for team AACRAO AAPI Caucus with a Run Pass, Walk Pass, or Virtual Pass. If you prefer to join or start a team in your local area, let us know so we can help you connect with other participants in your region. Contact mweller@nyls.edu if you have any questions.
Read our May 14 AACRAO Connect article from AAPI Caucus Members about diverse experiences with food within the AAPI group, written by AAPI Caucus member Albertha Schmid.
Below are several additional resources to explore/celebrate AAPI Heritage Month: