When will National Asian Pacific Americans in Sports Day be celebrated? August 3rd of each calendar year.
What is National Asian Pacific Americans in Sports Day? This day is a time for recognizing and honoring Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander athletes from the past, present, and for the future. One of the first minorities that broke the American sports color barrier in 1927 was of Chinese-Hawaiian heritage. It acknowledges the professional athletes who have overcome the hardships that immigrant and BIPOC communities endure. They are the faces which represent their culture and manifest the dreams that young APA/AAPI athletes hope to pursue.
How should National Asian Pacific Americans in Sports Day be celebrated or observed? Create awareness and celebration by hosting APA/AAPI heritage at sporting events, consuming APA/AAPI sports media, purchasing APA/AAPI athlete jerseys and merchandise, and encouraging APA/AAPI youth to participate in sports.
Why was National Asian Pacific Americans in Sports Day created? To honor and promote the visibility of Asian Pacific American athletes in history and highlight their achievements to overcome prejudices. This holiday was created to remind us that athletes of Asian descent exist and should be celebrated for their natural talent, hard work and dedication. It also compels people to examine the suffocating prejudices that Asians are weaker and more docile, only capable of academic or merit endeavors as a result of the model minority stereotype. This day will allow APA/AAPI athletes to feel a sense of belonging, confidence and challenge the biases of the “eye test” often used in scouting. It is to give hope to the youth in those communities that they can carry out their dreams of exceling in sport, whether for recreation or career. The intent is to be inclusive of all members of the Asian diasporic communities, which encompasses all of the Asian continent, South/Southeast Asia, and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island).
Who created this day? This day was created by Meeja Richards in 2024.