AANHPI Heritage Month: This land is your land, too, says our Nat'l Parks Service

The  National Parks Service has created a list of historic sites and monuments describing
the role of  AANHPI in the making of the United States.

One of leading misconceptions that haunt AANHPI folk is that of a "perpetual foreigner." No matter how many generations AANHPI families have been in the United States, other Americans tend to label them as outsiders. The National Parks Service seeks to correct that.

The National Parks Service, under the directive signed by President Biden, recognizes that despite what history school books say -- or, more accurately, what they don't say -- is that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have been here for centuries. 

From the well-known sites such as the camps used to incarcerate Japanese Americans during WWII, to a ship's hold where laborers from Asia were transported to our shores to harvest sugarcane, to a town in the California Delta where Chinese workers helped build the levees protecting rich farmland, evidence of our presence is all around us and should be taught as part of American history.

The Department of the Interior, which includes our national parks and monuments, recognizes the role AANHPI have played and have gathered them together on their website. You might be surprised, some of these sites might be near you.

The AANHPI communities make our nation more vibrant through their diverse cultures, languages and religions. 

There is no single story of the AANHPI experience, but rather a multitude of contributions that enrich the country. The American story as we know it would be impossible without the strength, voice and legacies of AANHPI individuals who have helped build and unite this country.  

As we celebrate AANHPI Heritage Month, we also acknowledge the shameful parts of our history including the unjust incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II as well as the many challenges these communities face today.  

Throughout the month, we encourage you to take the time to reflect on our nation’s history, visit a historic district near you or learn more about what the Department is doing to preserve and protect these communities to build a more inclusive and equitable future.   

The Department of Interior is committed to supporting AANHPI communities by protecting important archeological areas, preserving the loss of Native Hawaiian language and providing infrastructure investments to facilitate conservation, resiliency and economic growth. The DOI recognizes the unique impacts that climate change and coastal erosion have on our island communities. 

Additionally, the Department’s Office of Native Hawaiian Relations recently announced $1 million in NATIVE Act funding through the HŌʻIHI grant program for Native Hawaiian Organizations that aim to build more sustainable tourism models and protect the natural and cultural resources of local communities. 

As more states make teaching AANHPI history part of the public school curriculum, the DOI has even developed material to help develop lesson plans, series of articles titled Finding a Path Forward: Asian American Pacific Islander National Historic Landmarks Theme Study for visiting these historic sites. 

FYI: To learn more about AANHPI heritage and history, visit the National Park Service’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage website.  

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter or at his blog Views From the Edge.