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May commemorates Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Featured events include a mahjong discussion at a museum and a festival featuring dancers.
AARP (Getty Images, 2; Travel Oregon)
In May, the nation recognizes Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. The month is an opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of people of Asian descent and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. The commemoration is also known as Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. The first official recognition of the contributions of this community came in 1978 when the first seven days of May were designated as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. In 1992, the weeklong celebration turned into a month. May was chosen because it marked the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the U.S. in 1843 and the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, which many Asian immigrants helped build.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are approximately 24.7 million people in the United States as of 2022 who identify as Asian, covering a wide range of ethnicities. The largest Asian group is Chinese with 5.5 million people, followed by Asian Indians in second at 4.9 million. The Filipino population is the third largest in the U.S., with about 4.5 million people.
The Administration for Community Living in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that as of 2019, nearly 2.5 million Asian Americans were 65 and older, making up 4.6 percent of the older adult population. The population of Asian Americans 65-plus is expected to grow to nearly 3.8 million in 2030.
There are many celebratory activities and learning opportunities nationwide. Lois Cho, the executive director of AAPI Food & Wine and the CEO/cofounder of CHO Wines, hopes her event will “open up the conversation around diversity in wine and open the door to more diverse cultures in the wine community.”
It’s the third year for the AAPI Food & Wine Fest in Dayton, Oregon.
Travel Oregon
Here are some ways you can commemorate AAPI Heritage Month.
Museums and exhibits
Among the monthlong events at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., is a May 10 program, Reflection, Resilience, Reimagination: 50 Years of Southeast Asian American Journeys from 4 to 6 p.m. The event features a series of short films and excerpts from longer films marking the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War and the fall of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 1975. An intergenerational panel discussion will follow the screening. On May 17 from 3 to 7 p.m., mahjong takes center stage during Mahjong at the Museum: Book Talk and Gameplay with Nicole Wong. Topics include mahjong slang, house rules and how to host your mahjong night. General admission is free; registration is required.
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