Commission hears AAPI Heritage Month overview; local events highlighted

Anupooshna (Anna) Rajesh presented an overview of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month to the Moorhead Human Rights Commission, outlining the observance’s origins, federal recognition and local events.

Rajesh said AAPI Heritage Month occurs in May to mark the arrival of the first recorded Japanese immigrants to the United States (May 1843) and the 1869 completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, events that motivated the original 1978 Heritage Week. She noted that President George H. W. Bush designated May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month in 1992 and that President Barack Obama renamed the observance to “Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month” in 2009. Rajesh read an excerpt from a presidential proclamation dated May 16, 2025, that honored AAPI contributions and cited the number of AAPI service members nationally.

Rajesh said AAPI populations in the metro area are about 2 percent of the population and highlighted recent local activity: a global market at the Hjemkomst Center (May 20) with vendors representing Asian heritage; a fourth annual Asian Night Market at the Fargo Air Museum; and a Twin Cities Metro Asian Fair on May 31 in Plymouth. She also recognized Yokesim (Yokesim) Gunaratne as a 2025 McKnight Award recipient for work with Cultural Diversity Resources.

Commissioners asked no policy questions; the presentation was informational. The commission’s agenda later moved on to other items.