Introduction  (from original publication of the website: May 2021)

In May we celebrate Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month in the United States, which honors Asians and Pacific Islander experiences and cultures (AAPI; or those with heritage from the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia and Polynesia). May was chosen to commemorate the first Japanese immigrants to the United States in 1843 and the transcontinental railroad's 100th anniversary on May 10, 1869, predominantly built by Chinese immigrant workers. 

During this month of celebration, it is also important to reflect. Because America’s relationship with the AAPI community has always been far from perfect.  

Research reveals that 3,800 anti-Asian incidents were reported since the start of the pandemic — a number significantly higher than an already high number, 2600, in 2020 over the span of 5 months. The majority of the victims of these hate crimes are women. Data collected between March 2020 and February 2021 shows that roughly 503 incidents happened in 2021 alone. Most common types of racial discrimination were verbal harassment and shunning, though physical assault made up 11.1% of all reported incidents. Many reported incidents happened at businesses and public streets. The verbal harassment that women received are reflections of racism and sexism rooted in our country.

What is this website? 

A digital archive of Asian cultures, personal stories, and resources for Asian Americans and those wanting to learn more about Asian culture. This website is designed to broaden the scope beyond America’s Eurocentric history and literature schooling, as well as debunk myths and stereotypes about Asia. 

Why are we making this website? Why is this important? 

Partially, we are making this website to address the rise in AAPI hate crimes since the start of the pandemic. However, it’s important to realize that we are more than sob stories or another political activism trend to follow and drop. Subtle and not-so-subtle discrimination against Asian Americans has been part of our story for years, but despite this, our rich cultures continue to thrive. Our second goal is to showcase AAPI cultures; to demonstrate that we are much more diverse than Eurocentric media and school curriculum portray them to be. 

Together, let’s fight back against AAPI discrimination, break the AAPI monolith myth, and celebrate the distinct experiences of Asians in America. 

We invite you to explore the information here to increase your understanding of Asian culture. 

Introduction creators: Yehoon Jang, Crystal Hu, Nathaniel Dvorkin, Rita Tan, Isabelle Lim, Kyle Zhang,  Elaine Xu, Salomé Longchamps

Click below to watch the PBS Docuseries: Asian Americans

Student Contributors: Anika Basu, Peter Dillman, Sydney Elliot, Annabelle Huang, Anushka Jain, Aline Keremian, Raya Kompany, Neo Scarbrough, Charlotte Shaw, Kira Tang, Ellen Wang, Grace Wang, Michelle Wu, Elaine Xu, Rachel Yin, Toshio Yuki, Jovy Zhou

Educator Contributors: Jessica Antoline, Jane Day, Caroline Fantasia, Esther Kim, Maggie Shih, Ann Kim Tenhor