Did you Know?
May is Asian Pacific American (APA) Heritage Month—a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. APA Heritage Month originated in a congressional bill. Learn more. »
May was chosen for its significance in Asian American culture. The first Japanese person to arrive in the United States was on May 7, 1843, the transcontinental railroad was completed on May 10, 1869, with the majority of workers Chinese immigrants. Learn more. »
The official term “Asian-American” is widely encompassing, referring to people with origins in China, Japan, the Philippines, Korea, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Burma (Maynmar.) Additionally, it refers to people of Indian subcontinent. The term “Pacific Islander,” refers to people from Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island. Learn more. »
More than 50% of all Asian Americans live in just three states: California (3.7 million), New York (1 million), and Hawaii (503,000). Learn more. »
