SUNY Empire Library News & Alerts

AAPI Heritage, Jewish American Heritage & Military Appreciation Month

The month of May is a time to recognize the many contributions of  Asian American and Pacific Islanders, Jewish Americans, and the United States Military.

Asian American and Pacific Islanders make up about 7% of the U.S. population and are a culturally diverse community with origins across the entire Asian continent and the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. While AAPI people have experienced xenophobia in this country over centuries, recent years have seen a shocking increase in hate crimes against this group following the spread of racist conspiracy theories at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, individuals of Asian and Pacific origin have made tremendous contributions to this country across science and medicine, art and film, law and activism, sports and recreation, and government and politics. Kamala Harris became the first Vice President of Asian descent in 2021. "In film history,  AAPI people, stories, and traditions have become more visible with South Korean director Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite winning the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2019 and the release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in 2021, debuting Marvel’s first Asian superhero" (History.com, 2022), and the 95th Academy Awards honoring Everything Everywhere Al At Once with seven Oscars, including the first best actress win for an Asian American female for Michelle Yeoh (PBS News Hour, 2023).

To learn more about the rich history of this diverse community, visit the library's guide celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

"In 1654, a small ship carrying 23 Jewish refugees sailed into the port of present-day New York City.  Fleeing oppression and discrimination, these courageous women and men faced resistance from the colony’s leaders.  Nevertheless, they secured the right to remain and became the first Jewish communal presence to settle on American soil.  In so doing, they expanded the frontier of religious freedoms that would help define the bedrock principles upon which this Nation was built." (Biden, 2022). Today, approximately 2.4% of the adult population identifies as Jewish, while just over half (53%) say that, as a Jewish person in the U.S., they personally feel less safe than they did five years ago" with the recent resurgence of antisemitism (Alper & Cooperman, 2021). Increasing hostilities in the Middle East are a driving force behind increasing hostilities here in America where some extraordinary Jewish Americans, including Albert Einstein, Irving Berlin, Leonard Bernstein, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, have contributed to this nation in immeasurable ways.

To learn more, visit the library's guide celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month.

Last but certainly not least, May recognizes the inordinate sacrifices and contributions of the more than 1.3 million men and women in the seven branches of the United States military: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard and National Guard. From the American Revolutionary War to the many service members overseas supporting our NATO allies in Eastern Europe, American military personnel have played decisive roles in United States and World history. SUNY Empire's Office of Veteran and Military Education proudly supports military service members in pursuit of their education

To learn more about the U.S. military and its contributions to global history and security, visit the library's guide celebrating Military Appreciation Month.

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Alper, Becka and Cooperman, Alan. (2021, May 11). 10 key findings about Jewish Americans. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/11/10-key-findings-about-jewish-americans/

Biden, Joseph R. Jr.. (2022, April 29).  A proclamation on Jewish American heritage month, 2022. WhiteHouse.gov. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/04/29/a-proclamation-on-jewish-american-heritage-month-2022/

History.com Editors. (2022, April 5). Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage month. History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/asian-american-pacific-islander-heritage-month

PBS News Hour. (2023, March 13). How the Oscar wins for ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ could change Hollywood. PBS.org https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-the-oscar-wins-for-everything-everywhere-all-at-once-could-change-hollywood