Asian American and Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month


Since 1990, the U.S. government has designated the month of May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, celebrating the achievements and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in the United States. The month of May was chosen to mark the arrival of the first Japanese immigrant to the United States on May 7, 1843, as well as the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869.

The U.S. federal government defines the term AAPI to include “all people of Asian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander ancestry who trace their origins to the countries, states, jurisdictions and/or the diasporic communities of these geographic regions.

National Resources

  • Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ) “Our mission is to advance civil and human rights for Asian Americans and to build and promote a fair and equitable society for all”
  • National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) “To achieve optimal representation and influence of Asian American and Pacific Islander attorneys in every facet and level of the legal profession and beyond.”
  • Asian/Pacific Heritage Month (APHM) “This Web portal is a collaborative project of the Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The contents of this site highlight only a small portion of the physical and digital holdings of the participating partners.”
  • Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIA Vote) “Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) is the nation’s leading nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to engaging, educating, and empowering Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities to strengthen their voices and create impact.”
  • Asian American Pacific Islander Data (AAPI Data) “A nationally recognized publisher of demographic data and policy research on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, with hundreds of news mentions in national and local outlets. Our reputation is built on data and research that is accurate, compelling, and timely. In addition to our news impact, community organizations, government agencies, and decisionmakers regularly reach out to us, to better understand key aspects of AAPI communities.”
  • Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence (API-GBV) “A national resource center on domestic violence, sexual violence, trafficking, and other forms of gender-based violence in Asian/Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. We envision a world free of gender-based violence for communities with equal opportunities for all to thrive.”
  • Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy & Leadership (APPEAL) “A national health justice organization working to achieve health equity for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders and other underserved communities. The mission of APPEAL is to champion social justice and achieve parity and empowerment for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders by supporting and mobilizing community-led movements through advocacy and leadership development on critical public health issues.”
  • Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) “Dedicated to capacity building and providing support services to agencies and organizations focused primarily on Native communities in Hawaii and the Pacific. The mission of CNHA is to enhance the well-being of Hawaii through the cultural, economic, political and community development of Native Hawaiians.”
  • Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC) “Mission is to promote social justice by engaging Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities through culturally relevant advocacy, research, and leadership development. We know there is a need to build a strong and unified advocacy voice for NHPIs; telling our story through data, and developing a pipeline of strong leaders who can be advocates and influencers in, and on behalf of, the community. EPIC is fiscally sponsored by Community Partners.”
  • National Council of Asian Pacific Americans “Founded in 1996, is a coalition of 38 national Asian Pacific American organizations around the country. Based in Washington D.C., NCAPA serves to represent the interests of the greater Asian American (AA) and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (NHPI) communities and to provide a national voice for AA and NHPI issues.”
  • National Strategy to Advance Equity, Justice, and Opportunity for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) Communities “Comprises action plans prepared by 32 federal agencies—including all 15 executive departments in the President’s Cabinet—to build on the Administration’s broader equity agenda and details much needed investments in AA and NHPI communities and priorities, including data disaggregation, language access, and combatting anti-Asian hate.

Supreme Court Law Library Resources/Materials

  • Ancheta, Angelo N. Race, rights, and the Asian American experience. Rutgers University Press, 2006. [KF4757.5 A75 A87 2006]
  • Hernandez, Tanya Kateri. Multiracials and civil rights: mixed-race stories of discrimination. New York University Press, 2018. [KF4755 H47 2018]
  • Mollway, Susan Oki. The first fifteen: how Asian American women became federal judges. Rutgers University Press, 2021. [KF372 M65 2022]
  • Silva, Noenoe K. Aloha betrayed: Native Hawaiian resistance to American colonialism. Duke University Press, 2004. [DU625 S49 2004]
  • Takaki, Ronald T. Pau hana: plantation life and labor in Hawaii, 1835-1920. University of Hawaii Press, 1983. [RefRm HD8039 S86 1983]
  • Wu, Frank H. Yellow: race in America beyond black and white. Basic Books, 2002. [E184.06 W84 2002]