May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month.
Hiram Fong, one of Hawaii’s first two senators, became the first Asian Pacific American to serve in the U.S. Senate in 1959.
Credit: U.S. Senate Historical Office
May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month, an annual celebration of achievements by and recognition of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in U.S. history.
In 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed into law a joint resolution to establish Asian Pacific Heritage Week, and the first celebration happened the following year. This was the culmination of work done in 1977 by U.S. Representatives Frank Horton (New York) and Norman Mineta (California), who introduced a resolution to establish Asian Pacific Heritage Week to be celebrated annually in May and the introduction of similar legislation in the Senate by Hawaiian Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga.
In 1992, President George H.W. Bush designated May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and the annual celebration has become a time to honor the contributions and accomplishments of Asian Americans, Pacific Islander Americans and Native Hawaiians.
Johnson County Library has myriad resources to read, listen to or participate into learn more about Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and to highlight the significant cultural and historical contributions of those in our Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian communities. Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month began on May 1 and ends May 31.
Resources
- Library of Congress AAPI Collections
- Library of Congress Law Library - Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
- National Archives AAPI Heritage Month
Local History
- The Kansas City Institute of Chinese Language and Culture – The Kansas City Institute of Chinese Language & Culture was founded in 1998 by local Chinese immigrants who sought to ensure their children felt a connection to their Chinese heritage through language and cultural practices.
- Interview with Lihui Xiong – Lihui Xiong - New Immigrants and the American Dream Exhibit
- Filipino Association
Watch
- Asian American & Pacific Islander American Stories on Kanopy – Hundreds of films, documentaries, and series exploring everything from current events to the history and cultural legacy of Asian and Pacific Island Americans.
Read
Celebrating Asian and Pacific Island Heritage - Fiction and non-fiction books about Asian American and Pacific Island Americans and other stories.
- Asian/Pacific Island Heritage Month– A selection of books by authors of Asian or Pacific Islander heritage.
- New-ish Books by Asian American/Pacific Islander American Authors – Celebrate the month by reading books by Asian American & Pacific Islander American authors!