Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
May brings Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, a wonderful time to celebrate the rich culture, history, and contributions of the AAPI communities. There are many who have broken barriers and fought for civil rights. While all the heritage months are important, AAPI Heritage Month usually doesn’t receive the same recognition as other heritage months, so I’m hoping more people will recognize the importance of celebrating AAPIs. In this article, I will focus on seven inspiring AAPI figures, but there are countless more individuals who have enriched our society.
Jeanie Jew
We can thank Jeanie Jew for establishing the Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week, which later became an entire month ("Jeanie Jew," Time). Jeanie, a fourth-generation Chinese American and former Capitol Hill staffer, desired for Asian Americans to receive more recognition and to be able to share her family’s history. She lobbied Congress to honor the contributions of AAPIs and worked closely with Representative Frank Horton on the legislation. Her grandfather was a Chinese immigrant who helped build the transcontinental railroad. Jeanie’s dedication to honor Asian Americans is the reason we have AAPI Heritage Month today. We can thank Jeanie Jew for establishing the Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week, which later became an entire month ("Jeanie Jew," Time). Jeanie, a fourth-generation Chinese American and former Capitol Hill staffer, desired for Asian Americans to receive more recognition and to be able to share her family’s history. She lobbied Congress to honor the contributions of AAPIs and worked closely with Representative Frank Horton on the legislation. Her grandfather was a Chinese immigrant who helped build the transcontinental railroad. Jeanie’s dedication to honor Asian Americans is the reason we have AAPI Heritage Month today.
Patsy Mink
In 1964, Patsy Mink became the first Asian American woman and the first woman of color to be elected to the U.S. Congress ("10+ Asian Pacific Americans," Social Studies). As Representative of Hawaii, she advocated for women’s equality, civil rights, and education reform. She was a co-author of Title IX, the groundbreaking legislation, which prohibited gender discrimination in federally funded education programs. In 2002, Title IX was renamed to the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act to honor her contributions. Patsy’s dedication to equality and fairness has made the world a better place.
Tammy Duckworth
Tammy Duckworth, both an Army veteran and U.S. Senator representing Illinois, is the first Thai American woman that has been elected to Congress and also the first woman with a disability in the Senate ("10+ Asian Pacific Americans," Social Studies). During the Iraq War, she unfortunately lost both her legs, and became a disability rights and veterans’ activist. Her additional areas of focus include expanding healthcare access, increasing affordable childcare, and helping military families. Her courage and perseverance have inspired many with disabilities that they can live impactful lives. One fun fact is that she is the first Senator to give birth while in office.
I.M. Pei
I.M Pei, short for Ieoh Ming Pei, was a Chinese American architect. Some of his most famous designs include the glass pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris and the East Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. ("10+ Asian Pacific Americans," Social Studies). He enjoyed combining traditional Chinese architectural elements with modern architectural techniques. I.M. also received his education from both MIT and Harvard. He earned countless awards, including the Pritzker Architecture Prize, considered the “Nobel Prize of architecture”, for his outstanding designs. His revolutionary designs still inspire architects today.
Kristi Yamaguchi
In 1992, Kristi Yamaguchi was the first Asian American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating at the Winter Olympics ("Olympian Kristi Yamaguchi," AP News). She has also written countless children’s books and founded the Always Dream Foundation in 1996 to help increase early childhood literacy (the Always Dream Foundation). Her non-profit has helped many children improve their reading literacy, specifically in the San Francisco Bay Area and Hawaii school districts with a grand total of 227,631 books read for the 2023-24 school year (the Always Dream Foundation). Mattel also honored Kristi with her own Barbie doll in their "Inspiring Women Series” ("Olympian Kristi Yamaguchi," AP News).
Amanda Nguyen
Amanda Nguyen, a civil rights activist and sexual assault survivor, was instrumental in helping draft and pass the Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights in 2016 through her nonprofit organization Rise ("Activist Amanda Nguyen," Teen Vogue). This act gave a uniform set of rights and regulations for survivors across a federal level, including the right to informative rape kit procedures and notification and survivors’ advocacy (Rise, "Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill). Amanda has also spoken out against Asian hate crimes and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize ("Activist Amanda Nguyen," Teen Vogue). Her inspiring book, Saving Fire: A Memoir of Hope, discusses her traumatic childhood and sexual assault at Harvard.
Diana Ming Chan
In San Francisco’s Chinatown, Diana Ming Chan was the first Cantonese-speaking bilingual social worker ("Diana Ming Chan," NASW Foundation). Her passions included helping immigrants, mentoring new social workers, and creating different social service programs, including youth development programs and community health initiatives. She also campaigned for increasing the number of social workers in the San Francisco Unified School District, because California underutilized them. Her impressive 54-year career won her numerous accolades, including the NASW California Chapter’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Her love for social work encouraged her to establish a scholarship fund for future social workers.
These influential individuals showcase only some of the countless contributions of the AAPI communities across many different sectors. Learning about some of the hidden figures in AAPI history has been very fun and I encourage everyone to learn more. I wish everyone a wonderful AAPI Heritage Month.
Works Cited
"Activist Amanda Nguyen on Anti-Asian Racism, Justice, and Joy." Teen Vogue, https://www.teenvogue.com/story/amanda-nguyen-on-anti-asian-racism-justice-and-joy.
"Always Dream Foundation." Always Dream, https://alwaysdream.org/.
"Diana Ming Chan." NASW Foundation, https://www.naswfoundation.org/Our-Work/NASW-Social-Work-Pioneers/NASW-Social-Workers-Pioneers-Bio-Index/id/592.
"Jeanie Jew." Time, 23 May 2019, https://time.com/5592591/asian-pacific-heritage-month-history/.
"10+ Asian Pacific Americans to Celebrate this Heritage Month." Social Studies, 23 May 2021, https://www.socialstudies.com/blog/10-asian-pacific-americans-to-celebrate-this-heritage-month/.
"Olympian Kristi Yamaguchi is 'tickled pink' to inspire a Barbie doll." AP News, https://apnews.com/article/05138c29e0996592f5e5a052980b8c9a.
Rise. "Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights." Rise, https://risenow.us/impact/sexual-assault-survivors-bill-of-rights/. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
Wong, Leah. "Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights: A Victory for Advocacy." The Regulatory Review, 9 Nov. 2016, https://www.theregreview.org/2016/11/09/wong-sexual-assault-survivors-bill-of-rights/.
