01 Jun The African American, Asian American Connection

Throughout May people across the U.S. observed Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. There are 24 million Asians and 1.6 million Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders living in the U.S. today. (HHS.gov 2022) That’s nearly 8% of the total population.

President Gerald Ford decreed Black History Month as a national observance in 1976. Hispanic Heritage Week (which eventually grew into a full month) was designated as a national celebration by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968. Jeanie Jew, a former Capitol Hill Staffer was a force behind the official recognition of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Jew drew on her own family’s experience that drove her belief that “not only should Asians understand their own heritage, but that all Americans must know about the contributions and histories of the Asian-Pacific American experience in the United States.” (Yahoo!news, 2019).

The celebration started as a week of May in 1977 and was recognized as a full month when signed into law under George H.W. Bush in 1989 (Celebrating Cultural Heritage Months, ThoughtCo, 2020)

#blacklivesmatter meets #stopasianhate

Alliances between Asian Americans and Black Americans in the fight for Civil Rights and against hate are not new. In the news today you will see examples of support between the #blacklivesmatter and #stopasianhate movements, marching for and with each other, speaking out against hate and injustice wherever it is present.

All across the west coast and in particular, in Seattle and California Asian Americans have long supported the Black community in their fight for justice. Mike Tagawa, whose parents were Japanese, was born in an internment camp in the US. He was one of the first members of Asian descent to join the Black Panther Party, Seattle Chapter.

Casting a Broad Net for Inclusion

As we think of inclusion, it’s important to cast a broad net. Not only with each group individually, but also embrace the synergies and experiences that transcend different groups and make them strong allies. By recognizing ourselves in the experiences of others, we build coalitions that make everyone stronger.