ATHENS COUNTY, Ohio — Since the 1970s, May has been celebrated as Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month — expanded to Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month in 2021.
AANHPI encompasses people of Asian or Pacific descent or with roots in those regions. President Joe Biden extended the title to include Native Hawaiians the same year that Vice President Kamala Harris became the first South Asian American Vice President.
The celebration originated in 1978 when Congress passed a resolution to create a week recognizing Asian and Pacific Americans. The week was later expanded to the entire month of May in 1992 to honor two historical events that took place that month: the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States in 1843 and the 1869 completion of the transcontinental railroad (much of which was done by Chinese immigrants).
In the 2020 Census, more than 20 million Americans identified themselves as Asian or Pacific Islander alone, and over 5 million said they were AAPI in combination with other races. In Athens, 2.8% of the population is Asian alone, 0.1% are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone and 2.6% are two or more races according to 2022 Census data.
The U.S. Census Bureau defines Asian as someone whose family originated from any of the “original peoples” of the Far East and Southeast Asia — including China, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands or Vietnam — or the Indian subcontinent, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal or Sri Lanka. Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander is someone whose family descends from the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.
A history of resilience
The AANHPI community has historically faced discrimination through exclusion acts, incarcerations and violence.
However, non-Asian Americans are largely unaware of this history, because few states require public schools to teach Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander history.
More than 100,000 immigrants arrived from China between 1850 and 1870, drawn by the California Gold Rush and the availability of work on the Central Pacific Railroad. Another 123,000 followed the signing of the 1868 Burlingame Treaty, which allowed unrestricted immigration from China. But the mid-1870s depression made unemployment soar, sparking a backlash against the Chinese.
In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, creating a total ban on Chinese immigrants for 10 years — the first and only American immigration law to forbid immigration by members of a specific nationality. The ban was extended in 1882 by the Geary Act, which also required Chinese immigrants to carry a resident permit and denied them the right to testify in court or receive bail.
The Immigration Act of 1924 set limits on the number of immigrants from countries in eastern and southern Europe — while banning any immigration from Asia The act was not revised until 1952.
Those who remained in the United States faced ongoing discrimination and violence. In one of the worst incidents, a 500-person mob attacked the Chinese quarter in Los Angeles, leaving 19 dead by gunfire, stabbing and lynching.
The start of the COVID-19 pandemic set off a similar backlash against Asian Americans. Asian hate crimes increased by 89% from 2019 to 2021, according to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In 2022, 21% of Americans told researchers they agreed that Asian Americans are at least partly responsible for COVID-19.
The increase in violence against AANHPI led to the founding of the Stop AAPI Hate coalition in March 2020 by the AAPI Equity Alliance, Chinese for Affirmative Action and the Asian American Studies Department of San Francisco State University.
President Biden signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act in May 2021, including instructions to designate an employee of the Department of Justice to expedite the review of hate crimes and to make reporting more accessible. Additionally, the responsibilities of the individual appointed included public education outreach and authorizing grants for local and state governments to address hate crimes.
Violence against the AANHPI community continues, however. In 2021 a shooter killed eight people at multiple spas in Atlanta. Six of the individuals were Asian women.
Compared to Black and Latino populations, Asian Americans are least likely to feel like they belong in the U.S. Young adults between ages 18 and 24 years old feel the least accepted.
Tips for exploring AANHPI culture
AANHPI Month is meant to celebrate the contributions of AANHPI people to the history and culture of the United States. Here are some things you can do to join this celebration this month and beyond.
- Learn more about AANHPI people and their cultures.
- Make a sincere effort to learn how to pronounce and correctly spell an individual’s name–in both professional and casual contexts. This may not seem so significant, but the respect that comes from the effort is.
- Ask AANHPI people about themselves — but don’t make it seem like an interrogation. “Where are you REALLY from?” will be perceived differently as “Can you tell me about your background and culture if you are comfortable sharing?”
- Food, music and art are important aspects of anyone’s culture. Be open and intentional as you experience these elements, even if they may not be what you are used to.
- Listen to AANHPI people when they feel comfortable speaking about their experiences.
Local AANHPI businesses and organizations
- Athens Asian American Alliance
- Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islanders: Leadership, Education, Advocacy, and Development
- Dr. May’s Thai Kitchen
- China Fortune Restaurant
- Dynasty Restaurant
- Ginger Asian Kitchen
- Helen’s Heavenly
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