10 Quotes From Celebrated Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are often treated as a monolithic group, but the cultures and peoples that make up the AAPI community are many and varied. Historically speaking, the term “Asian American” was coined in the 1960s as a way to bring together Chinese, Filipino, and Japanese Americans for political coalition building; it has since become an umbrella term used to refer to anyone of Asian descent living in the United States, including Korean, Vietnamese, Hmong, and Indian Americans, for instance. As such, it encompasses a wide range of experiences and histories, and anyone who identifies as Asian American likely understands their identity through a unique lens.
On the flip side, when an individual who identifies as Asian American or Pacific Islander makes it big in entertainment, politics, or otherwise, there is a large, expansive community to cheer them on. Ever since the first Asian immigrants arrived in the United States more than 150 years ago, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have been instrumental in helping to shape American history and culture; it is only in more recent decades, however, that they’ve been granted the visibility and acknowledgement they deserve. Here, we’ve rounded up 10 quotes from several influential AAPI figures, in food, health, politics, fashion, entertainment, and beyond.
— Yo-Yo Ma, world-renowned cellist
— Yuri Kochiyama, civil rights activist
— Kamala Harris, first Asian American Vice President of the United States
— Vera Wang, fashion designer
— Cathy Park Hong, poet and author of “Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning”
— Bruno Mars, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, producer, and dancer
— Kalpana Chawla, NASA astronaut and first Indian-born woman to go to space
— David Chang, American restaurateur and founder of Momofuku restaurant group
— Kristi Yamaguchi, figure skater and first Asian American woman to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics
— Sandra Oh, actress 
