Jeannie Mai Jenkins Backlash Pacific Islander Erasure

Now, this sparked backlash for several reasons. In the US, May — usually called APAHM for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month — combines two separate groups that already have many diverse nations beneath their respective umbrellas. Since Asians greatly outnumber Pacific Islanders, what happens every year is the focus is almost exclusively on Asian people. While it’s certainly important to celebrate Asians, it usually comes at the expense of PIs. Whether it’s recommendations on books, TV shows, and movies, or a celebration of achievements, or a panel to discuss issues affecting our communities, Pacific Islanders are largely forgotten and ignored, even if it’s labeled as AAPI.

Using a term like AAPI that combines Asians and Pacific Islanders has real-world consequences beyond lack of representation. The US census only began separating us in 2000, and many institutions were slow to follow, meaning important data surrounding disparities in poverty rates, health issues, and education was hidden. Since we now know that Pacific Islanders statistically have lower household incomes, lower rates of health insurance, different health issues, and less education than Asians, this suggests that additional and specifically PI-focused visibility, research, funding, and scholarships would improve PI quality of life.