Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month

In the Greater Cincinnati region, there are over 22,750 Asians. In the United States, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are the fastest growing racial group, and make up the largest percentage of the Cincinnati metropolitan area foreign-born residents.

Asian/Pacific includes the countries of Bhutan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam—and the Pacific islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.

First proposed as a week-long celebration in 1978, it expanded to a month in 1990, and finally, in 1992, Congress passed legislation to annually designated May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese person to the U.S. in May 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad in May 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.

During this designated month, we celebrate the wide range of contributions to civic, social, and cultural life made by Asian and Pacific Islanders throughout the history of the USA.

Honoring and recognizing Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders enriches our experience and understanding of our collective heritage. Learn more and find ways to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islanders during this month and throughout the year:

National Resources

• Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month website: A website rich in resources through a collaboration between The Library of Congress, 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.
• National Archives
• National Endowment for the Humanities
• National Park Service
• Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center

Area Resources & Events

• A Historical Guide to China and Chinese Immigration to Cincinnati
• Association for India’s Development (AID)
• Asian American Council of Dayton
• Cincinnati Asian Art Society
• Dayton Art Institute Special Exhibits
• Dayton Association of Chinese Americans (DACA)
• Japan America Society of Greater Cincinnati
• Midwest USA Chinese Chamber of Commerce
• National Association of Asian American Professionals Cincinnati Chapter (NAAAP Cincinnati)
• Ohio Asian American Pacific Islander Advisory Council
• Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County