The City of Jackson will celebrate Asian-American/Pacific Islander Heritage Month nearly every Friday of this month, and the celebration began on May 3.
Dr. Sandra Dee, who’s spear-headed the efforts to get the Jackson International Food and Arts Festival going for more than a decade each year, presented a brief history of AAIP Month during the opening ceremony.
In addition to that, Dr. Nivedita Prasanna presented a dance performance from her native land of India that is meant to celebrate life.
About 7 percent of the nation’s population – or 20 million people – are of AAIP descent.
“It’s important for us to know our history and the history of racism and xenophobia so that we can be aware of it,” Dee said, while acknowledging some hate toward Asian-Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Fortunately, I never experienced any of that here in Jackson, and I never heard of anyone experiencing it.
“Hopefully no one in this room experienced it because Jackson is certainly welcoming of all races and nationalities.”
According to Dee’s presentation, AAIP Heritage Month got its start in the 1970s after Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month became official parts of the American calendar. The month even received a couple of name changes as former President Barack Obama officially named it Asian-American/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Month
“We are an important part of American history, culture, arts and life,” Dee said. “We all have our stories, our struggles, our pains and our accomplishments.
“We all should be proud of who we are, own your heritage and be the voice of the AAIP community in Jackson.”
Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news
