By The Open Center
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.
In a year when hate crimes against AAPI communities have skyrocketed, celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is more important than ever. The often invisible and normalized racial trauma and “model minority” stereotype experienced by Asian Americans have become impossible to ignore, with an astounding 1900% increase in hate crimes against AAPI communities in New York City alone.
According to Pew Research, there are more than 20 million Asian Americans that fall under the AAPI umbrella, representing 50 ethnic groups and more than 20 countries in East and Southeast Asia, as well as the Indian subcontinent.
And yet, the month of May was designated as AAPI Heritage Month for two reasons: first, to remember the arrival of the first known Japanese immigrant to the U.S. on May 7, 1843 and second, to commemorate the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869, which was built primarily by Chinese immigrants, and who were responsible for the most dangerous and labor-intensive tasks.
This month, and always, we recognize the many achievements and contributions AAPI people have made to enriching American history, society and culture, while acknowledging the struggles and Anti-Asian racism they have endured this year and throughout our country’s history.
Since The Open Center got its start in 1984, we have celebrated the vast richness of AAPI cultures and have remained committed to preserving these diverse traditions and healing practices that are rooted in Asian lineages, including Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yoga, Ayurveda, Acupuncture, Tai Chi, QiGong, Spiritual Healing and Meditation, to name a few.
Zhang Zhongjing (150—219): Regarded as the sage of Chinese medicine, Zhang Zhongjing was one of the most prominent doctors in chinese history. His book, Shānghán Zábìng Lùn or known as “Treatise on Cold Pathogenic and Miscellaneous Diseases” is credited for establishing the foundation upon which Traditional Chinese Medicine was built.
Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694): Japan’s most celebrated Edo Period poet, and Master of Japan’s most famous poetic form, the Haiku.
Swami Vivekanada (1863 – 1902): Vivekanada was a Hindu Monk best known for his groundbreaking speech at the 1893 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago in which he introduced Hinduism to America. In the speech that began, “Sisters and Brothers of America” he called for religious tolerance and universal acceptance.
Paramahansa Yogananda (1893–1952): Considered one of the preeminent spiritual figures of modern times, Paramahansa Yogananda is credited for introducing yoga and meditation to the west. His best-selling book, Autobiography of a Yogi introduced millions of readers to the wisdom of the East.
Grace Lee Boggs (1915-2015): was a Chinese American author, social activist, philosopher, and feminist. The daughter of Chinese immigrants, she spent her entire adult life as a human rights activist, fighting for civil rights, labor rights, feminism and the environment.
