AAPI Heritage Month recognizes the contributions and influences that Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans have made to the history, culture and achievements of the United States. This year, it is especially important to support, celebrate and advocate for the AAPI community who have been experiencing an increase in anti-Asian bias and violence. So this year’s theme is “Stop AAPI Hate: Solidarity, Community, and Celebration”. The month of May was chosen as a way to commemorate the first wave of Japanese immigrants to the United States on May 7, 1843 and to also mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants. It is important to remember that members of the AAPI community come from East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Western Asia, and the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. Each Asian country and Pacific Island nation has its own unique culture, language and traditions.
To celebrate this important community, Children’s Librarian Gina Elbert has collaborated with Springhurst Library Media Specialist Lauren Rodriguez, Dobbs Ferry Middle/High School Library Media Specialist Ellen Elsen, and Dobbs Ferry K-8 Literacy Coordinator Michelle Yang-Kaczmarek to make a resource list of books, social media accounts, and websites. Our hope is that these resources will help you to amplify, respect and make space for AAPI every single day, not just in May.