Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month

In 2000, the State of Washington formally recognized the month of May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and encouraged public institutions, including public schools, to recognize and celebrate the contributions of Asian Pacific Americans to our state and nation. The Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs helps coordinate statewide celebratory activities.

• Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration 2012 Art Contest: Each year, the Asian Pacific Directors Coalition hosts an art contest to help celebrate Asian Pacific Islander Month to showcase Asian Pacific Islander heritage and culture in America. The deadline is 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 26, 2012. For further information, click here for a PDF copy of the flyer.
  

API Heritage Month Resources

If you are an educational institution or a public/private organization looking for ways to celebrate the month, we’ve included a few ideas below. Please share your activities by contacting us at 360.725.5667.

K-12 Schools

Devote Time to Discuss Asian Pacific American History in Class

Please refer to the Asian Pacific American Heritage Resource Guide for Washington State K-12 Schools for some of the classroom discussion ideas below.

• Review sections 1-3 and adapt teaching strategies and classroom activities.
• Go over the Asian Pacific American history timeline. Discuss why Asian Pacific Americans migrated to the U.S.; discuss why there are/were concentrated migration in certain geographic areas; discuss reasons for migration and settlement.
• Ask students to research certain Asian Pacific American individuals and 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 of old family photos
• 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
• 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 Heritage Month has many benefits. Among them is a better understanding of what makes up your growing clientele base enabling you to more effectively address the needs of this rapidly growing community.

If you have a diverse staff, your organization's active and thoughtful recognition of the month of May and other ethnic heritage months will demonstrate not only your commitment to diversity, but fundamentally show 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 Asian Pacific American organizations. Displays 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 history timeline
• APA heritage month celebration posters
• Various APA community newspapers

Hold Brown Bag Lunches or Host Gatherings Featuring Asian Pacific American Speakers

Topics could include those subjects that help your organization understand your Asian Pacific American clientele better. Examples of topics:

• Census 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 in 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 in May
• Arrange public service announcements that recognize APA Heritage Month

Heritage Month Posters