The Declaration Was Made By Passing a Motion Authored by Supervisor Hilda L. Solis and Co-Authored by Chair Janice Hahn.
By Zach Armstrong
May has been declared “Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month” by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
The declaration was made by passing a motion authored by Supervisor Hilda L. Solis and co-authored by Chair Janice Hahn. Solis and Hahn also put forward a motion for the county CEO to work with county departments to promote Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month activities, events and programs on county websites and social media platforms.
The motion instructs the county’s Department of Mental Health to do a public outreach campaign using traditional, hyperlocal, ethnic, and social media to raise awareness of LA County Mental Health Awareness Month. Moreover, it requests the Department of Mental Health to consider expanding the “Tea Time” initiative to other AAPI communities.
“The Asian American Pacific Islander community has been part of the fabric of Los Angeles County for as long as the County has existed. We have seen a troubling rise in hate crimes against AAPI residents. It’s alarming, and has hit the AAPI community in Los Angeles County hard,” Hahn said in a release. “This month, we not only want to celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander heritage but also make sure that our AAPI residents are able to access the resources that the County offers to support their mental health and that they’re entitled to.”
The move comes a little more than three years after Asian hate crime became a considerable issue. Since March 2020, the Stop AAPI Hate coalition received more than 11,000 reports of hate incidents against AAPIs across the nation, according to a release. Half occurred in public venues, streets, parks, and on transit.
The board recognized five Asian American employee associations which represent Korean American, Chinese American, Cambodian American, Filipino American and Vietnamese American county employees for “dedication to the 10 million” LA county residents.
The county has the largest AAPI population in the nation at 1.5 million, according to Solis. Over 16 million AAPIs, or almost 6% of the total U.S. population, live in the U.S. That number is expected to reach 10% by 2050.
“From ethnic enclaves such as Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Historic Filipinotown, and Thai Town to the cities of Monterey Park and Alhambra, to the unincorporated areas of Rowland Heights and Hacienda Heights, we enjoy a rich diversity of AAPI communities across L.A. County,” Solis said in a release. “May we celebrate their contributions and impact, as well as continue to lend our support through programs that help to uplift this community.”
