AAPI Heritage Month
Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI)
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Georgetown McDonough celebrates Asian and Pacific Islander heritage in the US
Georgetown McDonough celebrates Asian and Pacific Islander heritage in the US
As May arrives, the Georgetown MBA Community unites to mark AANHPI Heritage Month, a period dedicated to honoring the rich history, culture, and contributions of Pacific Islanders, Native Hawaiians, East Asians, Southeast Asians, and South Asians in the United States
This month offers a special opportunity to recognize the profound impact these diverse groups have made on both our community and the world. It is a time to celebrate their enduring traditions, resilience, and the influential leaders who have championed progress, diversity, and inclusion.
Learn more at the Library of Congress's Asian Pacific American (APA) Heritage Month page
Upcoming & Recent Events
Upcoming & Recent Events
Celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2025 at the Smithsonian:
IlluminAsia: Arts and Culture Festival | National Museum of Asian Art
May 2025 (In-person)
Full schedule available on the museum’s website.Asia After Dark—Poetry, Comedy, Music | Freer Gallery of Art, Freer Courtyard
May 9 | 5:00–9:30 p.m. (In-person)Reflection, Resilience, Reimagination: 50 Years of Southeast Asian American Journeys | Smithsonian American Art Museum, McEvoy Auditorium
May 10 | 3:45–6:00 p.m. (In-person)
More info: Smithsonian Page
Mapping Asia and the Pacific Islands
Mapping Asia and the Pacific Islands
Asia can be divided into five regions:
Asia can be divided into five regions:
Central Asia: Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan
East Asia: China, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau
South Asia: Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Iran, and the Maldives
Southeast Asia: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vietnam
Western Asia (commonly "Middle East"): Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, State of Palestine, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen
The Pacific Islands can be grouped into three areas:
The Pacific Islands can be grouped into three areas:
Melanesia
Independent countries: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu
Other island groups: New Caledonia (France)
Micronesia
Independent countries: Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati (Western), Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau
Other Island Groups: Guam (US), Gilbert Islands (Kiribati), Northern Mariana Islands (US), Wake Island (US)
Polynesia
Independent Countries of Polynesia: Kiribati (Eastern), Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu,
Other Island Groups: American Samoa (US), Cook Islands (NZ), Hawaiian Islands (US), Pitcairn Islands (UK), French Polynesia (FR)
Evolution of the term "Asian American"
Evolution of the term "Asian American"
The term "Asian American" was originally coined in the 1960s by activists Yuji Ichioka and Emma Gee, forming a unified identity to foster solidarity among various Asian ethnicities in the U.S. against racial injustices. As demographic dynamics shifted, introducing more South and Southeast Asians, the term expanded to AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander), incorporating Pacific Islanders to reflect broader cultural and geographical diversity. This further evolved into AANHPI (Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders), emphasizing distinct historical and cultural identities and enhancing advocacy for more accurate representation in social and political contexts. These developments underscore a continuous effort to acknowledge and celebrate the diverse contributions of these communities to American society.
Source: History Channel
History of AANHPI Heritage Month
History of AANHPI Heritage Month
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month traces back to the 95th Congress (1977-1978), evolving from a week to a full month dedicated to celebrating Asian/Pacific Americans' contributions. Initially commemorated by President Jimmy Carter in 1979 as a heritage week, the observance was expanded to a month by President George H.W. Bush in 1990 after legislative changes. This expansion was later solidified by Congress in 1992, ensuring the annual celebration every May. Presidents from Carter through Biden have since issued proclamations to honor this heritage month, recognizing significant historical contributions of Asian/Pacific Americans to American society.
Source: Library of Congress
AAPI MBA Student Organizations
AAPI MBA Student Organizations
Asian Business Student Association (ABSA)
Asian Business Student Association (ABSA)
Georgetown Korea Business Association
Georgetown Korea Business Association
Greater China Business Association
Greater China Business Association
Japan Society
Japan Society
South Asian Business Alliance (SABA)
South Asian Business Alliance (SABA)
For additional support and resources, please reach out to MBA SGA Student Leaders.
Click here to view the full list of SGA Student Leaders, including VP of DEI
For additional support and resources, please reach out to MBA SGA Student Leaders.
Click here to view the full list of SGA Student Leaders, including VP of DEI
AANHPI Support Resources at Georgetown
AANHPI Support Resources at Georgetown
Georgetown University AAAPI ERG Group
Georgetown University AAAPI ERG Group
The AAAPI Employee Resource Group (AAAPI ERG) strives to support and sustain a network of professionals (faculty and staff) whose objective is to celebrate, empower and advance AAAPI identifying employees and allies at Georgetown University.
Their mission is to center AAAPI students, staff, and employees at Georgetown University and their distinct experiences, creating an inclusive, equitable, and just workplace environment. The group envisions an institution in which AAAPI employee voices are amplified through civic engagement, leadership cultivation, and advocacy.
Center for Multicultural Equity & Access
Center for Multicultural Equity & Access
Center for Multicultural Equity & Access (CMEA) enhances the education of students historically denied access to GU because of race, ethnicity, national origin, socioeconomic status, and other marginalized identities. To live out this mission, CMEA provides a variety of intentional and culturally-relevant programming, services, and opportunities to foster student success inside and outside of the classroom.
Live Safe Mobile Safety App
Live Safe Mobile Safety App
LiveSafe enables direct and discreet two-way communication with your community safety officials using text, picture, video, and audio. It also lets you virtually walk your friends and family home with SafeWalk. Plus much more!:
Request a SafeRide (if offered by your community)
Location sharing during emergencies
Access to safety resources and phone numbers
Safety map with key safety locations to keep you “in the know”
Georgetown's AAPI Toolkit
Georgetown's AAPI Toolkit
Books, resources, and links to help fight racism in regard to Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. This is a living document that serves as a launching point for more extensive study and action.
Georgetown University AAPI Heritage Month
Georgetown University AAPI Heritage Month
Georgetown University celebrates the many contributions of Georgetown’s Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community and highlights the teaching, scholarship, advocacy, and cultural enrichment efforts of our university community related to AAPI heritage.
Find out more at the GU AAPI Website
Darker Nations by Vijay Prashad
Call: D883.P74 2007
ISBN: 9781595583420
Publication Date: 2007
The Making of Asian America by Erika Lee
Call: E184.A75 L43 2015
ISBN: 9781476739403
Publication Date: 2015
Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong
Call: ebook
ISBN: 9781984820365
Publication Date: 2020
Strangers from a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans by Ronald Takaki
Call: E184.O6 T35 1998
ISBN: 9780316831307
Publication Date: 1998
Stuck by Margaret M. Chin
Call Number: HM1263 .C45 2020
ISBN: 9781479816811
Publication Date: 2020
Yellow Peril! by John Kuo Wei Tchen; Dylan Yeats
Call: E184.A75 Y45 2014
ISBN: 9781781681237
Publication Date: 2014
Calm resources to support AAPI students
In recognition of this year’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Calm is highlighting the importance of self-care and the many forms it can take. Calm has curated a selection of sleep stories, soundscapes, music, movement, and breathing exercises featuring celebrated AAPI artists, narrators, and mindfulness experts. Calm resources to support AAPI students
- Sleep Stories: A Day in Da Nang | My First Tuk-Tuk Ride
- Dailies: Cultivating Confidence with Mel Mah | The Main Thing with Jay Shetty
Resources on Allyship Retrieved from GM's ODECE Page
Allyship
Allyship
Anti-Oppression LibGuide: Allyship-Take Action by New York Institute of Technology Library
Dear White People: Use Your Words. Use Your Actions. Use Your Power
Raising Our Hands by Jenna Arnold
Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice by Paul Kivel
Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debbie Irving
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Race by Robin DiAngelo
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
Books on How To Be An Ally
Books on How To Be An Ally
Courageous Conversations About Race: A Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools, 2nd Edition (2015) Glenn Singleton
Race Amity: A Primer on America’s Other Tradition, Natl Center for Race Amity
White Privilege: Essential Readings on the Other Side of Racism, Paula Rothenberg
Woke Church: An Urgent Call for Christians in America to Confront Racism and Injustice, Eric Mason
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, Robin DiAngelo
On the Other Side of Freedom by DeRay Mckesson
Privilege: Power and Difference, Allan Johnson
Privilege: A Reader, Michael Kimmel & Abby Ferber
Raising Race Questions, Ali Michael
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Michelle Alexander
Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson
America’s Original Sin: America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America, Jim Wallis
Slavery By Another Name, Douglas Blackmon
When Affirmative Action Was White, Ira Katznelson
So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo
The Color of Law: The Forgotten Story of How Government Segregated America, Richard Rothstein
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, Ibram X. Kendi
How to be an Antiracist, Ibram X. Kendi
White Awake: An Honest Look at What it Means to be White, Daniel Hill
Empire of Cotton: A Global History, Sven Beckert
Slavery’s Capitalism: A New History of American Economic Development, Sven Beckert and Seth Rockman
The Business of Slavery and the Rise of American Capitalism, Calvin Schermerhorn
The History of White People, Nell Irvin Painter
Looking for more ways to get involved or to connect with your community? Learn more about Georgetown’s DEI resources here.
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