A is for Asian American: An Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Alphabet
A is for Asian American An Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Alphabet By Virginia Loh Hagan Illustrated by Tracy Nishimura Bishop PUBLISHED BY SLEEPING BEAR PRESS
I am an Asian American My cultural history blends Chinese Cambodian and American traditions I come from a family of immigrants and refugees I know what it’s like to feel cultural pride I feel it when I see people who look like me in movies books and school curricula I also know what it’s like to feel different to feel like you don’t belong In 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic there was an increase in anti-Asian hate This made me feel sad I found comfort and safety in the community groups that stood in solidarity against hate I also found peace in writing books like this We need more books and movies about Asian Pacific Islander Desi American APIDA history and experiences We need to learn more so that we can do more Let’s be better together Virginia Loh-Hagan
Little-Known Milestones You Need to Know The following are some significant APIDA moments in US history that you probably did not learn in school and that are not featured in this book I have presented a few notable milestones but there are so many other highlights and achievements to celebrate in the APIDA community Everyone should care about APIDA history Know APIDA history so that you can better know yourself Milestones in Early Immigration History Milestones in the APIDA Social Justice Movement 1763 Filipinos established the first Asian American settlement in the bayous of Louisiana They were called Manila men and married Cajun and Native American women 1885 The Supreme Court of California ruled in favor of Mamie Tape an 8-year-old Chinese American It ensured that minority children had a right to attend the state’s public schools 1841 A 14-year-old fisherman named Manjirō became the first official United States Japanese immigrant He was adopted by American Captain William Whitfield who rescued Manjirō from a shipwreck off Japan’s coast 1923 Bhagat Singh Thind fought for Indian immigrants to be naturalized citizens He lost his case in the US Supreme Court He applied again in 1936 As a World War I veteran he was finally granted citizenship 1884 The first Koreans mainly politicians and students arrived in the United States Philip Jaisohn a political activist and doctor was the first Korean naturalized citizen of the United States 1993 The first Onipa a Peace March was held This march commemorated the 100th anniversary of the illegal overthrow of the kingdom of Hawai i and promoted Hawaiian rights and independence 1898 Spain ceded the island of Guam to the United States This started a migration of Chamorros the indigenous people living in Guam to California and Hawai i 2021 By making a viral video calling for more media attention Amanda Nguyen a Vietnamese American kickstarted the movement to stop violence against Asian Americans She is also a women’s rights activist Milestones in Innovation Milestones in Pop Culture 1920s Pedro Flores a Filipino American immigrant made yo-yos popular in the United States He invented a loop design that enabled yo-yos to do tricks 1937 Gobind Behari Lal became the first Indian American to win the Pulitzer Prize He was the first journalist to describe himself as a science writer 1950 Isabella Aiona Abbott was the first native Hawaiian woman to earn a doctorate in science She studied Hawaiian seaweeds She discovered more than 200 species She also created recipes using seaweed 1997 Kalpana Chawla an Indian American was the first Indian-born woman to go to space She spent a total of 30 days 14 hours and 54 minutes in space She operated the space shuttle’s robotic arm 2011 Eric Yuan a Chinese American invented the Zoom video-conferencing platform During the COVID-19 pandemic Zoom was widely used as people shifted from in-person to online meetings 1970s 1980s Asian American musicians created their own distinct genre of music known as Asian American jazz Asian instruments were used along with standard jazz instruments 2012 Linsanity began Jeremy Lin was the first Taiwanese American to play in the National Basketball Association NBA He was the first Asian American to win a championship He gained many fans when he kicked off a winning streak for the New York Knicks 2020 Awkwafina a rapper and actress was the first Asian American to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress She won for performing in The Farewell
