By MADDIE KIRKMAN
Staff Writer
Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month was first proposed by Jeanie Jew, whose great-grandfather helped build the transcontinental railroad. Jeanie Jew saw the lack of representation of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States despite their long intertwined history and set out to make this month nationally recognized. AAPIH month was created for two different reasons. The first reason was so Asian and Pacific Islanders could celebrate their heritage. The second reason is so all Americans could know the contributions, history, and experiences of Asian and Pacific Americans in the United States. The month of May was specifically chosen to recognize the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants on May 7, 1843, and to remember the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869, whose construction would not be possible without the sacrifice of thousands of Chinese immigrants.
As of 2020, over 24 million people identify as Asian, and nearly 1.6 million people identify as Pacific Islanders in the United States. During Asian American Pacific Islander Month, we celebrate all people of Asia and the Pacific Islands. We all recognize the integral role that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders had in shaping the United States today. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are not your model minority, not submissive, not exotic, not perpetual foreigners. They are artists, dancers, scholars, healers, children, and activists, and are a multitude of stories who are here and proud.