Redefining Pride as Members of the AAPI Community

Asian Americans comprise the fastest growing racial group in the United States, with roots in South, East, and Southeast Asia. Alongside them, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities—spanning Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia—bring forth their own rich and distinct cultures. Despite the vast cultural and faith diversity that spans this region of the world. Asian and Pacific Islanders share a long history of being connected by values, lifestyles, and traditions that complement each other like varying intricate patterns on a quilt, each stitch telling its own story.

From expectations of filial piety to an emphasis on career and academic success, many AAPI communities share values that are rooted in how individuals relate to and exist within their community and family systems. While these ideas about ourselves and the world become the blueprint for how we show up and make sense of the world, we may naturally develop tension between parts of ourselves, unsure of how to hold both our Asian/Pacific Islander and American identities. And when our efforts at reconciling these different parts leave us feeling frustrated, lost, and uncertain, a sense of disconnect establishes its presence as the primary theme in our storyline.

However, these two seemingly unhelpful experiences of tension and disconnection can be harnessed as the very tools we use to fuel our discovery and strength. Similarly, we are often unaware that a different way of connecting to our Asian/Pacific Islander culture and identity is possible, one that gives us the choice to redefine how we want to show up and lean into the vast expanse of history, ancestral wisdom, and tenacity that we carry within us.

Sometimes, though, the weight of this history and the pressure of not disappointing our families can feel heavy. But our identity and cultural experiences are not restricted to the customs and traditions passed down through generations, they exist in the everyday–chosen, lived, and felt in ways that are personal and meaningful.

For me, pride means recognizing and honoring the sacrifices of the refugees I descend from, weaving lessons from their tales to guide my purpose and motivation, as I author a story of connection and pride that fits like a puzzle piece among all the other pieces that have found their place among my family’s history.