“It’s okay to be extra. It’s okay to be loud. It’s truly okay to be who you are,” said Nuducha Yang Jackson, one of the organizers for Milwaukee’s first official AAPI celebration. “You can be Asian, you can be American. You can be both.”
Every May, Asian American and Pacific Islander Month is celebrated in the United States. It celebrates the history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, recognizes their hardships, and observes aspects of their culture such as art, music, and writing.
“I’m glad that the Asian American community is getting the representation that they deserve after so many years of being a group that racism is towards,” said Victoria Rio, a Filipina-American student at Centreville High School.
Centreville High School has a large population of Asian American students and staff from many different backgrounds. It is important to take the time to celebrate the contributions these people have made in our community. However, there are still things in our community that aren’t fully addressed about Asian Americans.
“There’s a lot of misconceptions when it comes to Asian Americans,” stated Autumn Koo, a Korean-American counselor at Centreville High School. “There are many different ethnicities that are considered Asian, and when we think of Asian Americans in general, there are so many talents, skills, values, and culture that they’ve brought to this country. It’s [AAPI Month] just taking the time to celebrate everyone’s contributions.”
There are also some certain demographics that aren’t equally celebrated as other Asian backgrounds. “It’s good to have an Asian heritage month because we’ve been racially discriminated against. But South Asians are not often considered under the Asian culture umbrella… it’s sad to think about that because we are part of the community… I feel like we’ve been underrepresented. ” Spandana Tathicherla, an Indian-American sophomore at Centreville High School, expressed.
There are many groups of Asian American and Pacific Islanders that feel their culture is underrepresented. This month should be a time to cherish all cultures, regardless of what the public may think about what constitutes as Asian or not.
However, many organizations have started to widely celebrate AAPI Month and highlight these cultures that are overlooked. For one, The National Museum of American History represents Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders of all regions in May. Additionally, The National Gallery of Art also features many different Asian artists and cultures during AAPI Month.
Overall, throughout the past few decades, Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage or history was not widely recognized. However, it has started becoming increasingly celebrated in many parts around the country. Asian American and Pacific Islanders have made significant changes to our nation, May is designated to celebrate their achievements and successes.
