Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month - Learning our History & Celebrating our Accomplishments

April 10, 2023 1:18 PM
by Sharon Wong

May 1 marks the beginning of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the contributions of the AAPI community. This month can also be a time for all Americans to actively participate in educating themselves about Asian and Pacific Island culture. Self-education could include reading a book, watching a documentary, or talking to someone who lived through challenging times in the U.S. Learning about the history and hardships of another culture is a good starting point in one’s journey to celebrating that culture.

You can get a taste of Asian culture in the movie Everything Everywhere All at Once, the winner of a record-breaking seven academy awards this year, but you'll gain a richer understanding of Asian and Pacific Island culture by learning about the long history of injustice faced by AAPI people in the U.S. Some of these grievances include the Page Act of 1875, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, and the murder of Vincent Chin in 1982.

After gaining some knowledge of the challenges, you can celebrate AAPI Heritage Month by joining one or more of the AAPI activities curated by the Coalition of Asians & Pacific Employees of Santa Monica (CAPE SM). Activities are: 

Authored By

Sharon Wong
Guest Services Assistant

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Arts, Culture & Fun