May is Asian American Month!

May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month – a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.

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AAPI women on average earn only 85 cents to every dollar that white men earn. This wage disparity demands change. AAPI Women Lead #ImReady Movement which aims to strengthen the progressive political and social platforms of Asian and Pacific Islander communities in the US.

Check out recent WomenNC scholar Jada Hester's project on that addresses this issue:

Awareness and the Personal Challenges Associated with the Racialized Wage Gap Among Women in Durham, North Carolina

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