Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

2023 Features

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Each Affinity Month, we will unveil new Zoom backgrounds for use by affinity group members and allies during their respective affinity month. Zoom backgrounds for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month are available at the link below.

Honoring Many Histories

First established in 1992, May is recognized as the celebration month of the histories of Americans hailing from across the Asian continent, native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders. May was chosen specifically in reference to two major historical events. The arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States on May 7, 1843, and Golden Spike Day on May 10, 1869, which recognizes the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the U.S., which had significant contributions from Chinese workers.

Japanese immigrants arrive to Angel Island Station in San Francisco in the early 1900s

Arshed Quyyumi Cardiovascular

My very unusual upbringing has shaped my life, career, and expectations. Born in Hyderabad in India when it was a relatively insignificant city and being educated in a missionary school run by Australian expats, I was poised to “do well’, when at a young age, I was whisked off to settle in London, England. I considered London home for most of my early life. Because of my passion for math and physics, I was initially destined to become and engineer, but being surrounded by physicians in the family, I had little choice. I tried to model my career by watching academicians I most admired in my medical school and spent several years dedicated to medical research during and after training. After attending conferences in the U.S. I realized the extraordinary opportunities available in the field of cardiovascular research in the U.S.. I obtained scholarships for fellowships at Harvard and then developed expertise in translational vascular research in the intramural NIH before coming to Emory.

The ethic of working hard and excelling in whatever one does was instilled at a very young age by my mother and by many other life exposures. Being a ‘constant minority’ in every country I have lived in also helped to shape my private life and work ethic. My passion for asking the difficult questions and finding the funds to unravel them has been a constant driving force. I am passionate about transferring these skills to my trainees and associates and one of the most joyful rewards I look forward to is seeing them achieve the same success with their academic achievements that I have been blessed with.

I have also realized that I have been very lucky and deeply blessed to be where I am. If not for many sacrifices my parents endured and many mentors who helped me get here, this would not have been possible. To give back to those less fortunate, I have dedicated my spare time and energies to a number of charities that help new Americans settle in the U.S. and find affordable health care and educational opportunities, and also organizations that provide these opportunities to parts of Asia and Africa where the need is greatest. I have seen many peoples’ lives changed by simple acts of kindness and provision of opportunities that many of us take for granted. This is the best way to address injustices that surround us.

Fariha Sultan Geriatrics & Gerontology

“Begin with the End in Mind…”

Since 1st grade, I have been unable to find anything more fascinating than the human species. With maturity I developed an addiction to the adrenaline rush involved with the service of people. I thought there was no better profession than practicing medicine. My family migrated to Canada from Pakistan to avoid political and religious instability. It has not been an easy journey for me as I have moved across different geographic settings, but I want to share my story as I see a growing body of medical graduates who are here due to hardship but are facing challenges as they navigate their career paths in one of the most highly competitive professions.

I took the geographic moves with a grain of salt and focused only on positive outcomes. My background and education have allowed me the privilege to experience healthcare in three international settings that include Pakistan, Canada and United States. I am at Emory because Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is a shared priority for me and the institution!

In my current role as a Geriatric Physician, I truly enjoy the social interaction with my patients. My clinic style is more towards being a partner with the patient as I assist them in navigating their health. With aging comes wisdom and I encourage everyone to tap into their wisdom and impart to those coming behind them.

When I’m not at work I enjoy spending time with my husband and children, traveling, exploring new places and I love nature. A fun fact about me…I have gone skydiving, and I challenge all to experience this at least once in their lifetime!

Remembering Vincent Chin

Who was Vincent Chin?

He was an American of Chinese descent, an autoworker who in June of 1982 was beaten to death by two other autoworkers who blamed Chin and people of Japanese descent for the massive lay-offs occurring in the auto industry. Before slipping into a coma, Chin’s last words were, “It’s not fair.”

Around this time, many working in the auto industry around the country were impacted by recession, leading to unemployment. Simultaneously, Japanese auto manufacturers were a growing presence in the U.S., fueling strong anti-Japanese sentiment. The attackers, Ronald Ebens and Michael Nitz, assumed Chin was Japanese and blamed him for the difficulties faced by (white) American auto workers. Ebens and Nitz were initially charged with second-degree murder but after a plea bargain they were both convicted of manslaughter (the crime of killing a human being without malice aforethought, or otherwise in circumstances not amounting to murder.). They were sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay a $3000 fine. Neither Ebens nor Nitz spent a day in jail. Chin was murdered at his Bachelor party, he was buried on the day he was supposed to get married.

Why should this still resonate today?

The murder of Vincent Chin sparked a pan-Asian movement that resulted in a historic civil rights case, the first where the Civil Rights Act was used to defend the rights of an Asian-American.

This is one of far too many examples of how anti-Asian (or any people) rhetoric by officials/leaders has a real and very negative impact on our society. Because beyond those who were interested in and fortunate to take Asian American studies classes, most Americans are completely unaware of the repetition of history between today and Vincent Chin’s time of anti-Asian violence.

Recent years have seen the unfortunate rise in hate crimes against Asians in America. Between March 2020 and March 2022, more than 11,400 hate incidents against Asian Americans have been reported across the United States* (cred: Stop AAPI Hate). Physical assaults accounted for 17% of incidents, and nearly one in 10 occurred on public transit. It is the largest increase in hate crimes towards Asian Americans since the 1990s. Though that number has since decreased since 2022, incidents remain greatly elevated compared to pre-covid numbers.

*note: the surge is part of an overall 11 percent increase in suspected hate crimes in 2021, with Black Americans remaining the most targeted group across most cities.