AAPI Month is in May. It is a time to honor the Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans contributions to the U.S. We also want to thank the Asian Americans in the ancient times for inventing useful things such as: Gunpowder, the printing press, paper, and the magnetic compass!

Here are some Asian Americans that changed our lives:

• Margaret Chung was a Chinese American big sister of 10 brothers. When she was young, her parents got very sick. That inspired Margaret to become a doctor. But it was hard. She did well at school, and soon her hard work paid off. She became the first Chinese American women to be a doctor!
  
• Japanese American Kristi Yamaguchi was born clubfeet. She wanted to dance like the other kids. When she was 6, she started skating. Skating helped her grow strong enough to dance. But, she learned that she loved skating! She was so good, she made it to the Olympics! And, she won the hold medal! She became the first Asian American to become an Olympic Champion!
• One day, Korean American Andrew Youn went to Africa to deliver food and medicine. Strangely, he noticed that one farm was growing and one farm was not, but they had the same soil and weather. He learned that some farms had good fertilizer and some doesn’t.
  

Jesie is an Asian American teacher at Stage II, so these are the questions about the culture:

Q: What do you do to celebrate it in your class?

A: We read Asian related books and teach where Asia is, and introduce their culture, such as their foods, costumes, or holidays.

Q: Why was it celebrated in May?

A: The first Asian immigrate was a Japanese in May 1843, and in May 1869, the workers who were mostly Asian, finished the transcontinental railroad.