In 1978, Congress passed a resolution creating Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. In 1992, the observance was expanded to the month of May to coincide with two important milestones: the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants in the U.S. (May 7, 1843) and the completion of the transcontinental railroad (May 10, 1869), where the majority of workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.

According to the U.S. Census, in 2022, 24 million people in the United States are of Asian descent. While the Asian diaspora includes more than 50 ethnicities and 100 languages, Chinese, Indian and Filipino make up the majority. The 2020 Census numbers for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. are 1.6 million, with the islands of Hawaii holding the largest population. While the NHPI diaspora includes over 30 distinct ethnic groups, Native Hawaiian, Samoan, and Chamorro people are the largest NHPI communities in the United States.

AANHPI Month provides us a specific opportunity to learn more about and understand the beautiful people, cultures, and accomplishments of the AANHPI community, but also its history within the context of the U.S. Understanding these stories, not always told, will allow for increased empathy towards ending racism. Here are some points in history to research and reflect on: Chinese Exclusion Act (1882), Japanese Internment World War II (1942), Spanish-American War (1898), Annexation of Hawai’i (1898), United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898), Delano Grape Strike (1968), Lau v. Nichols (1974), American Samoa (1967), and Stop AAPI Hate (2020).

To join ACSA’s Pasifika Administrators Network, fill out the interest form at acsa.org/equity. For more AANHPI information, visit the ACSA Pasifika Admin Network padlet at bit.ly/pasfikanetwork.