Celebration Ideas
K-12 Schools
Devote Time to Discuss APA History in Class
The following ideas can be adapted to meet the Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs) around reading, writing and critical thinking skills. Please refer to the Asian Pacific American Heritage Resource Guide for Washington State K-12 Schools (PDF 4Mb) for some of the classroom discussion ideas below.
- Review sections 1-3 and adapt teaching strategies and classroom activities.
- Go over APA history timeline. Discuss why APAs migrated to the U.S.; discuss why there are/were concentrated migration in certain geographic areas; discuss reasons for migration and settlement.
- Discuss APA firsts and ask students to research certain individuals. Discuss how their work contributed to American history.
- Read APIs in Washington State: An Overview in Asian Pacific American Heritage Resource Guide. Discuss major themes around migration, labor, economy, and political empowerment; discuss in what ways the reasons APAs came to the US are similar and/or different from why other immigrants came to the US; critically analyze prejudicial and discriminatory practices against APAs and compare with other groups who were/are similarly or differently treated; discuss challenges within APA community as a unified community; discuss what roles do migration patterns, economic status, cultural differences, and languages play in creating and dividing communities; are there similarities in other ethnic communities?
- Discuss the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Discuss how and why Japanese Americans were treated differently than German and Italian Americans, whose ancestral countries were also at war with the US; discuss the role of 442nd regiment and other Asian American infantry regiments and their role during World War II.
- Ask students to create collages that display the diversity of APA communities. Discuss similarities and differences among APA communities; what holds them together and maintain their uniqueness from each other.
- Show and discuss APA history videos and films. Order or rent a video and study guide from the National Asian American Telecommunications Association; discuss major themes.
Create a School Display
Ask for contributions from APA students. Display could include:- Map of Asian and Pacific Islander geographic areas with pushpins indicating country names
- Traditional clothes, cultural artifacts, and other heritage objects
- Poems and artwork by APA students and/or APA artists
- Pictures of their families
- Quotes by students to show their APA experience
- List of APA ethnicities
- List of APA languages
- Examples of APA authors and their books
- APA firsts
- APA history timeline
Hold a School Assembly Celebrating APA heritage Month of May
- Cultural performances by students and faculty
- Cultural performances by invited cultural performers (e.g., Filipino Youth Activities)
- APA history speakers and/or APA speakers who promote the valuing of diversity
- APA fashion show of APA traditional clothing
- APA traditional music
Include Poems or Short Essays in School Newspaper, Web site, or other Publications
- Ask students to submit poems, short essays, pictures
- Select examples to illustrate various APA experiences representing different ethnicities
Hold a Bite of Asia During Lunch
- Offer examples of APA cultural dishes and cultural performances during lunch or after school, scheduled over several days throughout May
Public & Private Organizations
Recognizing and celebrating Asian Pacific American (APA) Heritage Month of May has many benefits. Among them is a better understanding of what makes up your growing APA clientele base, thereby enabling you to better offer your services and more effectively address the needs of this rapidly growing community. To begin with, it is important to understand that the APA community is very diverse with over 50 distinct ethnic communities--each with their own languages, dialects, cultures, norms, and histories.
The ideas below are not exhaustive and are meant to give you a place to start thinking about what you may want to do to celebrate APA heritage month of May. If you have a diverse staff, your organization's active and thoughtful recognition of the month of May and other ethnic heritage month will go a long way in demonstrating not only your commitment to diversity, but fundamentally in showing your understanding of the value of embracing diversity. That is that embracing diversity yields social harmony, economic vitality, and democratic strength.
Create a Display
Ask for contributions from your organization members or from local APA organizations. Display could include:
- Map of Asian and Pacific Islander geographic areas with pushpins indicating country names
- Traditional clothes, cultural artifacts, and other heritage objects
- List of APA ethnicities
- List of APA languages
- Examples of APA authors and their books
- APA firsts
- APA history timeline
- APA heritage month celebration posters
- Various APA community newspapers
Hold Brown Bag Lunches or Host Gatherings Featuring APA Speakers
Topics could include those subjects that help your organization understand your APA clientele better. Examples of topics:
- Census 2000 APA demographics
- Culturally and linguistically appropriate services
- APA contributions to Washington State
- Unique characteristics of various APA communities
- Trends and contemporary APA issues
Be a Corporate Citizen or Community Steward
Create a committee that includes APA representatives from your organization and/or members of local APA organizations to discuss how your organization can better serve your APA clientele and community.
Recognize APA Heritage Month via Various Media
- If you have a Web site, devote a section in your site to recognize APA heritage month of May
- If you have a newsletter, provide articles around APA history and/or feature APA staff
- Advertise in major and community newspapers recognizing APA heritage month of May
- Arrange public service announcements that recognize APA heritage month of May
