Happy Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month!

I’m joining over 200 elected officials across 17 states in supporting the creation of the National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.

May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. It’s a time to celebrate the vibrant cultures, contributions, and histories of our AANHPI communities in the U.S.

In March, I offered this letter to the United States Congress in support of National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture.

March 4, 2024

Dear Member of Congress,

I write today as a duly elected State Representative of Connecticut, representing the 34th District in strong support of the creation of the National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture.  I am grateful for the bipartisan passage of the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture Act (H.R. 3525), and hope that this support will continue as plans for and approval of this museum develop.

A nation’s history and how it is told serves as its memory and its identity.  For too long, our nation has forgotten about the contributions, struggles, and lives of its Asian Pacific American citizens.  When we forget about these histories, or when they go untaught, it leads to the othering of neighbors and community members.  Now more than ever, it is vitally important to tell the complete story of our country.

In 2022, Connecticut became the second state in the country to require the inclusion of Asian American and Pacific Islander history in its K-12 schools.  I was a proud supporter of that effort when it became law and am a proud advocate for this effort now.

Today, Asian Pacific Americans remain the only U.S. Census recognized American ethnic minority group without a National Museum.  While I applaud the Smithsonian as the keeper of America’s history and culture, its array of museums remains incomplete without a physical institution for Asian Pacific Americans.  A National Museum will remedy this invisibility by celebrating and sharing Asian Pacific American history with the 30 million annual visitors to the Smithsonian museums on the National Mall.

Asian Pacific Americans are the fastest growing population in the United States and the third largest American racial minority group, estimated to reach 40 million before 2050.  It is time that an Asian Pacific American National Museum is created to illuminate the stories, challenges, triumphs, and patriotic acts of Asian Pacific Americans so all Americans can gain a fuller understanding of who those sacred words “We the People of the United States” represent.  This National Museum will serve as a symbolic and substantive declaration that Asian Pacific American history is in fact American history.  It always has been.  The museum’s placement on the National Mall, “America’s front lawn,” will reaffirm the belonging of Asian Pacific Americans in our Nation’s family.

On behalf of Asian Pacific American communities in my district and all future generations of Americans, I urge you and your colleagues to support the establishment of the National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture.  Thank you for your leadership and consideration.

Sincerely,

Irene Haines

State Representative, 34th District