“In this moment, when the lessons of history are more vital than ever, we are choosing to lean in and amplify our voice. We must continue to teach the truth about our history and advocate for justice, just as Fred did. We aren’t just maintaining a legacy; we are building a future where civil rights are understood as a collective responsibility.” – Courtney Peagler, Executive Director

In May, we honor Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. We acknowledge and celebrate the heroes, the everyday people, activists, histories, and cultures of our various Asian communities who make up the fabric of our larger American story. Many important anniversaries of important milestones in the American story take place in May, from the first Japanese immigrants’ arrival in 1843, to the completion of the transcontinental railroad, built with Chinese immigrant labor, in 1869, to the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which banned immigration from Chinese laborers and their families. 

The 2026 theme is “Power in Unity: Strengthening Communities Together,” which focuses on leveraging collective strength through sharing stories and fostering connections through resilience. It highlights the often-overlooked role of AANHPI leaders and communities shaping American history and honors leaders who work collaboratively for unity and a better future. The focus on history and changemakers is especially important as the harder moments of our history, like chattel slavery and the Japanese American Incarceration, are being censored, minimized, and even erased.

So, we celebrate the changemakers who are working to educate the next generation, like Kristina Wong, who wrote a guide for middle-grade readers (ages 9-14), Auntie Kristina’s Guide to Asian American Activism, covering the history of AAPI activism, “Auntie Heroes,” and tools to implement our community resilience strategies. And after seeing the gaps in America’s emergency food system in cities like New York and the Navajo Nation, she produced a “karaoke-fueled education” on food insecurity, government assistance, and grassroots solutions with #FoodBankInfluencer. 

Changemakers like Farmer Mai are using collective action and farming to tackle today’s greatest challenges through advocacy for land justice and active participation in democracy. Her work has spread from California to Alaska to Southeast Asia, and she co-founded the Asian American Farmers Alliance, which, as a member of the Farmer Justice Collaborative, passed the Farmer Equity Act in California. 

And changemakers like Evelyn Yoshimura, a Japanese American activist whose parents survived the Japanese American Incarceration, who went on to be a co-founder of the Gidra, the first Asian American activist magazine. And inspired by the commonalities among political movements in California’s African American and Latino American communities, she advocated for and went on to help develop an Asian American Studies program at California State University, Long Beach.

The Korematsu Institute just celebrated 16 years of dedicated education and advocacy work. We use Fred Korematsu’s story to shed light on broader topics like civil rights and the U.S. Constitution, civic education and participation, resilience and solidarity in the face of adversity, and American identity. Now, more than ever, remembering nuanced history, the uncomfortable moments of our history, is crucial to avoid repeating past mistakes. We must look to the future, but make sure the past is not erased from our history books. So, for this year’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we celebrate the changemakers who are on the front lines, inspiring the next generation to speak up when they see something is wrong and stand up for what they know is right.