AAPI Heritage Month – A legacy of leadership and resilience
April 24, 2025 2:59 PM
by Alvin Ho, Hakhamanesh Mortezaie
Updated May 13, 2025.
As we recognize the contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islanders, or AAPI, to the history, culture and achievements of the United States, we don’t need to look far for evidence of the community’s legacy of leadership and resilience.
Chinese immigrants built the rail connection that made Santa Monica’s establishment possible in 1875. Japanese immigrants led by Hatsuji Sano established a fishing village in Santa Monica Bay and with Chinese immigrants helped build the Long Wharf that served as an economic catalyst to the fledgling town.
When the fishing village was ravaged by fire in 1916 and razed a few years later, many of its residents resettled in the city’s Ocean Park and Pico neighborhoods, planting new seeds for future generations.
During World War II, the federal government forcibly incarcerated all persons of Japanese descent, regardless of citizenship. They lost their possessions, businesses and homes.
Even in the face of such adversity, the spirit of these individuals persevered. Some incarcerated Japanese Americans went on to serve honorably in the war, including George Haruyoshi Ishihara — decorated for his bravery and service — for whom Ishihara Park is dedicated. He and 33,000 other Japanese Americans served in the U.S. military during WWII, fighting for a county that viewed them and others who look like them as the enemy, demonstrating leadership and patriotism in the face of discrimination that should never be forgotten.
While many Japanese American families became permanently displaced from their homes because of their internment, some managed to return to this city through the kindness and generosity of their neighbors.
University of Hawaii Professor Dennis Ogawa — born in the concentration camp at Manzanar where he was interned with his family during WWII — credits his family’s ability to return to Santa Monica to an elderly African American neighbor named Mr. Magnum who worked at the family’s grocery store before their incarceration. When the Ogawas returned after the war, Mr. Magnum opened his one-room home to the family. From such humble beginnings, Dennis would go on to earn his Ph.D. at UCLA and become one of the founders of the Asian American Studies Center at the university.
Santa Monica’s Japanese American community also showed their resilience after WWII by establishing a community center at Nikkei Hall, which was built in 1951 at 1413 Michigan Ave. When the hall was sold for redevelopment as an affordable housing project, proceeds from the sale helped establish the Santa Monica Nikkei Hall Fund, housed at the Asian Pacific Community Fund, or APCF, which has granted $2.3 million to support 26 nonprofit organizations since 2018. The history of the hall was also preserved through commemorations in the new housing project thanks to the effort of allies including Landmarks Commissioner Dolores Sloan.
Santa Monica’s AAPI community also continues to give back to the greater community. After the recent wildfires, bG Gallery at Bergamot Station held a special group show titled FLUENCE benefiting wildfire victims, three martial arts academies joined together to host an event at MuDo Dojo to provide relief supplies and support for affected families, and newly opened Santa Monica Place restaurant Din Tai Fung pledged all profits from its soft and grand openings to support local businesses impacted by the wildfires.
Lessons learned from the discrimination shown to previous generations of AAPI, however, can be fleeting. The Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which formed a basis for the incarceration of Japanese Americans in WWII, has once again been invoked, this time targeting newer immigrants.
By painting immigration as an “invasion,” more than 200 Venezuelan immigrants have already been deported without due process and sent to El Salvador, a country which has no diplomatic relations with Venezuela, where they are imprisoned without consular support from their government. AAPI groups such as Little Tokyo-based Nikkei Progressives continue to speak out against the scapegoating and criminalizing of entire communities of immigrants and remind us that they are our friends, our coworkers, our neighbors and our family members.
In honor of the resilience demonstrated by the Santa Monica AAPI community past and present, members of the city’s Coalition of Asian & Pacific Employees of Santa Monica, or CAPE SM, affinity group have curated a list of local and regional events this AAPI Heritage Month.
Join us in celebrating and strengthening our community throughout the month of May!
Special lighting of the Pacific Wheel at Pacific Park
May 1
The world-famous Pacific Wheel at the Santa Monica Pier will be lit in red on Thursday, May 1, in recognition of AAPI Heritage Month!
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
May 1 – 7, various locations in the Greater Los Angeles area
The 41st edition of the LAAPFF will feature a robust lineup of in-person programming, along with virtual programming for audiences at home in Southern California and beyond.
FROM JA TO SHOHEI: The Manzanar Baseball Project
May 10, 1 - 3 p.m., Santa Monica Main Library
During the 1940s, baseball was truly the National Pastime of America – even in the WWII concentration camps. For incarcerated Japanese Americans, the game took on symbolic meaning as a way to express their identity as Americans. Artist and Project Director Dan Kwong presents video, performance art, and a panel discussion on the history of Japanese American baseball.
Dreams in Migration
May 17 - June 9, bG Gallery (2525 Michigan Ave.)
A group exhibition spotlighting seven LA-based AAPI contemporary artists. In response to ongoing social, environmental, and cultural upheaval – including California’s devastating wildfires –Dreams in Migrations explores themes of adaptation and resilience through vivid artistic visions of both real and imagined worlds.
(Be)Spoken: Poems from Our Asian American Voices
May 16, 6:30 p.m., Chinese American Museum (425 North Los Angeles St.)
This dynamic show spotlights spoken word artists by blending their poetry, performance, and storytelling into bold imagery and installation. The exhibition is co-curated by rapper and poet, Jason Chu. This event is free to the public and no RSVP is required. Light refreshments will be available.
Rice Rice Baby
May 16, 8 p.m., The Crow (2525 Michigan Ave.)
Come laugh with LA’s best AAPI comedians seen on Netflix, HBO, Comedy Central and more! Purchase a raffle ticket for a chance to win one of the many prizes of the evening. The Crow is female/mom/comic-owned and operated, and ticket holders to the show get 10 percent off at Birdie G’s restaurant and bar directly behind The Crow!
Nearly Exactly Almost Like Me
May 17, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m., Pico Branch Library
Celebrate diversity and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with local illustrator Pearl AuYeung, as she presents her newest children’s book, Nearly Exactly Almost Like Me, written by Jennifer Bradbury. Book giveaway and signing follow; limited supply. For families.
Asian American + Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration
May 17, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., 1300 block of Third Street Promenade
Check out the vendors, kids' zone, cultural performances, live DJ, Dogs Only Social Club pop-up, local eateries + retail, and more! This family and dog friendly event is brought to you by CAPE SM, Downtown Santa Monica, Dogs Only Social Club, and Shopfest Collective.
Konamon Fest
May 17 & 18, 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. and May 19, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., Santa Monica Pier
Konamon Fest is designed to spread the creativity and deliciousness of 'Konamon,' a representative of Japanese street food, around the globe. The event will feature not only traditional Konamon dishes but also modern creative arrangements and new ideas, offering a new culinary experience that blends tradition with innovation.
Bay Cities Joint Memorial Day Service honoring Japanese American WWII veterans
May 26, 9 a.m., Woodlawn Cemetery (1847 14th St.)
The service will be held in front of the Japanese Pioneers Ireito near the 14th Street driveway. 2025 will mark the 66th anniversary of the Ireito monument that was built in 1959 by Nikkei from Santa Monica, Venice and West LA.
An Asian American Writer’s Notebook: Past, Present, and Future Tense
May 29, 5 p.m., UCLA The Harry & Yvonne Lenart Auditorium (308 Charles E Young Dr.)
Amid growing political division and increasing concerns over censorship and free speech, AAPI communities are combating disinformation through developing counter-narratives. This lecture and panel brings together activists and writers to explore how AAPI voices are navigating a rapidly shifting political, cultural and social landscape. Join UCLA for a timely and critical discussion on the role of AAPI activists, writers and multimedia artists in preserving democratic values, amplifying underrepresented voices and confronting systemic challenges in today’s charged political environment. Featuring keynote speaker Helen Zia, activist, award-winning writer and Fulbright Scholar.
Breaking Barriers: The Legacy of March Fong Eu
May 29, 6:30 p.m., Chinese American Museum (425 North Los Angeles St.) and online
March Fong Eu was the first woman and first Asian American elected to Secretary of State in California. In that position, she modernized voting systems, championed equal rights and left behind an enduring legacy that continues to inspire future generations.
Bergamot Station’s Spring Open House
May 31, 4 - 7 p.m., Bergamot Station (2525 Michigan Ave.)
Join the arts community at Bergamot Station for their annual Spring Open House event, an unparalleled experience held at the internationally renowned creative arts complex! More details to come.
Authored By
Alvin Ho
Fiscal Staff Assistant II
Hakhamanesh Mortezaie
Staff Attorney II