Why Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Matters
May recognizes Asian American diversity but will political representation and corporate spending follow?
In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, The Juggernaut will be celebrating the South Asians who impacted us most in the last year. We're accepting nominations of public figures, everyday heroes, and rising stars. Tell us who you would like to recognize. Finalists will be chosen by The Juggernaut's editorial board and a panel of guest judges.
Coronavirus stay-at-home measures have our routines in chaos, blending weekdays with weekends, and making weeks feeling like months. But as we enter May, it’s a conscious chance to celebrate diversity within the fastest-growing racial group in the United States: Asian Americans.
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in the United States — a month dedicated to highlighting the cultural, political, and economic contributions of more than 22 million Americans who trace all or part of their roots to Asian countries and the Pacific Islands. We know the community’s influence matters. Asian Americans wield about $1 trillion in annual purchasing power. Asian representation is at an all-time high in the U.S. Congress with 20 leaders. Korean-language Parasite became the first non-English-language movie to win the Oscar for Best Picture in February. And the community continues to lead Fortune 500 companies.