Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month

In May, the Village of Wellington observes Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, an annual celebration that recognizes the historical and cultural contributions of individuals and groups of Asian and Pacific Islander descent to the United States. AAPI Heritage Month takes place from May 1 - May 31. 

Visit History.com to learn more about the observance of  AAPI Heritage Month.

The AAPI umbrella term includes cultures from the entire Asian continent including East, Southeast, and South Asia and the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. As of 2019, there were about 22.9 million people of Asian or Pacific Islander descent in the United States. According to the Pew Research Center, AAPI people are a diverse and growing population that makes up about 7% of the total U.S. population.  

Origins of AAPI Heritage Month

The effort to officially recognize Asian American and Pacific Islander contributions to the United States began in the late 1970s and took over 10 years to make it a permanent month-long celebration.  In 1977, New York representative Frank Horton introduced a resolution that proposed proclaiming the first 10 days of May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye introduced a similar joint resolution the same year. When the resolutions did not pass, Horton introduced a bill the following year, which requested the president to proclaim a week during the first 10 days of May starting in 1979, including May 7 and 10, as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week.  After the House and the Senate passed the Resolution, President Jimmy Carter signed it into law on Oct. 5, 1978. From 1980 to 1990, each president passed annual proclamations for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. In 1990, Congress expanded the observance from a week to a month. May was annually designated as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month in 1992 under the George H.W. Bush administration. Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month was renamed AAPI Heritage Month in 2009.

How May Become Known as Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month

Watch this video to learn the history of how May came to be known as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

Why celebrate AAPI Heritage Month?

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have contributed significantly to many facets of American culture and society, including science and medicine, literature and art, sports and recreation, government and politics, and activism and law.  In 2021, Kamala Harris became the first Asian American vice president of the United States. In film history, AAPI people, stories, and traditions have become more visible with South Korean director Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite winning the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2019 and the release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in 2021, debuting Marvel’s first Asian superhero.

AAPI people have a long history in the United States, despite the stereotype that they are “perpetual foreigners,” the idea that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are inherently foreign, other, and not truly American. According to the Bering Land Bridge Theory, Asians first migrated to what is now known as North America over 15,000 years ago through a land bridge between Asia and North America. In the 16th century, Filipinos who were escaping forced labor and enslavement during the Spanish galleon trade immigrated to North America, eventually establishing a settlement in St. Malo, La., in 1763. During the California Gold Rush of the 1850s, a wave of Asian immigrants came to the West Coast and provided labor for gold mines, factories, and the transcontinental railroad. In 1882, Congress enacted the Chinese Exclusion Act, which banned Chinese immigration for 20 years.

Japanese and Koreans began immigrating to the United States by 1885 to replace Chinese labor in railroad construction, farming, and fishing. However, in 1907, Japanese immigration was restricted by a “Gentlemen’s Agreement” between the United States and Japan. The civil rights movement assisted the liberalization of immigration laws. The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act changed restrictive national origin quotas and allowed for the large numbers of Asians and Pacific Islanders to come to the United States with their families. In the mid-1970s, refugees from Southeast Asia like Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos came to the United States to flee war, violence, and hardship.

Today, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are the fastest-growing racial group in the United States. AAPI Heritage Month celebrates the unique journey of all AAPI immigrants and citizens in the United States and their unique life experiences, traditions, and cultures.

Message from Wellington's Village Manager

Wellington's Village Manager, Jim Barnes, highlights the significance of celebrating the heritage and vital contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to the American Story. 

Events 

Asian American & Pacific Islander Night

On Friday, May 12th, Wellington invites the public to attend a special evening at Village Park in celebration of this vibrant community.

Aloha Islanders Samoan Fire Knife & Polynesian Dance Performances

Join the Aloha Islanders on a journey through Polynesia with pulsating drums, Hula dancers, and a Samoan Fire Knife Dance. This Polynesian show features an action-packed, non-stop revue of dances from Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, and New Zealand.

  • 7:00 PM

Free Movie Night

Important Information

  • Guests should bring their own blankets or chairs for seating
  • NO PETS — Dogs and Pets are not allowed in Village Park (with the exception of service animals).

For information on this and other events happening in the Village of Wellington, visit wellingtonfl.gov/events. 

The Smithsonian American Art Museum's Chiura Obata: American Modern Exhibition

This exhibition features 150 paintings and personal effects by one of the most significant California-based artists and Japanese American cultural leaders of the twentieth century.

Ansel Adams's Photographs of Japanese-American Internment at Manzanar

In 1943, Ansel Adams, America's most well-known photographer, documented the Manzanar War Relocation Center in California and the Japanese-Americans interned there during World War II. For the first time, digital scans of both Adams's original negatives and his photographic prints appear side by side allowing viewers to see Adams's darkroom technique, in particular, how he cropped his prints.

Asian Pacific Americans: Going for Broke | Stories from the Veterans History Project

Asian Pacific Americans made lasting contributions to America's wartime efforts. Collected stories highlight their service from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq.

Smithsonian APA Presents "OUR STORIES" Presenting and Preserving Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Stories

The Our Stories Digital Storytelling Initiative is to support the dissemination and perpetuation of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Island cultures through the media arts.

The NISEI Soldier - Congressional Gold Metal Documentary

Honoring the Japanese American World War II soldiers who fought in the service of the United States

This documentary presents the extraordinary life stories of 12 Nisei soldiers who served in the US Armed Forces in World War II. While some had families in America’s concentration camps, all served with a highly uncommon and commendable sense of patriotism and honor. This is their American story.

American Story: Japanese American WWII Soldiers and the Congressional Gold Medal

Additional Information & Resources

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Site from the National Archives

The National Archives holds a wealth of material documenting the Asian and Pacific Islanders' experience, and highlights these resources online, in programs, and through traditional and social media.

Educational Resources for Teachers

Browse ready-to-use lesson plans, student activities, collection guides, and research aids. 

Educational Websites