Huilua Fishpond, situated in Kahana Bay on Oahu, is one of the six existing fishponds that still remains on the islands coast. The date of its construction is unknown, but typically ponds were built between 1200 and 1600 and were used for aquafarming practices. Hawaiians advanced from tide-dependent trapping to controlled fishponds, making their aquafarming the most advanced in the Pacific.

The fishpond had smaller pua ponds for raising fingerlings before releasing them into the larger pond, primarily for feeding and growth. A kia'i loko oversaw pond maintenance and fish care, with assistance from locals who received harvested fish in return. Huilua had religious significance, with stone shrines (ko'a) and rituals performed to attract fish. Legend spoke of mo'o, lizard-like water spirits protecting the pond.

Despite protection from waves, powerful tsunamis damaged Huilua in the 20th century, the worst being in 1946 when a tsunami hit the island, filling the pond with large amounts of sand and silt. Efforts to repair the pond included mortar, metal grates, and additional gates. However, a 1960 tsunami caused irreversible damage, leading to neglect, declining water quality, and structural decay. The Hawaii Division of State Parks began restoration in 1993, with the Friends of Kahana, an organization of Kahana residents, now leading the project.

Recognized as a National Historic Landmark, Huilua Fishpond stands illustrates early Hawaiian technological innovation, with the indigenous population being the first people to develop aquafarming in the Pacific. Located in Ahupua'a 'O Kahana State Park on Oahu, it continues to serve as a cultural and historical site.

📌APIA Every Day (69) - Firefolk Arts, situated in Waitsfield, Vermont, proudly stands as the sole BIPOC-owned art gallery in the state, opening its doors on June 10, 2023. Founded by Tina Picz, a Filipina American artist, this 700-square-foot converted firehouse provides a platform for local artists and businesses to uplift and highlight underrepresented voices. Managed by Picz, along with her daughter and husband, the space includes various art projects, serving as an art space, gallery, and co-working studio.

Tina Picz, who relocated from Massachusetts to Vermont in 2020, was surprised by the lack of BIPOC or AAPI-owned art galleries in the area. Motivated by this, she founded Firefolk Arts to provide an art space for Vermont’s Asian American and Pacific Islander population, as well as for people of color in general. Situated in the majority-white town of Waitsfield, with only a 0.23% Asian American population, Firefolk Arts addresses the cultural and population gap by fostering inclusivity and representation.

As a relatively new BIPOC/AAPI art gallery, there is limited information available. However, Firefolk Arts has hosted several events in Vermont since its opening, featuring the work of ceramicists, photographers, illustrators, food vendors, and multimedia artists. How does the history and identity of AANHPI (Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander) communities through art spaces transcend place-based preservation practices?

📌APIA Every Day (68) - The Hmong Institute, established in Madison, Wisconsin, in 2018 by founders Mai Zong and Peng Her, is dedicated to Hmong cultural heritage education, preservation, and behavioral health services. The Hmong immigrated to Wisconsin as refugees in the 1970s and 1980s after the Vietnam War, initially seeking refuge in Thailand. The United States recruited Hmong to assist in the Vietnam War, and when the U.S. withdrew in 1975, many Hmong sought refuge in the United States through resettlement organizations, landing in states such as California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. In 2005, Wisconsin had the third-largest Hmong population in the U.S., with significant communities in La Crosse, Sheboygan, Green Bay, Wausau, Appleton, Madison, and Milwaukee. Moving to the Midwest, the Hmong community has faced adversity from nearby communities but has overcome challenges by creating a close-knit ethnic community.

Mai Zong and Peng Her, both of Hmong descent, were born during the Vietnam War and resettled in the U.S. as refugees. Despite challenging backgrounds, they have become prominent community figures. Mai Zong, with 35 years of experience, is a community organizer and advocate for Hmong education, while Peng Her co-founded the Wisconsin Hmong Chamber of Commerce and The Hmong Institute, emphasizing equity, inclusion, and community development.

Since 2018, The Hmong Institute has been dedicated to advancing the Hmong community in Wisconsin, working towards creating a space for this ethnic enclave within the state. The institute aims to nurture the Hmong community through various initiatives, drawing inspiration from the history of Hmong migration to the U.S. and the sacrifices made by Hmong refugees. Additionally, they are actively cultivating the culture for future Hmong generations.

📌APIA Every Day (67) - Korai Kitchen, located in Jersey City, New Jersey, is the first Bangladeshi restaurant in the area, having opened its doors in February 2018. Owned and operated by Nur-E Gulshan Rahman and her daughter, Nur-E Farhana Rahman, the mother-daughter duo aimed to showcase authentic Bangladeshi home cooking. Despite their lack of prior restaurant experience, Nur-E Gulshan Rahman, who relocated to Jersey City from Dhaka in 1986 and had a background in jewelry design before managing her husband's convenience store, partnered with her daughter Nur-E Farhana, born and raised in Jersey City and working in management consulting. Together, their goal was to introduce distinct Bangladeshi dishes, setting them apart from those in the neighboring Indian state of West Bengal.

For context, the violent partition of India in 1947 split British India into present-day India, West Pakistan, and East Pakistan. The renaming of East Pakistan into Bangladesh occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. As neighbors, West Bengal and Bangladesh share common culinary traits, often including fish in their dishes. In the 1970s, many Bangladeshi immigrants arrived in New York and, assuming that Americans were more familiar with India, opened restaurants under Indian names. This decision inadvertently led to the widespread perception of Bangladeshi cuisine as Indian, as many New Yorkers came to know Indian food rather than recognizing the distinct flavors of Bangladeshi cuisine. Korai Kitchen bridges that gap by proudly showcasing that the restaurant solely serves Bangladeshi food for the local communities in Jersey City.

Operating as a small restaurant, Korai Kitchen offers a buffet of 12 dishes for lunch and dinner, with the menu changing twice a day. Despite its size, the restaurant consistently draws crowds, meeting the unmet demand for authentic Bangladeshi food within the large South Asian communities in Jersey City. Its popularity has extended beyond the local area, attracting customers from New York City, Long Island, and Connecticut. In recognition of its success, Korai Kitchen received a James Beard Award nomination in late January of this year, attributing to its mission of making Bangladeshi cuisine distinct in the restaurant industry.

📌APIA Every Day (66) - Camp Amache, also known as the Granada Relocation Center near Granada, Colorado, was the smallest of the ten incarceration camps established under Executive Order 9066. The majority of the incarcerated Japanese Americans came from California, specifically southwest L.A., the Central Valley, and the Northern Coast, including many residents of the Yamato Colony, a farming settlement founded by Issei businessman Kyutaro Abiko. At its peak, the camp housed over 7,300 internees, with more than 10,000 individuals passing through during its operation, covering approximately 10,500 acres. Despite being the smallest, Camp Amache became the tenth largest city in Colorado.

The central section of the camp, surrounded by a barbed wire fence and watchtowers manned by military police, included various facilities for the incarcerated Japanese Americans. The remaining land was dedicated to agriculture, transformed by internees into a productive center for cattle, poultry, and crop farming.

In 1944, some Japanese Americans were granted indefinite leave, and by October 1945, Camp Amache closed. Some families returned to California, particularly from the Yamato farming colonies, while a few settled in the Arkansas River Valley or moved to Denver, with Chicago becoming a key location for resettlement efforts. After closure, most buildings were dismantled, leaving only the monument at the cemetery and a concrete structure built by the Amache Cooperative. The monument commemorates 31 of the 441 Japanese Americans who were drafted into the military and died during the war.

Yearly pilgrimages began in the 1980s, the first occurring in 1975, led by the Denver Central Optimists Club, a civic group with former Amache inmates and their relatives, now known as the Amache Club. They lead the yearly pilgrimage to the camp cemetery every third Saturday of May. The Amache Historical Society, headquartered in Los Angeles and primarily composed of former Amache inmates, is also leading preservation efforts by taking the initiative on Amache reunions. Moreover, local support for preservation came from teachers at the Granada School District, like John Hopper, a high school social studies teacher who organized the Amache Preservation Society. The group maintains a small museum in Granada with a significant collection of objects, documents, and photographs related to the camp.

While the Granada Relocation Center National Historic Site acts introduced in 2006 and 2007 gained no momentum, President Joe Biden signed the Amache National Historic Site Act on March 18, 2022, finally authorizing the site's inclusion in the National Park System. APIAHiP has been supporting the designation of Camp Amache as an official National Park, recently authorized on February 15th of this year.

📌APIA Every Day (65) - Situated in New Iberia, Louisiana, Lanexang Village is a thriving community, housing hundreds of Laotians and their families. Originally established as a refuge for Laotian refugees in the 1980s after the country's civil war, the village's name, loosely translated as '“million elephants,” reflects its cultural roots.

Sponsored by the Catholic Diocese in the 1970s and 80s, these refugees found work in Louisiana, including jobs like shrimp peeling and oyster shucking. In 1986, several dozen Laotian families collectively purchased land, leading to the establishment of Lanexang Village. Over the next decade, the community’s resident population grew to over 400 Laotians.

In 1987, Wat Thammarattanaram, a sacred temple, was constructed, serving as a place for Buddhist families to uphold their cultural and religious practices. The temple gained recognition, evolving into a popular tourist destination. Lanexang Village and Wat Thammarattanaram became the designated spots for hosting Songkran, the Laos New Year celebration, drawing large crowds, including those from outside the community.

Today, Lanexang Village thrives, with the younger generation actively engaged in preserving Laotian traditions. Initiatives such as temple tours and events organized by youth groups signify dedicated efforts to maintain a strong connection between the youth and their cultural heritage. Through these actions, the histories of Laos migration to Louisiana are preserved by the existence of Lanexang Village and Wat Thammarattanaram.

📌APIA Every Day (64) - The Pacific Seas Restaurant and Market, situated in the Glendale neighborhood of Salt Lake City, has emerged as a popular destination for Pacific Islander cuisine in Utah. Managed by the Lavulo family for over 28 years, this restaurant offers a taste of Tongan dishes. David Lavulo, the restaurant's owner, left Tonga in 1968 to study in Fiji, later moving to the U.S. and settling in San Francisco. After five years, he and his wife, Leti Lavulo, relocated to Utah, drawn by the area’s slower-paced lifestyle. They eventually established the Pacific Seas Restaurant and Market, with the desire to serve the local Pacific Islander community.

The restaurant's casual and family-friendly atmosphere, coupled with a menu featuring a Tongan and American cuisine, has significantly contributed to its success. Regular customers visit the establishment, enjoying their meals surrounded by Tongan-inspired decorations, as seen by the Tongan athlete photos that adorn the restaurant’s walls. The Lavulo family places a strong emphasis on fresh, daily cooking, sourcing ingredients from various countries.

The Pacific Seas Restaurant and Market has evolved into a popular community gathering spot, serving as a venue that exemplifies the cultural significance of food in Pacific Islander communities. Expressed by Feltch-Malohifo’ou, the executive director of Pacific Islanders Knowledge 2 Action Resources (PIK2AR), “Food is love in the Pacific Islands culture, and it shows in everything from the food to the services.”

📌APIA Every Day (63) - Lam Brother’s Food Store, situated on D’Antignac St. near 11th Street in Augusta, Georgia, was established by Jack Lam, a Chinese immigrant, in 1941, alongside his father and brother. The building, adorned with a sign in the front window labeled “Old-Fashioned Butcher Shop”, resided in an Irish neighborhood before the implementation of Jim Crow zoning laws. Following his family's departure to other pursuits, Jack independently managed the store for over five decades, also assisting other Chinese immigrants in obtaining U.S. citizenship.

Born in China on December 13, 1920, Jack Lam had been a resident of Augusta since relocating from China in January of 1941. A prominent figure in the business community, he was a member of the Augusta Chamber of Commerce and the Chinese Benevolent Association of Augusta. The Daughters of the American Revolution honored Mr. Lam with the Americanism award and medal in June of 1972. As a member of the First Baptist Church of Augusta, he faithfully attended the Chinese Sunday School Class for over half a century. Jack Lam passed away in 2006 at the age of 85.

Lam departed from the business in the early 1990s, and since then, the building remains unoccupied. Though information about Jack Lam and Lam Brother’s Food Shop is limited, the remnants of Asian-owned businesses in the South offer valuable insights into the hidden histories of Asian Americans in Louisiana.

📌APIA Every Day (62) - Situated in Arkansas, Fort Chaffee, originally named Camp Chaffee, was designated as a processing center for Indochinese refugees in the aftermath of the fall of Saigon. Established in 1941 as a training center and German prisoner-of-war camp, it later became the relocation center for the 1975 Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act project, also known as "Operation New Life.” By December 20, 1975, the fort had processed 50,809 refugees from Southeast Asia.

Among these refugees were diverse populations, including Vietnamese, Laotian, Cambodian, and Hmong, who were granted permanent legal residence in the U.S. They received support from sponsors and host families, with coordination provided by agencies such as the United States Catholic Conference.

Local reactions to the refugees varied with xenophobic and racist sentiment mentioned. Despite these challenges, efforts were made to assist their transition, such as English language classes and cultural events. However, life at Fort Chaffee presented hardships, evident in a demonstration on June 20, 1975, expressing refugee frustration. While tensions persisted, some refugees eventually settled in the city of Fort Smith, creating the ethnic enclave visible today.

Although only a small fraction settled in Fort Smith, the city's social landscape changed with more Indochinese migrants. In the 2000 Census, Asian Americans, including those from Indochina, comprised 3.6 percent of Sebastian County's population. This cultural impact included the establishment of Buddhist temples, Asian grocery stores and restaurants, with refugees' native languages integrated into daily life. In 2002, the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith documented this period through oral history interviews, recording interactions between locals and refugees at Fort Chaffee, which closed in 1995.

📌APIA Every Day (61) - Minoru Yasui, born in Hood River, Oregon, in 1916, was a distinguished civil rights leader and lawyer who served as the director of Denver's Agency for Human Rights and Community Relations. Yasui was one of the first Japanese Americans to earn a degree from the University of Oregon Law School and the first Japanese American member of the Oregon Bar. His career led him to work at the Japanese Consulate in Chicago until the Pearl Harbor incident in 1941, prompting his resignation.

On March 28, 1942, Yasui contested a military curfew imposed on Japanese Americans in Portland to test the legality of the orders. Despite Judge Alger Fee declaring the orders unconstitutional for American citizens, Yasui and other Japanese Americans were unjustly classified as enemy aliens. This resulted in Yasui receiving a one-year prison sentence and a $5,000 fine. The Supreme Court, in 1943, upheld that their rights could be overridden based on race during times of war, deeming Japanese Americans a military threat. Following most of his sentence, Yasui was later sent to the Minidoka camp in Idaho [APIA Every Day 32] under Executive Order 9066 until his release in 1944.

After his incarceration, Yasui relocated to Denver in 1944, where he continued his legal practice and emerged as a civil rights advocate for Japanese Americans. In 1982, he reopened his case, alleging racial discrimination in the curfew order. Although his indictment was vacated, an evidentiary hearing on racial discrimination was denied. Actively participating in the Japanese American Citizens League's initiatives for governmental redress regarding incarceration in Denver, Yasui served on a mayoral committee from 1946 and assumed the role of director of the Commission on Community Relations in 1967, maintaining the position until his retirement in 1983. Yasui passed away in 1986, the same year his criminal conviction was overturned.

In 2015, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Yasui the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his significant contributions to Japanese American civil rights, making him the first recipient from Oregon. The following year, the Oregon Legislature officially designated March 28 as Minoru Yasui Day, commemorating the day in 1942 when Yasui challenged the military curfew. Additionally, Yasui was immortalized through the naming of Minoru Yasui Plaza, situated in Denver, Colorado, the very building where he dedicated his efforts to Japanese American civil rights. During the building's naming ceremony, Mayor Wellington Webb unveiled a bronze bust of Yasui, further honoring his legacy.

📌APIA Every Day (60) - Turtle and Shark (Laumei ma Malie), situated near the village of Vaitogi, holds significant cultural importance in Samoan culture. It features a U-shaped cove believed to be the backdrop of a well-known legend. First documented in 1884 by a missionary, the Samoan legend recounts the story of Fonueau, an old blind woman from Salega, Savaii, and her daughter Salofa. During a severe famine, unable to find food due to her blindness, they smelled the aroma of soi baking in a nearby village. Despite waiting, no food arrived, prompting them to jump off a cliff and transform into a turtle and a shark. Swimming to Vaitogi in American Samoa, they regained human form and were welcomed by Chief Letuli and his people. Grateful, they vowed to live just beyond the cliffs, returning to entertain the villagers when called upon and leaving behind a song. Villagers today sing this melody, believing that a turtle and a shark appear in response.

Laumei ma Malie (Turtle and Shark) was listed on the National Register in 2014 as a natural feature significant to the people of American Samoa and for the preservation of their cultural and historical identity. The designation of the beach prompts reflection on the importance of cultural preservation in Pacific Islander culture, symbolized by physical places.

📌APIA Every Day (59) - The Filipino Community Hall, located in Wapato, Washington, is recognized as the first Filipino Hall built in the West, according to the National Filipino-American Historical Society in Seattle. Established through bonds, loans, and fundraising events, the hall has been serving the Yakima Valley’s Filipino community for over 70 years since March 22, 1952. In 1918, the initial wave of Filipino immigrants arrived in the Yakima Valley, experiencing mob violence threatening Filipino farmworkers and their families until the 1930s. The 1937 Amended Alien Land Act further exacerbated their situation, leading to the arrest of 18 Filipino farmers. In response, the community formed the "Filipino Community of Yakima Valley" and successfully fought for the farmers' release.

In the early 1940s, Chief Jobe Charlie of the Yakama Nation leased tribal land to Filipinos, enabling them to settle in the Yakima Valley. Organized with traditional support networks, the Filipino community established itself as a settled and permanent part of America. Recognizing the importance of community, Filipino families built a community hall in 1952, giving rise to the present-day Filipino Community Hall.

Organizations such as the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) and the Filipino American Community of Yakima Valley are actively engaged in historic preservation initiatives. These efforts involve recording oral histories, completing 20 to 30 Historic Property Inventory Forms for properties associated with Filipino American history, and nominating two sites for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Notably, these groups recently secured the designation of the Filipino Community Hall of Yakima Valley on the National Register of Historic Places. Established over 70 years ago, the hall stands as a physical symbol of Filipino American history in the U.S., ensuring the preservation of the Filipino American community’s contributions to Yakima Valley.

📌APIA Every Day (58) - Little Bangladesh, located in Los Angeles, California, serves as a cultural and culinary hub for L.A.'s Bangladeshi community, officially designated by the L.A. City Council in 2010. The community spans a five-block area along 3rd Street between Alexandria and New Hampshire Avenues, surrounded by the nearby Koreatown. According to the South Asian Network, a cultural and advocacy group, the estimated Bangladeshi population in the area was more than 20,000 in 2010, based on a 2005 community mapping project.

In the 1960s, Bangladeshi immigrants moved to what is now Koreatown, drawn by nearby colleges and the area's largest mosque, the Islamic Center of Southern California. Over time, the population grew as more Bangladeshis arrived, establishing markets selling staple Bangladeshi goods. Currently, the area features restaurants offering Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi foods, along with shops, art galleries, and a residential neighborhood.

However, Little Bangladesh still faces challenges typical of many ethnic enclaves in Los Angeles, such as an inadequate supply of quality affordable housing, high rent, low wages, the threat of gentrification, and the fear of displacement. Despite these challenges, the multiethnic community in Los Angeles has fostered connections among people of different cultures, providing a space for those hailing from Bangladesh to congregate and share ties to their homeland.

📌APIA Every Day (57) - Chinatown, formerly situated in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri, thrived from 1869 until its demolition for the Busch Memorial Stadium in 1966. The town was bordered by Seventh, Tenth, Walnut, and Chestnut streets. In 1857, Chinese immigrant Alla Lee arrived in St. Louis, initially the sole Chinese immigrant residing in the area until 1869, when approximately 250 Chinese men sought factory work. Subsequent waves of Chinese immigrants arrived in the following years, as evidenced by a group of Chinese men and women in January 1977. By 1900, the immigrant population had grown to 400, with Chinese settlers establishing hand laundries, groceries, restaurants, tea shops and barber shops. Between 1958 and the mid-1960s, Chinatown was condemned and demolished for urban renewal, making way for Busch Memorial Stadium.

The St. Louis Chinatown was succeeded by the unofficial Olive Boulevard Chinatown in University City. Although not officially designated as such due to objections from community members, Chinese businesses and grocery stores line Olive Boulevard between I-70 and Skinker Boulevard. Despite its modest size, this growing area led to the formation of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Greater St. Louis.

Limited information exists about both the old and new Chinatown. Nevertheless, reflecting on these unofficial Chinatowns underscores that areas impacted by urban renewal and gentrification were once vibrant enclaves for Chinese immigrants.

📌APIA Every Day (56) - Manzanar War Relocation Center, or Manzanar internment camp, located in Inyo County, California, is one of ten American concentration camps where over 120,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II. Despite holding up to 10,000 Japanese Americans at its peak, it was considered one of the smaller incarceration camps. 90% of the incarcerated Japanese Americans were from the Los Angeles area, with the remainder coming from Stockton, California, and Bainbridge Island, Washington.

Initially, Manzanar operated as a temporary “reception center” named the Owens Valley Reception Center from 1942-1943. Subsequently, the War Relocation Authority (WRA) officially designated it the Manzanar War Relocation Center. The Japanese Americans endured harsh conditions, worsened by the temporary and inadequately constructed buildings. The challenging environment, evident in the extreme weather, fluctuating temperatures, and ever-present dust, made the living conditions abominable. The scarcity of resources led to riots and increased instances of sickness among the inmates. The Manzanar incarceration camp became the sixth U.S. internment camp to close on November 21, 1945. Internees were left to return to their former homes, given only limited funds for their travel expenses.

On December 21, 1969, 150 people headed for Manzanar for its first official annual Manzanar Pilgrimage, sponsored by the Manzanar Committee. The committee’s efforts to memorialize the suffering experienced by interned Japanese Americans during World War II led to the State of California naming Manzanar as a California Historical Landmark in 1972. It was also registered as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1976, finally being designated as a National Historic Landmark in February 1985.

📌APIA Every Day (55) - Little Saigon or Vietnamtown in Midtown Houston gained official recognition in 2004, featuring Vietnamese street signs established since 1998. Asian developers, particularly Vietnamese businesses along Bellaire Boulevard, have thrived in Southwest Houston since the 1990s, influenced by the aftermath of the 1980s oil glut. In the 1980s, a significant influx of Vietnamese refugees was initially designated to military bases in Pennsylvania, Arkansas, California, and Florida. However, a secondary migration occurred as families traveled across the country to reunite, leading to the reunion of Vietnamese families in Texas.

Texas was an appealing destination for Vietnamese immigrants due to its booming economy, affordable cost of living, a climate similar to Vietnam, and proximity to the ocean. As of December 1991, over 60,000 Vietnamese individuals resided in Houston, relocating to the area after the Ku Klux Klan targeted Vietnamese fishers and shrimpers near Seadrift, TX, considering them an "economic threat" to the fishing industry. The U.S. government, alongside charitable and religious organizations, provided support for housing, healthcare, education, and job training. Since then, the Vietnamese population has thrived, contributing to flourishing residential areas, businesses, and gaining prominence in Texas media and politics. Additionally, Vietnamese is now the third most-spoken language in the state.

In 2003, architect Nghiep Nguyen designed a Vietnam War memorial for Little Saigon, debuting in 2005 as a prominent landmark. Over a decade later, city council members assigned Vietnamese street names, such as Saigon Blvd (Dai Lo Saigon), on Bellaire Blvd in 2015. Vietnamese individuals continue to migrate to Houston, seeking job opportunities and a lower cost of living while integrating into the Little Saigon community, solidifying Houston's position as the third-largest Vietnamese community in the U.S.

📌APIA Every Day (54) - Cambodia Town, also known as Little Phnom Penh or Little Cambodia, is a one-mile strip of Cambodian-run businesses along Anaheim Street in the Eastside of Long Beach, California. Initially rejected in 2000, Cambodia Town gained official designation by the Long Beach City Council in 2007. In the 1950s and 1960s, the first wave of Cambodian immigrants comprised students attending California State University Long Beach’s USAID exchange program to learn industrial skills. Subsequent waves occurred in the mid-1970s, with people fleeing the Khmer Rouge's takeover of Cambodia. Approximately 2,000 of these Cambodian arrivals initially migrated to Camp Pendleton, a military base in Southern California, later moving to Long Beach in search of a familiar lifestyle and culture. The last wave of refugees consisted of Cambodian farmers from small villages, arriving after the passage of the Refugee Act of the 1980s, following the Vietnamese intervention against the Khmer Rouge in 1979.

The initial Cambodian immigrants played a crucial role in providing services like mental health resources to assist fellow refugees migrating to California. Additionally, the United Cambodian Community formed around this time to assist Cambodian refugees with housing, finance, and goods. This created the ethnic enclave we now see in Long Beach, making it a prime destination for Cambodian immigrants.

According to the 2010 census, the current Asian population in Long Beach constitutes 20% of the overall population, with 70% identifying as Cambodian. Comprising a significant portion, Cambodia Town celebrates their culture through festivals such as the Cambodian New Year festival in April and the Cambodia Town Film Festival founded by Cambodian American filmmaker Caylee So. Cambodia Town continues to thrive in Long Beach, earning the moniker "Capital of Cambodia" with the largest concentration of Cambodians in the U.S.

📌APIA Every Day (53) - Haunani-Kay Trask, born on October 3, 1949, in San Francisco, California, was a Native Hawaiian activist, educator, author, and poet. Growing up on the island of O'ahu in Hawai'i, she continued her academic journey at the University of Chicago and later the University of Wisconsin-Madison, receiving a Ph.D. in Political Science in 1981. Trask's dissertation, "Eros and Power: The Promise of Feminist Theory," was subsequently published as a book in 1986 by the University of Pennsylvania Press.

Trask founded the Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Driven by her dissatisfaction with the lack of racial, ideological, and gender diversity in the American Studies curriculum, she served as the center's director for nearly a decade. Moreover, she played a pivotal role in securing the construction of the Gladys Brandt Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies. After her directorship, Trask continued her academic contributions by teaching native political movements in Hawai'i as an emeritus faculty member.

Actively engaged in the Hawaiian sovereignty movement, Trask, along with her sister Mililani, co-founded Ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi in 1987, one of Hawaii’s largest and most prominent indigenous sovereignty movements. Her commitment to Native Hawaiian activism extended to representing the Kanaka Maoli at the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Peoples in Geneva and participating in the 2001 United Nations World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance.

Her activist background underscores her lifelong work to indigenous rights, diversity, and the understanding of Hawaiian culture and studies. How can we comprehend Trask's legacy, which transcends place-based preservation practices?

📌APIA Every Day (52) - The Chicago Café in Woodland, California, just north of the UC Davis campus, offers a nostalgic dining experience with its classic diner setup and traditional Chinese American cuisine. Owned by Paul and Nancy Fong, the café has been open since at least 1903, making it one of the oldest continuously operating Chinese restaurants in California and potentially the United States.

The café has been owned by three generations of the Fong family. Records of the café’s operation in 1903 are difficult to find because city directories often excluded Asian-owned businesses. Due to the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act and the Yellow Peril in America, Chinese restaurants were rare, and the restrictions on the Chinese population in America made it difficult for these businesses to succeed. Conversely, Chinese restaurants offered a rare economic lifeline since they allowed Chinese people to immigrate notwithstanding the Chinese exclusion laws. Merchants were permitted to immigrate to the US, and some courts held that Chinese restaurant operators were merchants. It is important to note that while Chinese restaurant owners were considered merchants, they were not allowed to work. For instance, they could write checks to vendors but not wait on customers or cook; otherwise, they were subject to deportation. The success and continued existence of the Chicago Cafe after a century is surprising. Persisting through an era of Chinese exclusion and being the first Chinese restaurant in America is a testament to the Chinese American experience.

Operating in a predominantly White and Latino community, the Chicago Café has become an important part of Woodland's community. The café upholds Chinese American heritage through its culinary offerings and stands as a historical site which is acknowledged by both patrons and researchers from UC Davis.

📌APIA Every Day (51) - In 1968, graduate students Emma Gee and Yuji Ichioka from the University of California Berkeley founded the Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA) on campus. Their objective was to enhance the visibility of Asian descent activists amid the rise of civil rights advocacy groups such as Black Power, American Indian, and anti-war movements. The establishment of AAPA is believed to mark the first use of the term "Asian American." Before this, individuals of Asian descent primarily identified with specific ethnic subgroups, and the term "oriental" was commonly used, carrying racist connotations. Gee and Ichioka strategically coined "Asian American" to foster a broader and more inclusive identity, seeking increased visibility and effectiveness in political demonstrations.

As a Chinese American (Gee) and Japanese American (Ichioka) couple, their establishment of AAPA symbolized the integration of various Asian American subgroups at a time when segregation between them was diminishing. They employed inclusive methods, recruiting members with Asian last names from diverse campus political groups, emphasizing a multiethnic approach. Discrimination against Asian Americans during World War II and the Vietnam War fueled the necessity for unity. Notably, their work at AAPA, part of the Third World Liberation Front coalition, eventually led to the couple teaching and founding the earliest Asian American courses at UCLA’s Asian American Studies Center.

In recent years, the term remains crucial amid pandemic-fueled racism, underscoring its significance in the #stopasianhate movements. It is important to note that the Asian American identity emerged as a reaction to a prolonged history of Asian exclusion in the United States, marked by the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act and 1920s Supreme Court Cases that explicitly denied the classification of individuals of Asian descent as "free White persons." Current discussions surrounding the term "Asian Americans" involve the necessity of disaggregated data, proper representation of all Asian subgroups, and the grouping of Asians and Pacific Islan Americanders under a single label.

Emma Gee and Yuji Ichioka’s activist work extends beyond AAPA; Gee, an advocate for Asian American women literature and her involvement in the Pacific Asian American Women Writers West, and Ichioka, a senior Asian American Studies researcher and Professor of History at UCLA. While there is criticism of the term and its application to those of Asian descent, their work brought in new perspectives and fueled the Asian American civil rights movement in the 60s. With UCLA staged as the birthplace of a movement, how are we equipped to recognize Gee & Ichioka’s convening there?