While May is AANHPI Heritage Month, not everyone in these communities feel comfortable with grouping these ethnicities under one umbrella.
HOUSTON, Texas -- May is AANHPI Heritage Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the culture, history, and heritage of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. However, not everyone in these communities feel comfortable with grouping these ethnicities under one umbrella. Those who have mixed feelings about the acronym say the term can often blur the lines between the different needs and issues of each group.
In the 1980s, the U.S. Census Bureau decided to group Pacific Islanders under the same categorization. "A core aspect of the identity and movements for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders is their indigeneity and indigenous sovereignty. Many of their countries did not consent to America to begin with," she said."Meanwhile, many Asian Americans come from immigrant groups. It's a different experience, being a refugee who has come here because you've been displaced versus someone who had their land taken away by American imperialism.
"I think it's the problems with lack of representation and sometimes the overpowering of certain ethnic groups in our communities that make people feel and wonder, why should they be in a group where they don't see their own people, which is a very fair question," said Nguyen."Being together is a good thing.