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May first marked the beginning of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month for 2021 – an important opportunity to learn about the key contributions made to the U.S. by the AAPI community, as well as the multi-generational marginalization of and violence against this population.
And, against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and increased anti-Asian violence and discrimination as a result, these conversations have never been more important.
AAPI Heritage Month was first recognized in 1992. May was chosen to commemorate two significant events in US history: the arrival of the first Japanese immigrant on May 7, 1843; and the completion of the transcontinental railroad, by the labor of tens of thousands of Chinese immigrants, on May 10, 1869.