it’s may, which means it’s aapi heritage month! here’s a short thread on the history of its creation! #AAPIHeritageMonth #AAPIHM

the idea for aapi heritage month can be credited to jeanie jew, who worked to gain support for its establishment. jew's grandfather was a chinese immigrant who sadly lost his life due to sinophobic sentiment; he lived during the 1800s, during which incidents such as the chinese

massacre of 1871 as well as the burning of a san jose chinatown in 1887 happened. through learning of her family's past, jew was inspired to help create something to allow future generations of aapi to know about their heritage.

this commemorative month was originally a week, signed into law by president jimmy carter in 1978, designating it to be observed the week of may 4th. however, it was not made as an annual celebration, so it had to be renewed every year.

in 1990, congress passed a bill to make the week into a month, which was signed into law by president george hw bush. still, it was not created as an annual event, so it had to be renewed every year (again).

finally, in 1992, new york congressman frank horton introduced a bill to make it an annual, federally-recognized commemorative month. luckily, horton’s bill passed, and aapi heritage month became what it is today.

the existence of this month provides an opportunity for people to learn about the impacts that aapi have had on the united states, as well as learn about all of the different stories they have.

it is also critical that we do not lump together the diverse experiences of asian americans with the diverse experiences of native hawaiians & pacific islanders. our communities face different things & have different stories to tell!

thank you for reading :)) please let me know if i could've worded anything more appropriately! happy aapi heritage month to my fellow aapi!