Afro-Asian Studies

A Proclamation on Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, 2023

    During Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, our Nation celebrates the diversity of cultures, breadth of achievement, and remarkable contributions of these communities; of brave immigrants who, motivated by the promise of possibilities, picked up their lives and found new homes here; of native peoples who have stewarded these lands since time immemorial; and of community leaders shaping a brighter future for us all.  Throughout our history, they have represented the bigger story of who we are as Americans and embodied the truth that our diversity is our strength as a Nation. 

     As we make progress to advance equity and opportunity, we know our work is far from done.  To help more AA and NHPIs see themselves in the story of America, I signed historic legislation bringing us closer to creating the National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture.  To honor the traditional practices and ancestral pathways of Pacific Island voyagers, I expanded protections for the Pacific Remote Islands.  To help Americans reckon with and learn from more shameful chapters of our history, I signed into law the Amache National Historic Site Act, which establishes a memorial to the 10,000 Japanese Americans who were unjustly incarcerated at Amache during World War II.  Facing past wrongs helps us build a more just and equitable future.

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2023 as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.  I call upon all Americans to learn more about the history of AA and NHPIs and to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities.

  JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

From: The White House Please click link to read full "A Proclamation on Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, 2023."

Resources

The term "Afro Asians" refers to Asians of African descent called African Asians, Black Asians or Blasians. Afro-Asian American culture and heritage resources are difficult to identify and access. The following links will provide you with more information about Afro Asian Americans: Afro-Asian, Afro-Latino and Afro-Native American Book Recommendations, Multiracial, Mixed-Race, and Biracial Identities, The Truths We Hold: An American Journey, On Being Black and Asian in America, and On being Black and Asian American in 2020.