AANHPI Heritage Month: Celebrating in the Workplace
First Transcontinental Railroad, year 1869 (Wikipedia, Andrew J. Russel)
What is AANHPI Heritage month about and why do we celebrate it in May? AANHPI stands for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander and that long name encompasses a huge group of people, from multiple backgrounds, countries, and ethnicities. There are no particular holidays from any Asian cultures at this time, so why choose May to celebrate the heritages that originate from 20 countries in the East?
May 7, 1843 marks the arrival of the first known Japanese immigrants to the U.S.
May 10,1869 was the completion of the transcontinental railroad, which up to 20,000 Chinese workers participated in.
The Timeline History of AANHPI Month
In 1978, a bill was introduced requesting for the week beginning on May 4th to be designated Asian Pacific American Heritage Week. This was passed and signed by President Jimmy Carter.
In 1990, the week expanded to a month signed by Congress and President George H.W. Bush. as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.
In 1992, it was officially designated as a commemorative month.
This initiative was led by Ruby Moy, an admin assistant to US representative of NY and Jeannie Jew, a former staffer on Capitol Hill and Board member of the OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates. Frustrated that Asian Pacific Americans were not being included as recognized communities compared to the national observances already being celebrated at the time for Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage Week as national celebrations.
Historical protests of AANHPI individuals (pinterest.com)
She also wanted to commemorate her great grandfather who contributed to building the Transcontinental Railroad.
In 2000, the U.S. Census made the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) a distinct racial category from the Asian American category. Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander is defined as “a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.” The AA and NHPI population consist of over 50 distinct ethnicities in the U.S. Historically, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders have been lumped into an umbrella racial category.
In 2009, the name of the heritage month officially changed to Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage month to include Islanders in the celebration to remember the challenges and celebrate the achievements that define our history. This was a proclamation announced by President Barack Obama in 2009 and he spent most of his childhood in Hawaii.
Asian American and Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month image of dancers or performers in traditional clothing (nps.gov)
The Rise and Growth of Asian Communities and Activism in the U.S.
Asians are the fastest growing racial group in the country. The U.S. Asian population is projected to reach 46 million by 2060 and is now a record of 23 million Asian Americans tracing roots to more than 20 countries in East and Southeast Asia and India. The 6 origin groups that make up 85% of all Asian Americans are: Chinese, Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese. Almost half (45%) live in the West, followed by 24% live in the South, 19% live in the Northeast and 12% live in the Midwest.
The term "Asian American" was coined in 1968 from Berkeley students inspired by the Black Power Movement and created to encourage people to use it instead of the derogatory word, “Oriental.” Emma Gee and Yuji Ichioka who were graduate students at the time in need of a name for their student organization, which aimed at increasing visibility of activists of Asian descent. They saw the opportunity to come up with a term to bring together different groups of people of Asian origin.
Workplace and Language Discrimination Against Asian Workers
There are other terms that have kept AANHPI from thriving. The “Bamboo Ceiling” was coined in 2005 by Jane Hyun in Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Career Strategies for Asians. It describes the barriers faced by Asian Americans in the workplace including discrimination, stereotypes, and racism creating difficulty Asians face in the corporate world in breaking through to upper management. According to AAPI Victory Fun, only 3.1% of over 5,000 Fortune 500 board of director seats are Asian Americans. And nearly 80% of the Fortune 500 corporations have NO Asian Americans on their board. This is why it is important for us to acknowledge this to break the bamboo ceiling and elevate Asians to leadership roles and opportunities
The other term is Model Minority. It was coined in 1966 by sociologist William Petersen in this article he wrote for NYT magazine, "Success Story: Japanese American Style" emphasizing the hard work allowing Japanese Americans to overcome discrimination against their group to achieve success. This term classifies Asian Americans as successful, wealthy, hard-working, and smart. The model minority stereotype is problematic because it masks many of the struggles faced by Asian Americans and it hides anti-Asian racism while assuming Asians do not need any help.
How to Support Future Change
What are some actions to take as an individual, an ally, and an organization? For AANHPI individuals, actions could include:
Give yourself permission to take mental health days
Make time to self-reflect
Educate yourself
Find your voice to share your story
There are many ways to be a better Ally:
Donate or intentionally bring your business to AAPI or AANHPI organizations to support the local communities and causes
Enroll in bystander intervention and allyship training or workshops
Check in with your AANHPI community
And follow AAPI leaders and organizations.
As for companies, acknowledge what is happening to not continue business as usual. Do not be silent about what is happening in the world or else people will think you do not care.
Support AANHPI owned businesses
Create safe spaces and provide resources for your employees and actively support employee resource groups (ERGs) and DEI committees. Consider implementing them if you do not have the resources already.
Amplify and elevate AAPI employees