Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Month -Separating AA and PI

NASW-CA honors May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Month (AAPI) and the time to celebrate the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The AAPI term includes cultures from the Asian continent: East, Southeast and South Asia, and the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. This year, we are separating AA and PI. We believe it is important to separate Asian American and Pacific Islanders because the term ‘AAPI’ lumps different regions and cultures under one category – Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders experience different issues and have different needs. We also recognize the umbrella term of what it means to be Asian American, and that Asian countries each have their own rich history, culture, and experiences.

NASW-CA invites you to join us in celebrating and recognizing the influence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. We also encourage you to reflect on the various ways Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders face discrimination, and how discrimination differs for East, Southeast, and South Asian Americans, and for Melanesian, Micronesian, and Polynesian Americans.

NASW-CA’s AAPI Councils

We would like to highlight our Pilipino American Social Workers Association and the Asian Pacific Islander Social Work Council. These councils are a great opportunity for you to get involved and stay connected with other social workers who identify as AAPI.

NASW-CA’s Free Online CE Course

NASW-CA is offering a free online workshop, How to Fight Anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Hate. This course offers 1.5 CEUs. The overall objective of this course is to learn practical and concrete actions to fight and stop hate crimes and incidents against Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) individuals.

After completing the course, registrants should be able to do the following:

• Gain an awareness of the 150 years of history of hate and discrimination against AAPI communities in the US.
• Identify the historical influence and impact of individual and systemic/institutional racism on Asian Americans in the US.
• Identify specific actions and tactics that can be used to fight AAPI hate as individuals and organizations, including bystander training.
• Identify relevant and timely resources for additional information and training, and opportunities for advocacy.

Throughout Asian American and Pacific Islander Month, we encourage you to separate Asian American and Pacific Islander from each other – Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have their own unique history and experiences. NASW-CA honors the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and acknowledges the discrimination both groups have faced throughout history. We are committed to advocating for social equity through education, resources, and training. NASW-CA would like to spotlight AAPI Heritage Month as a resource to learn the history, view exhibits and collections, videos, and more. This website is a collaborative project of the Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.