Asian Pacific American
Heritage Month , Celebrations Have Begun.
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month lasts throughout the month of May.
Community leaders say the month is a great time to raise awareness of issues that Asian Americans face.
as well as an important time to celebrate the diversity within the community.
Our history is also filled with incredible stories of resilience, of persistence, of determination, to fight for our basic rights, Cynthia Choi, Stop AAPI Hate Co-founder, via NPR News.
This is a celebration of our history, of our culture ... , Cynthia Choi, Stop AAPI Hate Co-founder, via NPR News.
... and all the different ways in which our community has really demonstrated that we're not only here to stay, we are a part of this fabric — a part of this country, Cynthia Choi, Stop AAPI Hate Co-founder, via NPR News.
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month began as a federally sanctioned week-long celebration in 1979.
The celebration was extended to a month in 1990, with May designated as the official month in 1992.
May was chosen to mark the substantial contribution of Chinese immigrants to the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, .
May was chosen to mark the substantial contribution of Chinese immigrants to the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, .
as well as the arrival of the first immigrants to the U.S. from Japan.
The theme of this year's Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is "Advancing Leaders Through Collaboration.".
Community leaders say that that diversity of leadership is a vital concept for innovation.
When you have diversity at the leadership table, the magnitude of what you can accomplish
is enormous, Fahmida Chhipa, FAPAC VP, via NPR News.
You really expand yourself in the horizons to have something creative and innovative, Fahmida Chhipa, FAPAC VP, via NPR News