Ways to Celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
May is Asian Pacific American (APA) Heritage Month and there are lots of events happening, in-person and online to celebrate it. APA Heritage Month started as a week long commemoration from May 4th-11th. This week was picked because it encompassed the dates when the first Japanese immigrants came to the United States in 1843 and when the Transcontinental Railroad were completed. APA week turned into the entire month of May after 10 years of advocacy. There are many people we can thank for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, including:
Jeanie F. Jew, Capital Hill staff member, board member of the Organization of Chinese Americans, and eventual founder of the Asian Pacific Congressional Staff Caucus
Ruby Moy, Capital Hill staff member and eventual founder of the Asian Pacific Congressional Staff Caucus
Congressman Norman Mineta of California
Congressman Frank Horton of New York
Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii
Senator Spark Matsunaga of Hawaii
Organization of Chinese Americans
Japanese American Citizens League
Organization of Chinese American Women
Image Credit: CAAMFEST.
To learn more about the history of APA Heritage Month, click here and here.
The San Francisco Asian Pacific American Heritage website has lots of events happening all over the city and it’s organized by interest area, you can check out their online guide here.
The Exploratorium is having an event on Thursday, May 6, called After Dark Online: Stories from Chinatown. James Q. Chan, an Emmy-nominated director and producer based in San Francisco, will share the latest episode in his documentary series, Chinatown Stories: You Are Here. He will be joined by Dorothy Quock, researcher and beloved Chinatown community elder, for a live conversation about the series. Learn more and join this free event here.
Image Credit: San Francisco Public Library.
The San Francisco Public Library will has three events; a panel, book club, and cooking class that center APA voices and practices. These are all free and virtual, to sign-up and learn more, click here.
The Asian Art Museum has a variety of events, art exhibits, and online resources. To sign up and learn more about these events, click here. They are also currently open Thursday from 1-8 PM, and Friday-Monday 10 AM-5PM and try to have accessible prices for those who want to visit:
Admission is free for children 12 & under, SFUSD students, active-duty military, and essential workers.
Admission is $10 for people ages 13–17, college students (with ID), ages 65 & up.
Admission is $10 for Thursday nights.
General admission for adults is $15.
To learn more about ticket prices, hours, and visiting the Asian Art Museum, click here.
We encourage everyone to continue to learn and show support for the APA community year round.
Image Credit: Asian Art Museum.