Historic AAPI Figures

Jeanie Jew, a former Capitol Hill worker, was the spark that led to the founding of AAPIHM. She brought the idea to Representative Frank Horton in the 1970s, leading to its eventual establishment. Jew's great-grandfather, M.Y. Lee, was one of the Chinese workers that helped build the transcontinental railroad but was later killed in the Chinese Massacre of 1871. To raise awareness of the plights of the AAPI community and commemorate their efforts, Jew advocated for a time dedicated to both.

Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawai‘i, along with Representative Frank Horton of New York, were the two members of Congress fundamental in establishing AAPIHM. Having served in World War II as part of a Japanese American regiment, Inouye was awarded for his bravery and service before becoming a lawyer and later politician in Hawai‘i. Though Horton was the one that introduced the resolution that eventually led to AAPIHM's formation, Inouye's efforts were foundational in this process.

Anna May Wong was the first Chinese-American film star in the United States. She was born in California in 1905 to two Taishanese-American parents. During her career, she was featured in over 60 films, including silent movies, and television, and one of the first technicolor films. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the period, she was often cast in stereotypical Asian roles in otherwise all-white films. Despite this, Wong was outspoken about the mistreatment she and other minorities received from Hollywood. At one point, she was even denied the role of a Chinese character that was instead given to a white woman wearing yellowface. Although she faced many disappointments and struggles in her career, she is remembered for being a trailblazer of her era.

Philip Vera Cruz was a Filipino American labor leader and civil rights activist who greatly influenced the change in working conditions for thousands of workers. During his time, many Filipino immigrants came to the U.S. to work in manongs, or agricultural fields. The conditions were extremely poor, and workers were often exploited. In order to combat this, Cruz worked alongside people like Larry Itliong and Cesar Chavez to improve conditions for Filipino and Mexican farmworkers.

Larry Itliong emigrated from the Philippines to California in 1929. Though he aspired to be an attorney, he faced poverty and racism which made him unable to achieve that dream. Instead, he became a labor leader and founded the United Farm Workers alongside Philip Cruz Vera, Delores Huerta, and Cesar Chavez. This was a union dedicated to fighting for farmworkers' rights, and ultimately, succeeded in changing the way workers were treated in the agricultural industry.

Kalpana Chawla was an Indian American engineer and astronaut who was the first South Asian woman to go into space. From an early age, she was enamored with flying and was active in a local flying club in India, where she got her first experience with small aircraft. As an adult, she realized her dream of becoming an astronaut and launched into space on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997. Chawla worked as a mission specialist and the prime robotic arm operator. In 2003, she was a part of another space mission on board the Challenger–however, this one would end in disaster. Though her life was cut short due to the accident, Chawla's contributions, along with her team's, helped scientists gain a better understanding of space.

Hiram Leong Fong was born in Hawaii, with both of his parents being illiterate Cantonese immigrants. Although he worked menial jobs all throughout his early life to pay for his college tuition, he eventually graduated from Harvard Law School with a law degree. After fighting in the U.S. Army Air Force following the Pearl Harbor attack, Fong became not only one of Hawaii's first Senators but also the first Asian American Senator in the U.S., serving from 1959 until 1977 for 18 years.

Dalip Singh Saund was born and raised in India in 1899. After immigrating to the U.S., he worked as a farmer for a few years. During this time, he witnessed the struggles of the Great Depression, leading him to support and join the Democratic Party. Saund eventually ran for Congress and was elected as the first Asian American, Indian American, and Sikh American to serve in the House of Representatives. Though he faced racism and xenophobia in his role, Saund used his platform to elevate minorities who were not given voices.

Tammy Duckworth was born in Thailand to an American father and a Thai Chinese mother. Her family moved to various places in Southeast Asia, during which Duckworth became fluent in Thai, Indonesian, and English. They finally moved to Hawaii when she was 16, where she completed her education. Duckworth eventually joined the Army National Guard and fought in Iraq, where she lost both of her legs. Even after suffering this, she went on to serve in the Illinois National Guard. After her service, she ran for public office and eventually for Senate. Duckworth became the first Thai American woman and the first woman with a disability elected to Congress, and also the first U.S. senator to give birth in office.

Yuri Kochiyama was born in California to Japanese immigrants in 1921. After the Pearl Harbor attack, she and her family were forced to relocate to internment camps. It was during this time that she met her husband and became an activist. After her release, Kochiyama moved to New York and participated in civil and human rights movements. She was also involved in working with Puerto Rican and Black American communities, advocating for cross-cultural solidarity.

Yuji Ichioka was a Japanese American historian and civil rights activist who contributed greatly to the field of ethnic studies and the Asian American movement. Like Kochiyama, Ichioka's family was interned during World War II, which largely shaped his later ideas. After his release, Ichioka went on to study at UCLA, where he would eventually become an adjunct professor and coin the term "Asian American" in 1968. He created this term during the founding of the Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA) to help unify the different Asian ethnic groups.

Fazlur Rahman Khan was a Bangladeshi American civil engineer renowned for his high-rise building construction. He was a pioneer for skyscrapers and is often regarded as the "father of tubular designs" for high-rise buildings. Though Khan gained multiple experiences while in South Asia, he eventually moved to Chicago and joined the architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in 1955. His projects include famous buildings like the John Hancock Center and the Sears (now Willis) Tower, the latter of which was the tallest building for 25 years. Khan's later projects included the Haj Terminal of the King Abdul Aziz International Airport and the King Abdul Aziz University.