Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have played a key role in American history since the first Chinese immigrants arrived in the U.S. in the 1850s following the California Gold Rush. In 1978, a joint congressional resolution established Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week as the first week in May. In 1992, Congress expanded the observance to a monthlong celebration that is now known as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. May was chosen to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month  to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States in 1843. It also celebrates the contributions of Chinese workers to the building of the transcontinental railroad, completed May 10, 1869. 

How to Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month

It's important that we not only celebrate the cultural contributions of  people from Asian and Pacific Island decent, but also make sure we understand their history and continue to advocating for immigration reform and fight against the racism and violence that still plagues our society. It’s great to recognize and celebrate cultural contributions like yoga, which originated from South Asian culture in the U.S., however we must do better to educate ourselves on their history to understand the whole picture.

Fueled has put together this short list of resource to start you on your journey this month:

Museums Across the United States to Visit:

• Museum of Chinese in America in New York City
• Japanese American National Museum in los Angeles
• National Museum of Asian Art in Washington D.C.
• Seattle Asian Art Museum in Seattle
• The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City

Online Articles and Resources:

• History Channel's Asian American and Pacific Islander History articles 
• Parent Guide Helps Asian Families Address Racism During the Pandemic
• 7 Concrete Ways to Do Your Part for the Asian American Community Right Now
• She’s Combating a Wave of Anti-Asian Hate
• Understanding Asian American And Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Novels:

• First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung
• The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata by Gina Apostol
• Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
• Things We lost in the Water by Eric Nguyen
• Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong
• The Making of Asian America: A History by Erika Lee

Films/TV:

• Everything Everywhere All at Once
• Asian Americans
• Minari
• The Joy Luck Club