According to 2021 census data, there are 24 million people of Asian descent living in the U.S., as well as 1.7 million people who are Native Hawaiian or come from other Pacific Islands.
The annual celebration of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans began as a week-long observance in 1978 and extended to the full month of May in 1990. President George H.W. Bush officially designated the month of May as Asian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month in 1992, and it was later renamed Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in 2009.
Why We Celebrate in May
May commemorates two significant points in time for Asian and Pacific Islander migration to the U.S.
The first was in 1841 when 14-year-old fisherman Manjiro was rescued by a whaling ship after drifting away from his home in Japan and brought to the island of Oahu, where he took an interest in whaling. William Whitfield, the ship's captain, adopted Manjiro, renamed him John Mung, and brought him to his hometown of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, on May 7, 1843. Manjiro is considered to be the first Japanese immigrant to the United States and was referred to as the country’s first ambassador to Japan.
The second major event occurred on May 10, 1869, with the completion of the transcontinental railroad, the majority of which was built by Chinese immigrants.
Honoring this Heritage Month in Pittsburgh
🎧 Pittsburgh had a thriving Chinatown in the mid-1800s, but city officials decimated the neighborhood in the 1910s and ‘20s with the construction of the Boulevard of the Allies. City Cast Pittsburgh spoke with Marian Lien, president of the Pittsburgh chapter of the OCA, to learn more about our shared history.
Connect With Pittsburgh AAPPI Groups
We’ll be keeping an eye out for events all month. Here are the accounts we’re following:
- @jadedpgh: An artist collective celebrating AAPI art and culture in Pittsburgh.
- @aapiwomennb.pgh: Creating a space for AAPI women and non-binary people to connect, heal, and share info.
- @rangolipgh: Creating community and uplifting voices of LGBTQ+ South Asians in Pittsburgh.
- OCA Pittsburgh: Asian Pacific American advocates dedicated to advancing the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans.
- @apalapgh: The official page for the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance Pittsburgh Chapter.
➕ Check out this 2021 City Paper article for more AAPI Pittsburgh orgs.
📩 Are you hosting an AAPI Heritage Month event? Or, know of one? Email us!
