We were delighted to see more people joined us this year to celebrate the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Culture and Heritage Month at the Cherry Hill Public Library on May 15, 2022. We also appreciate the support from the elected officials including Congressmen Andy Kim and George Norcross, Cherry Hill Mayor Susan Shin Angulo, and Councilwoman Sangeeta Doshi. Kudos to the board members of AAASJ and dozens of volunteers from our community who worked months to make the event happen!

We also celebrated the passage of legislation (/A6100 and S3764/A3369) that will ensure the contributions, history, and heritage of AAPI are included in the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Social Studies for students in kindergarten through Grade 12. The legislation will create an AAPI curriculum requirement for schools and will establish the Commission for Asian American Heritage within the Department of Education. NJ is the second state in the nation to do so! Thanks to many members of our community for their contributions by providing testimonies to the legislators in Trenton, sending petitions and holding rallies. Your advocacy Worked!

Let’s keep making AAPI visible, making our voices heard, writing our own narrative, creating a more inclusive America!