Ah, fall. A time for spooky season, pumpkin spice lattes, and now Filipino American History Month. As October has just been officially named Filipino American History Month by California legislation, it is time to dive into what makes this such a historic moment for the Filipino community and the efforts they are making to do the month right.
To mark the start of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Mattel has decided to model a Barbie doll after the Olympian and her 1992 Winter Games look as a part of their Inspiring Women Collection showcasing Yamaguchi’s inspiring performance to a whole new generation of young girls.
While lung cancer rates are dropping for every group, a California study finds that nonsmoking Asian American women are having their rates steadily grow. One would think that as smoking is receding, so too should its effects on the newer and younger generation. Ultimately, scientists are baffled with this result. Thus, there is a call for more research to be introduced.
In April 2024, Wisconsin passed a bill by Governor Tony Evers that will have K-12 public schools teach Asian American and Hmong history as a part of their required curriculum. Since Illinois set this precedent in 2021, 20 other states have mandated the teaching of AAPI history, according to The Asian American Foundation, with Wisconsin being the 21st. This is huge for the APIDA community as it allows for more representation and compassion within the United States.
With election season coming up, the Asian American community’s votes are important now more than ever as the amount of APIDA voters increases every year. A strategy that targets the Asian American community served to be quite beneficial as it pushed Democrat Tom Suozzi into winning New York’s 3rd Congressional District race.