AANHPI Heritage Month in Pierce County

May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month!
In Pierce County, we celebrate our diverse community. Here are some various celebrations and events taking place throughout Pierce County this month. 

Council proclamation

On May 10, 2022, Pierce County Council proclaimed May as AANHPI Heritage Month.

View the Signed Proclamation 

Celebrations in Pierce County


Asia Pacific Cultural Center
Located in Tacoma, the Asia Pacific Cultural Center (APCC) serves as a crossroad between our Pierce County and international communities. APCC celebrates AANHPI month by recognizing the contributions and influence Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have on society. With a variety of in-person events such as Korea Day, art display at the Asia Pacific Cultural Center Gallery and virtual events such as karate, haku making and a virtual visit to the Thai Temple in Auburn, there are many ways you can get involved in AANHPI Heritage Month! Check out their website for more info.  

APCC Events


Tacoma Public Library
Join Tacoma Public Library in celebrating AANHPI Heritage Month with curated booklists, events and more. Create your own cherry blossom craft, stop by each Tuesday through May 24 for a kid’s scavenger hunt or find a list of staff recommended teen books, novels and more. Take a look at what’s happening in Tacoma Public libraries.

Events at TPL

KBTC
Gather the entire family for Pacific Islander Heritage Celebrations with KBTC, Clover Park School District and the Asia Pacific Cultural Center! May 13 at 6 p.m., virtually enjoy storytelling from Guam, music and dancing from Hawaii and arts and crafts from the island of Samoa and more.

Register your family here


Pioneer Arts Festival + Free Lunch at APCC

Stop by the Pioneer Arts Festival in Tacoma on May 14 and visit the Korean Culture Display. The festival is open from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.  If you attend the festival early, stop by the Asia Pacific Cultural Center afterwards for a free lunch between 12 – 2 p.m. where you’ll also be able to enjoy a live Okinawa/Japan Taiko Drum Performance! Free and open to the public.

Pioneer Arts Festival


Washington State History Museum
The state history museum is putting on a free community program to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the wartime eviction of more than 700 Japanese American people from Tacoma in 1942. “Languages of Memory: A South Sound Japanese American Day of Remembrance” at the Washington State History Museum takes place on Tuesday, May 17 from 6 - 8:30 p.m. and will feature a screening of the play Nihonjin Face courtesy of Tacoma Arts Live, followed by literary readings by Tamiko Nimura and a poetry performance by Celia Nimura-Parmenter. Afterwards, you’ll have a chance to explore the REMEMBERANCE gallery and be part of a procession to remember Tacoma’s Japanese Americans who were forced to leave their homes nearly 80 years ago.

Learn More


Tacoma TAG Festival
The first annual TAG Festival: Together… in Art and Glass is a free event open to the public and will showcase glass artists, muralists, potters, ceramicists, live entertainment and more on Sunday, May 22 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Encompassing Pacific Avenue from the Tacoma Art Museum to the Washington State History Museum, the TAG Festival will include a Guma Imahe, Korea, Japan and Tahiti Cultural Display.

Learn More About TAG


Kanopy
Gain appreciation for Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander heritage with a variety of films in Kanopy’s AAPI Heritage Month collection. Kanopy is a free online service for public library card holders and university students.

Learn More Kanopy's Collection


ArtsWA
ArtsWA has put together a digital collection featuring artists of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage who are a part of Washington’s State Art Collection. Enjoy the rich and varied creative expression of these artists through drawings, paintings, cut paper, collage, photographs, ceramics and more. Take a look at where their art is on display throughout the state.

ArtsWA Collection


Tacoma Chinese Reconciliation Park

Take a stroll through Tacoma Chinese Reconciliation Park. Designed around the backdrop of a Chinese garden and intended as a place of healing and harmony, the park allows visitors to walk through a Chinese garden and enjoy the views of Commencement Bay. Can’t make it in person?

Take a Virtual Visit


Asian Pacific Directors Coalition
The Asian Pacific Directors Coalition (APDC) in partnership with Seattle Center Festal have a variety of virtual events taking place now through May 31. The Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month events include Asian Pacific Islander business success, how to facilitate inclusive virtual meetings, bystander training, a diversity panel and more. 

View Events List


Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific Affairs

Follow the Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs on Facebook for a list of other events and celebrations happening throughout the month.

Events and Celebrations