As the first Asian American to serve as San Francisco City Attorney, I have always loved the month of May. May marks a time for celebrating our vibrant Asian American communities across the Bay Area. The month was selected to mark two historic occasions – the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the mainland US on May 7, 1843, and the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10th, 1869, by 20,000 Chinese immigrant workers.
This year offers the return of so many beloved events we’ve missed over the past two years during the worst of the pandemic. May offers the chance to celebrate Asian culture and solidarity in the face of anti-Asian racism and hate. I’m excited to see you in the community and celebrate our collective pride. There are many events happening in the Bay Area this month that will give us an opportunity to do just that.
Here are just a few ways to celebrate APA Heritage Month:
- Asian Pacific American Heritage Month programming through the Asian Museum of Art
- The Taiwanese American Festival on May 7th
- Anti-Asian Hate in the Time of COVID a talk by Professor Russell Jeung on May 7th
- CAAMFest 2022 – Asian American Film, Music & Food Festival from May 12th – 22nd
- Mountain View’s Asian American & Pacific Islander Cultural Festival on May 14th
- Open-air Hula performance by Halau Ha’a Kea o Kinoshi Dance School on May 21st
- Indonesian Food & Art Bazaar on May 21st
- Programs at the San Francisco Public Library including everything from K-Pop dance classes to family storytimes with AAPI authors
Above are only a few of the exciting events happening this month; here are some others. I also encourage you to support local AAPI-owned businesses and restaurants around the Bay and the many nonprofit organizations doing important work in our community.
Hope to see you soon during this May APA Heritage Month!