Honoring AAPI Heritage Month through History and Sharing Our Stories

May 27, 2021 8:48 AM
by Sunny Wang

As we close out Asian American Pacific Islander American (AAPI) Heritage Month this year, we pay tribute to the generations of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America’s history and continue to contribute to our country’s future success. The AAPI community makes up about 7% of the total U.S. population and is projected to be the nation’s largest immigrant group by the middle of this century, according to the Pew Research Center. In light of recent increases in Asian hate crimes across the country, including in Los Angeles County where Asian hate crimes increased by 114% over the past year, it is important to highlight the contributions the AAPI community has made and continues to make.  

  Even here in Santa Monica, Asian Americans played a key role in our City’s history.  California’s first Asian residents arrived at the same time as its Anglo ones when gold was first discovered in California. Chinese migrants from Southern China, escaping civil war and famine, arrived in Northern California and started to work in mines that were too difficult and abandoned by Anglo miners. When mining magnate John P. Jones drew up his plans to develop Santa Monica as a rival port to Los Angeles, he recruited Chinese laborers from Northern California to build a new wharf and a rail line, the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad, to link Santa Monica to Los Angeles and beyond.  The hard work of these Chinese laborers helped establish Santa Monica when the first lots of the new town were sold in July of 1875.   

Japanese immigrants also played a key role in Santa Monica’s early days by establishing a fishing village past Santa Monica Canyon. The village prospered and even served as a tourist destination until a fire ravaged the village in 1916. While many Japanese Americans relocated to San Pedro after the fire, some stayed and became early residents in the Ocean Park and Pico neighborhoods. However, when anti-Japanese hysteria swept through Southern California after Pearl Harbor, many of the Japanese Americans in those neighborhoods were ordered to be relocated into internment camps, causing them to lose their homes and businesses here in Santa Monica. Many thanks to my colleague, Hakhamanesh Mortezaie who is an attorney in the City’s Rent Control Office, for contributing to this little history about our city.  

Many of us in the AAPI community, just like other immigrants and minority groups, came here to chase the American Dream in the Land of Opportunity. Some came by choice, while some did not have a choice. My American dream, when I immigrated to the United States, was simply to watch a Lakers game in person one day. I was only 8 years old at the time, and the only thing I knew about Los Angeles was the Showtime Lakers.  I immigrated here from Taiwan with my parents when I was 8 without knowing a word of English and through the sacrifices my parents made. I am lucky to be a first-generation college graduate in my family and that was the American Dream my parents had for me. But along that journey of growing up in Southern California, I experienced firsthand the discrimination and racism towards the AAPI community that we see in the news today, from racist sentiments to being jumped after school just because I was Chinese. Luckily, I had my brother who always had my back. I rarely shared these experiences with anyone growing up as my parents taught me to “fit in,” to not draw attention to ourselves, and to prove yourself through hard work and education.  Fitting in meant adopting an English name so I would not be made fun of constantly with my Chinese name and not speaking out against injustices as it would draw unwanted attention.  I was reluctant to share my story at first and growing up, I was ashamed of my story. But I realized that for our society to improve and for our children to have a better future, we need to share our stories and have others understand that we have shared similar struggles as them. 

Our stories shed light on why our AAPI community is often portrayed as the model minority. We were taught to work hard and that being well-educated and a strong contributor would lead to success and acceptance. Yet Asian Americans, who make up about 12% of the country’s professional workforce represent less than 1% of S&P 500 CEOs. There is definitely work to be done there. In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, the City of Santa Monica hosted an event called “Being AAPI in 2021: A Discussion on Identity, Community and the Model Minority Myth.” I encourage you to watch and learn about the current and historical challenges faced by the AAPI community, the harm caused by the model minority myth, and the importance of coalition building to advance anti-racism work. You can also check out “Honoring AAPI: A Celebration of Cultures,” which features AAPI performance artists, magazine creators, and community members celebrating AAPI heritage. 

As we approach the end of May, I want to remind you that June is Pride Month. The City will offer events celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, its diversity and accomplishments while also shedding a light on challenges and barriers faced by the community. The event details will be posted to the City’s website at santamonica.gov in the next few days. 

Authored By

Sunny Wang
Water Resources Manager