Fresno Unified School District
Asian American Heritage Month
Click image above to download the pdf of the flyer
Since 1990, the U.S. government has designated the month of May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, celebrating the achievements and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in the United States. The month of May was chosen to mark the arrival of the first Japanese immigrant to the United States on May 7, 1843, as well as the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869.
In the month of May we take time to reflect and celebrate the important role that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) have played in our shared history.
Join others in paying tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America's history and are instrumental in its future success.
Teaching Resources
This website offers Teacher’s Guides and a collection of lessons and resources for K-12 social studies, literature, and arts classrooms that center around the experiences, achievements, and perspectives of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across U.S. history.
Celebrate in California
Visit the Travel California website to find and visit Asian-owned restaurants, attend upcoming events, and discover new places for your next trip.
PBS Documentary "Asian Americans"
Asian Americans is a five-hour film series that delivers a bold, fresh perspective on a history that matters today, more than ever. As America becomes more diverse, and more divided, while facing unimaginable challenges, how do we move forward together? Told through intimate and personal lives, the series will cast a new lens on U.S. history and the ongoing role that Asian Americans have played in shaping the nation’s story.
Visit the PBS website to use over thirty lesson plans based on the Asian American series. This collection includes the stories behind the Chinese Exclusion Act, the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, Southeast Asian refugees after the Vietnam War, Filipino American Farmworkers, the fight for civil rights, and much more.
Teachers may utilize lesson plans which are drawn from the series to explore the ways that Asian Americans have shaped our nation's history.
https://ca.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/asian-americans-pbs/