COVER STORY: Who are Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders?

What is AANH Who PI?

You may have noticed this new acronym floating around and Googled what it means — AANHPI.

This year, a proclamation from The White House, recognized the month of May, previously known as Asian American Pacific Islander Month, as Asian

American and Native Hawaiian Pacif-

ic Islander Heritage Month. It states: “We recognize the history and achievements of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) across our Nation. In the midst of a difficult year of pain and fear, we reflect on the tradition of leadership, resilience, and courage shown by AANHPI communities, and recommit to the struggle for AANHPI equity.” The national shift to using AANHPI has been led by health organizations such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Office of Minority Health. This distinction acknowledges the unique experiences of Native Hawaiians as separate from Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Native Hawaiians are the Indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Two-thirds of Native Hawaiians (roughly 238,000) reside in the state of Hawai’i, and the rest are scattered among other states, especially in the American Southwest and California. The traditional name of the Hawaiian people is Kānaka Maoli. The Hawaiian language (or ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi) was once the primary language of the Native Hawaiian people. These days both English and ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi are the official languages of the State of Hawai’i. The Hawaiian language has been promoted for revival by a state program of cultural preservation that includes the opening of Hawaiian language immersion schools, and the establishment of a Hawaiian language department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. As a result, Hawaiian language learning has climbed among all races in Hawaiʻi.

The U.S. Census separates Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander from Asian in the race category and provides a definition of: a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. It includes people who reported their race as Fijian, Guamanian or Chamorro, Marshallese, Native Hawaiian, Samoan Tongan, and Other Pacific Islander. Asian is defined as: a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent. The U.S. Census also further asks for ethnic heritage such as Korean, Thai, or Nepalese.

This disaggregation helps better understand the unique issues affecting the diverse populations under the AANHPI bucket, as there are more than 40 countries represented. Furthermore, while “Asian” includes those who are from South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka), many South Asians do not identify with the term, which typically refers to those from East Asia (considered China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Mongolia).

In an effort to be more inclusive, universities and colleges have been leading the way with the term APIDA— Asian Pacific Islander Desi American, as a pan-ethnic classification that intentionally includes South Asians (Desi). However, some believe that the term “Desi” refers exclusively to Indians and excludes other South Asians. It also seems to primarily identify a section of dominant, upper-caste Indians. While many dislike government and bureaucratic classifications, the data helps better understand the needs of specific groups of people. These terms are intended to be inclusive, but oftentimes leave out groups or individuals that don’t identify with them. Language is important and ever-evolving.