Resources:

1. The Making of Asian American, A History, Erika Lee, Simon and Schuster Paperback, NYC, 2015.
2. History of Anti-Asian Racism in the United States, The Daily Skimm, Published March 25, 2021.
3. Debunking the Model Minority Myth, USC Asian Pacific Museum, USC University of South California, Online Exhibit.

Introduction of Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Part I
Beginning May 1st through May 31st, St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church will commemorate and celebrate Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) History and Heritage Month. Each week relevant articles and events will be presented to increase our parishioners’ awareness, understanding and appreciation of this ethnic group. Further, during this period, the history, culture, and achievements in the United States of Asian American-Pacific Islanders will be highlighted and dramatically recognized and acknowledged for their contributions to the American way of life and, by extension, to entire worldly community.

The U.S. Congress established one week in May for Asian American History. Congress later expanded the celebration to a month in 1992. The reason for the month of May being chosen was to bring attention to the emigration of the first Japanese Americans on May 7, 1843, and to honor the Chinese immigrants who contributed to the transcontinental railroad which was completed on May 10, 1896.

Today, there are approximately 20 million Asian Americans in the United States. They represent 6% of the population and are one of the fastest growing groups in the United States. Because of anti-immigration and racist policies in the United States, legal immigration of Asians and other non-Western Europe countries were severely restricted and even denied.  However, in 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, also known as the Hart–Celler Act, which removed those restrictions against non-Western Europeans, and opened the door for immigrants from Asia, African and Eastern Europe. Many of the laws that governed immigration will be covered in the historical and discrimination portions of our weekly presentations.

With the election of Vice President Kamala Harris in November 2020, who identifies herself as African American and Indian, brought about the following inquiry: “Who are Asian American-Pacific Islanders”? Historian Erika Lee, in The Making of Asian American, A History, explains:
The Pacific Islands include the 50th state, Hawaii, and the Territories of Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Residents of the Pacific Islands are American citizens, and Americans can freely travel to these territories.

Like other non-Europeans, the passage to America was not always sanctioned or approved by those already inhabiting the country. Asian Americans immigrated to USA for the same reasons Europeans came here for better economic opportunities, freedom from persecution and in search of a better life, symbolized by what some would call “the American Dream.” For most, that dream became a nightmare. The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s, made it possible for Asian Americans and other ethnic group to move forward in their quest to be recognized fully as American, free from discrimination and bigotry based on race and national origin.

Today, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are faced with another challenge grounded in this country’s long, steep history of systematic racism and bigotry, coupled with anti-Asian violence.
What can Catholic Christians do about this challenge? Recommendations will be presented for consideration.

As we examine the history and heritage of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander, we will discover some amazing and fascinating facts about this important and key group in America. One amazing fact is that the history did not just begin in the 19th century with the immigration of Chinese workers to work on the railroad in this country. According to Erika Lee, Asians were introduced to the Americas through European exploration and colonization even at the time of Columbus’ journeys. This led to the first migration to America.

She also asserts: “Beginning in the sixteenth century, Spanish trading ships known as ‘Manila galleons’ brought Asian sailors, slaves, and servants to present day Mexico as part of the creation of Spain’s Pacific Empire. Thereafter Asian migration followed the ebbs and flows of global history.”

Later in this picture of Asian migration, as we learn, anti-Asian hostilities surface. Asians came to the Americas for many of the same reasons other immigrants came; that is, for better-paying jobs, land, freedom from persecution and oppression. Unfortunately, their pathway to the Americas was not, and continues, not to be a smooth one. Erika Lee, again, states about racism: “There are two main ways in which this history of race has played out for Asian Americans. The first is the simultaneous lumping together of diverse Asian into one homogenous group and the persistent treatment of Asians as foreigners tied to Asia rather than Americans loyal to the United States. Long before there were sizable communities of Asians in the Americas, Western ideas about Asia or the ‘Orient,’ circulated widely and laid the foundation for how Asia and Asians would be viewed and treated in the West.”

After so many years of their presence in the United States, Asian Americans have seen improvement. Yet, as with African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and others, the sin of racism penetrates the fiber and remains a stain on the ethos and character of this country. This is a challenge for all Americans and, indeed, for the Catholic Church.

During this Asian Americans-Pacific Islanders Month, our parish will meet and greet this challenge of changing attitudes and behaviors that attack the dignity of persons, including Asian Americans and other ethnic minorities. Topics for future discussion are: (1) A brief history of Asians and Pacific Islander in the United States; (2) Confronting racism toward Asian Americans-Pacific Islanders.