Research Guides: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: AAPI Heritage Month

The first celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage was made on the week beginning on May 4, 1979, when President Jimmy Carter signed Proclamation 4650 to commemorate the contributions and accomplishments of Asian/Pacific Americans. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush. extended the week-long celebration to the month-long celebration. May was designated to be Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Do you know May 7th and May 10th have special significance in the history of Asian Pacific Americans?

American Dreams - AAPI Stories

Nakahama Manjiro

The first documented Asian American who sailed to New Bedford harbor under Captain William Whitfield in 1843.

Bhagat Singh Thind

Author and lecturer who served in the US Army during WWI. His case of naturalization reflects how America begins to understand citizenship.

Transcontinental Railroad

Eleven thousands Chinese workers helped build the Transcontinental Railroad in the middle of the 19th century.

Mamie Tape

An eight-year-old girl who helped desegregate American schools.

Serving Since the Birth of the Nation

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Asian Pacific American Heritage
A collaborative project of the Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
PBS Special Collection for AAPI Heritage Month.
A special PBS collection of stories that explores the history, traditions and culture of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. Includes photos and streaming videos.
AAPI Materials - Resource Guide by Library of Congress
Multiple format materials collected by Library of Congress. Containing photographs, diary entries, and recorded interviews to monographs, reference works, and serials.
National Archives Special Topic Page on AAPI Month
The National Archives holds a wealth of material documenting the Asian and Pacific Islander experience, and it highlights these resources online, in programs, and through traditional and social media.
Center for Asian American Media (Google Arts and Culture)
This is the online exhibit from the Center for Asian American Media.

"As the nation’s storyteller, the National Park Service strives to tell the stories of ordinary and extraordinary Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders preserved in our nation’s parks, memorials, and historic sites."

Huilua Fishpond, HI.

Downtown Historic District, Washington D.C.

Nan Madol, Pohnpei Island, Federated States of Micronesia,

Rohwer Relocation Center Memorial, AK.

Chinatown & Little Italy, NY.

George Nakashima Woodworker Complex, PA.

Hakone Historic District, CA.

Stedman-Thomas Historic District, AK.

To find more historic site, see Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Places.