Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

This page is about reflection. You’ll find a list of some of the key people and organizations relevant to this section. You’ll also find a section called intersectionality to encourage thinking about how different issues are connected, and discussion questions to encourage deeper thinking. Take some time to answer the questions, look these people up and learn more about their stories.

In 1975, the end of the Vietnam War resulted in a new push of large-scale Asian immigration to the U.S. as refugees first sought asylum from political persecution.

The first group of refugees was made up of mostly educated Vietnamese scholars and middle class Vietnamese families. The second group was an ethnically diverse group of Southeast Asians including the Vietnamese, Laotian, Cambodian, and other minority ethnic groups displaced by the communist takeover of their homelands.

Early immigration of Asian people is rooted in a struggle for independence and determination for a better life, and the legacy of their treatment upon reaching American shores is often one of ostracization and disenfranchisement Preventing (a person or group of people) from having the right to vote.

From settling in the West to the California Gold Rush to the laying of the Transcontinental Railroad, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have worked alongside other immigrant communities as the labor force that built the United States of America. However, violence and a myriad of court cases and laws prevented most from gaining U.S. citizenship. They were denied participation in civic activities such as voting and the ability to shape their communities.