Celebrate Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month this May with the WLD!

A new month means even more to celebrate! The month of May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month—a time to celebrate and pay tribute to the generations of Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America’s history and are instrumental in its future success. 

The IndyBar Women and the Law Division invites you to celebrate by exploring Asian and Pacific Islander history, arts and culture. Check out these great resources: 

• The Library of Congress: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
• Google Arts & Culture: 12 Ways to Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
• The History Channel: Asian American and Pacific Islander History
• PBS: Asian Americans

About AAPI Heritage Month:
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month began as a one-week celebration in 1978, by way of a joint congressional resolution. In 1992, Congress expanded the observance to a month-long celebration that is now known as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The month of May was selected to commemorate two important milestones in Asian/Pacific American history: the arrival of the first Japanese to the U.S. on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants. On April 30, 2021, President Biden issued a proclamation declaring May as Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month. 

In 1997, a U.S. Office of Management and Budget directive separated the Asian or Pacific Islander racial category into two categories: Asian and Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander. The Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community is the fastest growing racial group in the country, growing over four times as rapidly as the total U.S. population and expected to double to over 47 million by 2060.