Celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month
April 30, 2022 - AFA is proud to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage (AAPI) Month in May, an annual national observance celebrating the contributions and influence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States.
While we celebrate the contributions of trailblazers, this month is not just a time to highlight history—we must take on racism, poverty and inequality today to make lasting change. That starts in our union, in our industry and our country.
In 2020, COVID-19 forced the world into an unprecedented, ongoing emergency—and hate against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities rose exponentially during the pandemic, stemming from racist rhetoric surrounding the origination of COVID. Between March 2020 and December 2021 there have been nearly 11,000 reported hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, according to a report published by Stop AAPI Hate.
This year, our union has developed an AAPI pin. Local Councils will receive the pins starting next week and distribute them. Diversity and Inclusion pins were a concept put forward by AFA members through AFA structure. We now have a PRIDE pin, a Black History Month pin, Black Lives Matter pin, and AAPI pin. This year, we will also introduce a Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month Pin, and Native American pin. We expect to hear from additional members who want to celebrate our diverse history, and we will take similar action when we do.
AFA is highlighting Flight Attendant leaders and activists during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and we want to include you or a flying partner! Submit here >
