Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have a rich heritage thousands of years old and have both shaped the history of the United States and had their lives dramatically influenced by moments in its history. Every May during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and throughout the year, national organizations and local partners share those histories and the continuing culture thriving in communities today.
How did APIHM come to be? "A joint resolution authorizing the President to proclaim annually a week during the first 10 days in May as Pacific/Asian American Heritage Week" was passed through both the House and the Senate and ultimately signed by President Jimmy Carter on October 5, 1978, to become Public Law 95-419.
In 1990, George H.W. Bush signed a bill passed by Congress to extend Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week to a month; May was officially designated as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month two years later and was renamed to Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in 2009.
The theme for 2022 is "Advancing Leaders Through Collaboration."
IVC Events
Screening: Lucky Grandma
Tuesday, May 10 | 2 - 3 pm | BSTIC 101 | Register »
Refreshments will be provided.
Screening: Vincent Who?
Thursday, May 12 | 2 - 3:30 pm | BSTIC 101 | REGISTER »
Refreshments will be provided.
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Happenin' Hour with WoCC and EMCEES (In-Person)
Wednesday, May 18 | 3:30 - 5 pm | SSC 260K | RSVP »
Join our women and men of color collectives for food, friends, and great conversation as we finish out the school year together!
IVC Clubs
- Asian American and Pacific Islander Club (AAPI)
- Indonesian Cultural Club
- International Student Club
- Japanese Club
- Korean Student Association
IVC Resources and Community
- AAPI Heritage Month Virtual Background
- ELEVATE: Equitable Learning Experience Valuing Achievement, Transfer and Empowering Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
- CAANAPI: Center for Asian Americans and Native American Pacific Islanders
- ELEVATE AAPI Video Podcasts
AAPI-Related IVC Courses
- ANTH 3 – Culture and Language
- COMM 9 – Intercultural Communications
- ETHN 10 – Introduction to Ethnic Studies
- ETHN 20 – Introduction to Asian American Studies
- HIST 30 – History of Ethnicity and Culture in the US
- HIST 40 - The History of East Asia Before 1800
- HUM 10 - Intro to Cultural Studies
- LIT 46 – Ethnicity in Literature of the US
- SOC 20 – Race and Ethnic Group Relations
- SOC 20H – Race and Ethnic Group Relations Honors
Film Recommendations on Kanopy via IVC Library
- Far East Deep South: A Chinese American family search for their roots
- Crossing Lines: An Indian American celebrates her heritage
- Meet the Patels: "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" for an Indian American family
- Farewell: A Chinese family returns to China in a stealthy way to say goodbye to their matriarch
- Lucky Grandma: A dark comedy about immigrant life, the vulnerabilities of aging, and an unexpected friendship
- Slaying the Dragon and Reloaded: Media stereotypes of Asian and Asian American women
- Slanted Screen: Hollywood’s representation of Asian men in film and television
- Bad Rap: The lives and careers of four Asian American rappers
- Breathin’ - The Eddy Zheng Story: The youngest San Quentin state prisoner’s road to freedom
- Kuma Hina + A Place in the Middle: KUMU HINA reveals a side of Hawai'i rarely seen on the screen where a little boy can grow up to be the woman of his dreams, and a young girl can rise to become a leader among men
Access Any Time Content
- Federal Asian Pacific American Council
- AAPI Heritage Stories
- After Atlanta: Teaching About Asian American Identity and History
- Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center
- 20+ Asian Influencers and Thought Leaders
- Stop AAPI Hate on Instagram
- The Invisible Artistry of Asian Actors
- National Parks Service: Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month
- National Parks Service: APIHM Places
- Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
- Smithsonian Heritage iRL (In Real Life) Video Series
- Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month Exhibits and Collections