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Why is AANHPI Heritage Month celebrated in May?

AAPI

In 1977 the U.S. Congress (spearheaded by Representative Frank Horton of New York and Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawai’i) chose the first ten days of May to commemorate the history and contributions of Asian American communities here in the U.S. The week’s observance became a month, the very month in which the first Japanese immigrants came to the U.S. in 1843.

We also commemorate the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869 as the majority of workers who laid those railroad tracks were Chinese immigrants. And that’s why AANHPI Heritage Month is in May.

A People’s History of Asian America

Produced in partnership by the Center for Asian American Media and PBS Digital Studios, A People’s History of Asian America tells the history of Asian Americans through the microaggressions and stereotypes this community faces.

In this episode, Hosts Dolly Li and Adrian De Leon hear from South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander voices to explore the pros and cons of disaggregating Asian American as a statistical category.

RELATED: Watch the PBS Video “Are you AAPI or Asian American – It’s Complicated”

Read more about AANHPI Heritage Month on PBS here.

‘Sesame Street’ introduces TJ, the show’s first Filipino American muppet

AAPIEducationEntertainment

By Suzanne Nuyen, NPR

Sesame Street has debuted TJ, its first Filipino muppet. TJ joins Ji-Young, the show’s first Asian American character, who was introduced in a special Thanksgiving episode in 2021.

In a recent segment of the children’s TV show, TJ spends time with fellow muppets Ji-Young and Grover, and actor Kal Penn, who discusses the word of the day: confidence. “Confidence is when you believe in yourself and your abilities, or in the abilities of others,” Penn explains.

TJ then talks about his growing confidence while learning Tagalog, one of the main languages spoken in the Philippines. “I’m confident because I can always ask my lola for help when I don’t know a word,” he says, using the Tagalog term for grandmother.

Filipino American animator Bobby Pontillas collaborated with puppeteer Louis Mitchell to create the muppet. On Instagram, Pontillas shared concept artwork for the character, who he said was inspired by Max and Mateo, the children of lifelong friends. TJ is played by voice actor and puppeteer Yinan Shentu.

Rosemary Espina Palacios, Sesame Workshop’s director of talent outreach, inclusion and content development, also posted on Instagram about TJ’s debut, saying that his arrival came “just in time for API Heritage Month to show the range in our diaspora.”

Read the complete article and more from NPR here.

Photo: Courtesy of Sesame Workshop. Photographer: Zach Hyman

Barbie launches Anna May Wong doll for AAPI Heritage Month

AAPI

The Associated Press

Six months after she was immortalized with a U.S. quarter, Asian American Hollywood trailblazer Anna May Wong has received another accolade affirming her icon status — her own Barbie.

Mattel announced Monday the release of an Anna May Wong doll for Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month.

The figure has her trademark bangs, eyebrows and well-manicured nails. The doll is dressed in a red gown with a shiny golden dragon design and cape, inspired by her appearance in the 1934 movie “Limehouse Blues.”

Wong’s niece, Anna Wong, gave her blessing and worked closely with the brand to develop the Barbie’s look.

“I did not hesitate at all. It was such an honor and so exciting,” Wong told The Associated Press in an email. “I wanted to make sure they got her facial features and clothing correct. And they did!”

As a child, Anna Wong owned a Barbie and Skipper doll (Barbie’s little sister) and a Barbie dream house and car. She loves the idea that Asian children will now have a doll who looks like them.

The doll is part of the Barbie “Inspiring Women” series, which features dolls in the likeness of pioneering women. Past inspirations include aviator Amelia Earhart and artist Frida Kahlo.

“As the first Asian American actor to lead a U.S. television show, whose perseverance broke down barriers for her gender and AAPI community in film and TV, Anna May Wong is the perfect fit for our Barbie Inspiring Women Series,” Lisa McKnight, an executive vice president at Mattel, said in a statement.

Click here to read the complete article.

Black and Female TV Directors See Gains but Not Latinx and Asian American Women, DGA Finds

AAPICareers

wall with directors guild of america building

The Directors Guild of America’s latest breakdown of TV director employment shows major gains for women and for Black helmers overall but the numbers also spotlight the systemic lack of movement for Latinx and female directors of color.

The share of TV episodes directed by women during the 2019-20 television season across broadcast, cable and streaming hit a record of 34%, up from the 31% share that women commanded in the 2018-19 season and a big lift over the 16% share for the 2014-15 season.

The share of episodes lensed by directors of colors hit 32%, a notable increase from the 27% share in the previous season and 18% share in 2014-15. The DGA studied more than 4,300 episodes from the 2019-20 season, the primetime year that included the start of the coronavirus pandemic. A total of 1,268 DGA members were hired for episodic work last season, per the report.

Directors of color and women also made strong gains in the DGA’s measure of members who landed their first episodic TV directing jobs during the season. But the DGA’s detailed breakdown shows clearly the stagnation in building a pipeline for Latinx female directors and Asian American women helmers.

Latinx female directors accounted for only a 2.4% share of all episodes in 2019-20, while Asian American women just a 2.1% share.

The growth in African American representation — which reached 18% of episodes, up from 15% in the prior TV year — was inflated slightly by the prolific work of one director who handled more than 150 episodes last season. The report does not name the helmer but it is believed to be Tyler Perry, the mogul multi-hyphenate who directs dozens of episodes annually for his TV productions including BET’s “The Oval” and OWN’s “The Haves and the Have Nots.” Because of this, Black directors accounted for 11% of total episodic TV director hires but 18% of total episodes last season.

Read the full article at Variety.

Air Force Orders New Review Into Racial, Ethnic Disparities

AAPIGovernment

image of the military solder and a helicopter in the background

The Air Force inspector general will do a second investigation into racial and ethnic disparities across the force, service leaders said Friday, expanding the review to include gender and additional racial categories such as Asian and American Indian.

The latest review comes just two months after the IG released a report concluding that Black service members in the Air Force are far more likely to be investigated, arrested, face disciplinary actions and be discharged for misconduct. The December report found that “racial disparity exists” for Black service members but that the data did not explain why it happens.

The new study also reflects broader campaigns within the Defense Department and the Biden administration to root out extremism and racism. President Joe Biden declared domestic extremism an urgent national security threat in the wake of the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The crowd that breached the building as lawmakers were preparing to certify the election was overwhelmingly white and included members of far-right groups.

Acting Air Force Secretary John Roth, who ordered the latest review, said the IG will go directly to Air Force and Space Force service members for input. A survey that will go out to the force soon will look at several different categories: Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, and gender.

Read the full article at HuffPost.

Why is AANHPI Heritage Month celebrated in May?

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