City Council Celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

The Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community has made great contributions to the City of Boston, enriching all aspects of our city and nation’s history.

The month of May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, and during this week’s Council meeting, the Council adopted a resolution recognizing the contributions of AAPI residents.

According to the 2021 population estimates from the Census Bureau, 9.8% of Boston’s population and 7.2 % of the Massachusetts population identify as Asian American, and the Asian American population is the fastest growing racial or ethnic group in the country.

Boston has the largest number of AAPI residents in the state, the third largest Chinatown in the United States, a vibrant Vietnamese community in Dorchester, as well as many other AAPI communities throughout the City.

The United States Code, under section 102 of title 36, requests that there is an annual proclamation from the President calling on the people in the U.S. to celebrate the AAPI community during May. To celebrate AAPI Heritage Month, there are numerous events around the city and the state, including opera performances from Asian artists at the Boston Public Library and the Pao Arts Center, the Unity Dinner at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute, and the Asian Street Food and Music Festival at Harvard Square, among others.