For Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Month, the staff at The Fortune Society collaborated to create a community guide for celebrating and honoring Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage and history. The guide is filled with events, policy actions, resources, book recommendations and an AAPI Month Spotify playlist. 

Recognizing that Asian American and Pacific Islander history is American history—and American history is year-round—we will continuously update this list throughout the year.

Start off the month with some background: read the history of AAPI Month and learn how to best honor heritage and family throughout the month of May.

Read the Presidential Proclamation on Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month from 2021.

Asian American and Pacific Islander Month Spotify Playlist 

Listen to The Fortune Society’s AAPI Month Spotify playlist, with songs selected by staff members. Artists include Mitski, Hayley Kiyoko, Jhene Aiko, Eric Nam and BTS. 

Book Recommendations 

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu 

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng 

The Incendiaries by R. O. Kwon 

Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami 

Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls by T Kira Madden 

The Girl in the Moon Circle by Sia Figiel  

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami 

My Year Abroad by Chang-Rae Lee 

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

Know My Name by Chanel Miller 

Days of Distraction by Alexandra Chang 

A Burning by Megha Majumdar 

The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo 

Obasan by Joy Kogawa 

If You See Me, Don’t Say Hi by Neel Patel 

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen 

Cerues Blooms at Night by Shani Mootoo 

The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood

Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien 

Black Ice Matter by Gina Cole 

Jasmine by Bharati Mukherjee 

Mad Honey Symposium by Sally Wen Mao 

Translating Mo’um by Cathy Park Hong 

Floating Brilliant Gone by Franny Choi 

Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

The Same Different by Hannah Sanghee Park 

When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka 

The Farm by Joanne Ramos

All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka 

Kingdom of Characters by Jing Tsu 

Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong  

Sisters of Mokoma by Jyoti Thottam  

Stay True by Hua Hsu  

Sari, Not Sari by Sonya Singh  

Scent of a Garden by Namrata Patel  

Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho  

A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam  

Joan is Okay by Weike Wang  

Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi

Island Wisdom by Annie Daly and Kainoa Daines 

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

Events 

3rd NYC Asian American and Pacific Islander Parade

On May 19, head to 6th Ave and 44th St for the third annual Asian American and Pacific Islander Parade! The opening ceremony begins at 12:30 PM, followed by the parade at 1 PM.

AAPI Night Market 

Celebrate the Asian American and Pacific Islander community at the Barclays Center for a night of food, music, performances and more! The event is free and open to all.

Cherry Blossom Celebration

Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month with NYC Parks! Learn about the cultural significance of the cherry trees and their annual blooming spectacle celebrated around the world. 

AAPI Wellness Workshop 

Celebrate both AAPI Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness Month with Dr. Jenny Wang and Sahaj Kaur Kohli! They will lead an interactive workshop, providing you with tools to empower you to take better care of your mental health. Tickets are available now.    

Poetry Discussion Circle

Join other poetry enthusiasts for a group discussion at the New York Public Library! Together, you will unpack a selection of poems detailing the rich cultures and experiences of people from the AAPI community.

Film and TV Recommendations 

Shoplifters directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda 

The Farewell directed by Lulu Wang  

Minari directed by Lee Isaac Chung 

The Half of It directed by Alice Wu 

Parasite directed by Bong Joon-ho 

My Neighbor Totoro directed by Hayao Miyazaki 

Kim’s Convenience written by Ins Choi 

Okja by Bong Joon-ho 

Train to Busan directed by Yeon Sang-ho 

Tigertail written and directed by Alan Yang

Burning directed by Lee Chang-dong 

Bitter Melon directed and written by H.P. Mendoza

Hard Knock Wife performed by Ali Wong 

Jojo Rabbit directed by Taika Waititi

The Namesake directed by Mira Nair

Everything Everywhere All at Once written and directed by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert  

Turning Red  directed by Domee Shi    

Umma directed by Iris K. Shim 

Beef created by Lee Sung Jin  

Pachinko written by Soo Hugh   

Nomadland directed by Chloe Zhao

Crazy Rich Asians directed by John M. Chu 

Always Be My Maybe directed by Nahnatchka Khan 

Fresh off the Boat created by Nahnatchka Khan 

Never Have I Ever created by Mindy Kaling 

Battle Royale directed by Kinji Fukasaku

Past Lives directed by Celine Song

Minding the Gap directed by Bing Liu

The Donut King directed by Alice Gu