Hello Meltingpot Community,
Let’s be honest. Pretty much everyone knows that February his Black History Month in the United States. Schools, public institutions, Hollywood. Everywhere in America, February is the Blackest month of the year. And likewise, anyone who has a career based in Blackness, is hella busy all February long. Heck, even Target got the memo and rolled out the red carpet this year for Black History Month.
May is Asian American History Month
So, why don’t we have the same level of hoopla and recognition in May for Asian American History Month? For starters, it’s not Asian American History Month, it’s actually Asian /Pacific American Heritage Month. That’s a mouthful for sure, but you can just use the hashtag #APAHM if you must. But regardless of how long the name is, Asian/Pacific American Heritage has been celebrated every May in this country since 1977, and yet I’d bet most Americans aren’t even aware it’s a federally designated celebration.
And that’s a problem.
Asian American History is American History
Asian Americans make up over five percent of the United States population and are the fastest growing ethnic group in the country. And it goes without saying that their contributions to American history and popular culture go way beyond their relatively small number. From arts and culture, to food, technology, business, politics and civil rights, Asian American history is American history. And despite the fact that there is this special month designated to highlighting this too often overlooked and under appreciated community, Asian Americans continue to be seen as recent immigrants, outsiders and decidedly unAmerican. This has become widely apparent with the current Covid-19 crisis.
Thankfully, there are plenty of people, places and institutions who are trying to make more Americans aware of the Asian American experience, including their influential input and impact on these here United States. Of course, people can put out endless amounts of the most informative content, but individuals have to take it upon themselves to consume it. To read the books. To watch the films. To listen to the podcasts. To attend the workshops. And craziest of all, to maybe even talk to an actual Asian-American person. Lucky for all of us, much of this amazing content is front and center right now, because it’s May!
Watch Asian Americans on PBS
To jump start your celebration of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, try watching this incredibly comprehensive and totally bingeable new PBS series, Asian Americans. (I know, catchy title). The five-part series is a co-production of the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) and WETA for PBS. It premiered earlier this week, and will air again on PBS on May 15 and May 22. But you can also stream the entire series for the next 30 days for free on PBS.org.
About the series:
“Told through individual lives and personal histories, ASIAN AMERICANS explores the impact of this group on the country’s past, present, and future.
Led by a team of Asian American filmmakers, including Academy Award®-nominated series producer Renee Tajima-Peña (Who Killed Vincent Chin?, No Más Bebés), ASIAN AMERICANS examines the significant role of Asian Americans in shaping American history and identity, from the first wave of Asian immigrants in the 1850s and identity politics during the social and cultural turmoil of the twentieth century to modern refugee crises in a globally connected world.”
Watch the Movie, Celebrate the Community
Okay, Meltingpot Community, I know we’re all stuck at home looking for new engaging content to consume, so I’m going to challenge you all to watch this entire series. Not only because it’s Asian American history month, although that’s a good enough reason, but because we’re never going to fix this broken country of ours if we don’t understand our own history. And that history isn’t just black and white with a sprinkle of other colors. Our history is a braided tapestry of cultures, colors, languages and ethnicities. Remember that.
So, please join me and let’s watch Asian Americans and find other ways to celebrate and honor Asian/Pacific Americans this month of May.
Peace!
