Time to Celebrate But Also Activate
Dear Leading Ladies,
How are you planning to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month? If you are a white American, you probably have not given it much thought. Yet, just as Black History Month has raised the consciousness and understanding of those who are not part of the African American community, so does AAPI Month offer an opportunity to grow in appreciation and respect for the multiculturalism that defines our country.
May is, indeed, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Established in 1991 by President George H.W. Bush, after it existed as a weeklong celebration initiated under President Jimmy Carter in 1979, the month celebrates the contributions that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made to our country. May marks the month in 1843 when the first Japanese immigrants arrived in the US, and May 10, 1869 is when the transcontinental railroad was completed, thanks in large part to the work of Chinese labor.
A time to celebrate…
“To celebrate an entire culture in a month is like trying to hold the ocean in a bucket, and yet the symbolic efforts of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month are significant and admirable,” recently wrote Joan Iva Fawcett, Dean for Social Justice Leadership & Community Empowerment at Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA, and a Filipino American.
To her point, according to the 2019 census, there are 24.5 million Asians, Pacific Islanders, and Native Hawaiians living in the United States, comprising 7% of the population and making AAPI the fastest growing racial group in the country. Their families’ countries of origin, according to Fawcett, “include 75 countries from the Asian continent – East, Southeast, and South Asia – as well as the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.” And their contributions to this country are vast.
There is no dearth of role models among Asian American and Pacific Islanders. A partial list includes architect I.M. Pei; co-founder of Yahoo Jerry Yang; chef and restaurateur Joyce Chen; astronaut and engineer Kalpana Chawla; politician and attorney Patsy Matsu Takemoto Mink; labor leader and civil rights activist Philip Vera Cruz; Olympic diver, coach and physician Sammy Le; army veteran and US Senator Tammy Duckworth; classical musician Yo-Yo Ma; historian and civil rights activist Yuji Ichioka; the late California Congressman Dalip Singh Saund; nuclear physicist Dr. Chien-Shiung Wu; filmmaker Ang Lee; civil rights activist Cecilia Chung; research physician and virologist David Ho; activist and actor George Takei; Olympian Duke Kahanamoku; and author/philosopher Grace Lee Boggs. (names from tinybeans.com)
For an immensely engaging and expansive introduction to accomplishments of Americans of Asian descent, click here.
But also a time to recognize the rise in anti-AAPI hate
Clearly, there are many contributions and accomplishments for members of the AAPI community and all Americans to recognize and celebrate this month and year round. However, in these troubling times, the month also provides an occasion to acknowledge and take action against the rising tide of racism against Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.
“Last year,” Fawcett reports, “the anti-Asian hate crimes reported in America’s largest cities surged almost 150%, spurred by racist rhetoric around ‘Kung Flu’ and the ‘Chinese Virus’. There were nearly 3,800 hateful incidents reported during the first year of the pandemic, often targeting women and the elderly.”
Speaking to NPR, Cynthia Choi, co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action and co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate, said that the month is a time to speak out, share stories and debunk myths about Asian communities. She points to AAPI history as “filled with incredible stories of resilience, of persistence, of determination, [and] fight for our basic rights.”
Celebrating AAPI Month, for all Americans, provides the dual opportunity to celebrate the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to our country and to recognize the injustices and discrimination they continue to endure. We are reminded that we all have a role to play in the fight against racism and bigotry toward any and all Americans.
What can we do?
We found these reminders and guidance helpful.
Speak out. If you hear something, say something. From NPR: “‘Over and over again, we heard from respondents [who submitted reports of hate] that it was hurtful to be targeted’, said Cynthia Choi, Stop AAPI Hate’s co-founder. ‘But it was even more hurtful to have no one stand with them — no one intervened when clearly they were being targeted because of their race, ethnicity and gender’.”
Say something also when a racial epithet is expressed in conversation about Asian Americans. Too often people get a free pass when they tell jokes or speak in “funny accents” out of earshot of Blacks or Asians or Jews. When this happens, hurtful stereotypes and harmful language get perpetuated and normalized.
Report a hate crime. From PBS: “Hate crimes are underreported. Asian American community leaders say reporting an incident you experienced or witnessed can help bring greater awareness and strengthen the chance a perpetrator will be prosecuted. Hate crimes can be reported both to your local police and by tips to the FBI.”
Check in with your Asian American friends, neighbors, and colleagues to find out how they are doing and what support they might need or want from you.
Explore Stop AAPI Hate. It’s a great resource, with guidance on how to report incidents of hate; educate ourselves; engage in ways that help ameliorate the problem; and donate to efforts that address AAPI hate.
Become more educated about the history of Asian Americans in this country and of the harassment and racism they have endured. Books such as Interior Chinatown and Return to Manzanar can be eye-opening.
Watch a 9-minute CBS video on the history of AAPI hate in the US. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX-GD4fGFHk
Immerse yourself in the “abundance of art and literature of Asian Americans throughout the diaspora,” recommends Lauren Williams of WBUR, including Passage West by Rishi Reddi and Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong.
Just as the pandemic is not yet behind us, neither is the ugly anti-Asian bigotry that has risen to new heights in the last three years. Here’s to a month of celebration but also to our continuing commitment to ending racism.
Be well,
Therese
Judy
Mary
Leading Ladies Executive Team