Pierce Library: Book Displays: AAPI Heritage Month

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May is AAPI Heritage Month!

Pierce Library invites you to join us in celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

Observed annually in May, this is a time to recognize and celebrate the contributions and wide range of experiences within Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities in the United States. Originally introduced as Asian Pacific American Heritage Week in 1977 and later expanded to a month-long celebration in 1990, the month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, as well as the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869, which was largely laid by Chinese immigrants.

There are a number of terms that are used to denote Asian and Pacific Islander populations, including Asian Pacific American (APA), Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI), Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI), and Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA). These "umbrella" terms encompass an incredibly diverse constellation of identities and ethnicities, including people of East Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, Central Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander ancestry. Watch the video below to learn about how these terms originated: