Stop AAPI Hate is a coalition addressing the rise of anti-Asian and Pacific Islander racism in the United States. Co-founded in March 2020 by Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON), and Asian American Studies Department at San Francisco State University, Stop AAPI Hate has become the leading aggregator of anti-Asian hate incidents, working with other racial justice advocates to break the silence and change the national discourse on the growing challenge of anti-Asian racism and xenophobia.
Through our data and advocacy, Stop AAPI Hate has mobilized a nationwide movement to end the racial discrimination and violent attacks perpetrated against Asian and Pacific Islander communities and, more broadly, to build racial solidarity between communities of color and other marginalized populations. Our coalition follows a five-pronged approach:
Serving as the leading aggregator of anti-Asian and anti-Pacific Islander hate incidents
Offering multilingual resources for impacted community members
Providing technical assistance from rapid response to preventative measures
Supporting community-based safety measures and restorative justice efforts
Advocating for local, state, and national policies that reinforce human rights and civil rights protections.
Courtesy of the Library of Congress:
May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month – a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. A rather broad term, Asian/Pacific encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island).
Like most commemorative months, Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month originated with Congress. In 1977 Reps. Frank Horton of New York introduced House Joint Resolution 540 to proclaim the first ten days in May as Pacific/Asian American Heritage Week. In the same year, Senator Daniel Inouye introduced a similar resolution, Senate Joint Resolution 72. Neither of these resolutions passed, so in June 1978, Rep. Horton introduced House Joint Resolution 1007. This resolution proposed that the President should “proclaim a week, which is to include the seventh and tenth of the month, during the first ten days in May of 1979 as ‘Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week.’” This joint resolution was passed by the House and then the Senate and was signed by President Jimmy Carter on October 5, 1978 to become Public Law 95-419 (PDF, 158kb). This law amended the original language of the bill and directed the President to issue a proclamation for the “7 day period beginning on May 4, 1979 as ‘Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week.’” During the next decade, presidents passed annual proclamations for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week until 1990 when Congress passed Public Law 101-283 (PDF, 166kb) which expanded the observance to a month for 1990. Then in 1992, Congress passed Public Law 102-450 (PDF, 285kb) which annually designated May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.
The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.
The Federal Asian Pacific American Council (FAPAC) is pleased to announce the theme for the May 2025 Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, “A Legacy of Leadership and Resilience.”
In 2025, FAPAC will celebrate four decades of service to the AANHPI community. This year’s theme honors the hard work of AANHPI leaders who established a foundation for future generations to thrive and adapt to change and adversity. The 2025 AANHPI Heritage Month poster features bamboo as a symbol of strength, endurance, and resilience for its ability to withstand the harshest conditions. Bamboo’s solid foundation ensures it can bend with the wind and stand tall after the storm passes. The bamboo also acknowledges the colloquial “bamboo ceiling” and the cultural, organizational, and individual barriers that hinder advancement for AANHPIs in the workplace.
Throughout history, AANHPIs have transformed adversity into opportunities for public service, efficiency, and innovation; resulting in lasting change that resonates beyond our community and has positively impacted our world. This resilience is woven into the fabric of our success, and it is a testament to the unwavering spirit of our ancestors who faced their own struggles with dignity and strength.
We pay tribute to the AANHPI trailblazers and leaders whose resilience and courage have paved the way for future generations. Lieutenant Susan Ahn Cuddy prevailed against anti-Asian sentiments during World War II to become the first Korean American woman in the U.S. military and the first female Navy gunnery officer. The late Congressman Dalip Singh Saund, the first person of Asian descent to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1956, successfully lobbied to end restrictions to citizenship for Indian and Filipino immigrants and gave Asian Americans a voice at the national level. The late Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta overcame racial injustice as a child of Japanese immigrants in a World War II internment camp to serve in the U.S. Army, Congress, and the Cabinet of Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. These pioneers, often facing insurmountable barriers, have not only demonstrated exceptional leadership, but have also risked much to usher in change. Their stories of perseverance—of overcoming doubt, discrimination, and the weight of societal expectations—serve as inspiring reminders that resilience is a cornerstone of our community. Each breakthrough they achieved has laid the groundwork for those who follow, encouraging the next generation to dream boldly.
We embrace "A Legacy of Leadership and Resilience" as both a tribute and a call to action. We honor the achievements of those who have paved the way while igniting the passions of those who will follow. Through this theme, we strive to continue breaking barriers, honor our traditions, and inspire the next generation of AANHPI leaders.
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