May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month! There is a diversity of peoples and heritages to celebrate and honor within this group. To start us off, below are a few notable AAPI leaders:
- Vice President Kamala Harris’s vice presidency has been historic as our first woman Vice President, our first Black Vice President, and our first Asian American Vice President!
- Professor Chien Shiung Wu was a Chinese-born physicist whose research was foundational in beta decay. She partnered with two other Chinese physicists, Tsung Dao Lee and Cheng Ning Yan in this work. Lee and Yan were awarded the Nobel Prize for this work, but Wu and her instrumental contributions were overlooked, highlighting how her identities as woman and Asian intersected to leave her out of awards she rightfully deserved.
- Larry Itliong was a Pinay American Labor Rights Activist who, along with Cesar Chavez and Delores Huerta, led protests and boycotts in the name of workers’ rights. We celebrate Itliong at the start of AAPI Heritage Month and as we celebrate May Day and International Workers’ Day on May 1st.
As we celebrate these and other AAPI leaders along with AAPI heritages, check out CSU’s Asian Pacific American Cultural Center and explore the rich histories of AAPI people using the resources below.
Learn more about Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month:
