Asian Americans celebrate contributions

As the United States marks Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May, scholars, business leaders and community organizations are drawing renewed attention to the evolving contributions of Chinese Americans and broader Asian American communities to the nation's economic growth, technological leadership and cultural identity.

From the Chinese laborers who helped build the Transcontinental Railroad in the 19th century to the Asian American engineers and entrepreneurs shaping today's artificial intelligence revolution, many see a continuous story of contribution, innovation and resilience woven into the United States experience.

California, home to the nation's largest Asian American population, is marking this year's celebrations under the theme "Power in Unity".

Organizations including Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California and the Asian Hall of Fame have emphasized the importance of strengthening Asian American visibility in leadership, culture and public discourse.

Talking about how Asian Americans can strengthen their long-term influence in mainstream society, Maki Hsieh, president & CEO of AHF, said Asian Heritage Month is most effective when it strengthens both intergenerational and cross-cultural connections.

"The true power of Asian families and our friends is activating our shared obsession with intergenerational legacy," Hsieh told China Daily, adding that the best programs are those that bring generations together.

She stressed the importance of broader public participation in Asian heritage celebrations.

"I hope that one day, Asian Heritage Month with its vibrant and influential legacy, can lead the way in intergenerational and cross-cultural experiences within local communities and around the country," she said.

Hsieh said greater recognition for Asian Americans requires what she described as "Asian valuation" - increasing mainstream understanding of Asian contributions to business, culture and civic life.

Valuation stressed

"The only way to increase Asian recognition in America is to increase mainstream society's valuation of our contributions," she said.

As a single mother from the US raised in Asia, Hsieh said she believes Asian Americans can bridge cultures.

"East and West are competitors. Sometimes we are rivals. But we can never be enemies," she said. "To be successful, we depend on each other's success."

She described Asian Americans and Asian women in particular as important forms of "soft power" capable of strengthening cross-cultural understanding.

"In our quest for success, uplifting Asian women is the secret sauce," Hsieh said. "Without investing in their full potential to advance cross-cultural collaboration, Asians will never get the respect that they seek in the United States."

Hsieh's emphasis on visibility, leadership and cross-cultural influence comes as Asian Americans are playing an increasingly prominent role in some of the country's most strategically important industries.

Across Silicon Valley and the broader US technology sector, Asian American executives and engineers have become central figures in shaping the semiconductor, AI and digital infrastructure industries.

In a commentary marking Asian Heritage Month, Susan Au Allen, CEO and founder of the US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation, said the country's Asian community has been "at the forefront of the technological revolution", helping fuel decades of economic growth and innovation.

"Prominent business leaders, such as Broadcom CEO Hock Tan, Nvidia cofounder and CEO Jensen Huang, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, spearhead cutting-edge companies that employ hundreds of thousands and continue to push the boundaries of what is possible," Allen said.

She added that these entrepreneurs have pioneered products and services that "foster opportunity and improve lives here in America and around the world".

For many advocates, the rise of Asian American leadership in technology reflects a longer historical trajectory of contribution that stretches back generations.

In an opinion article titled "From Iron Rails to AI, Asian Americans Built a Nation", John Wang, founder and president of the Asian American Business Development Center, said Asian Americans represent the "bookends of American progress", linking the railroad era to the digital economy.

"Today, we are laying down a new set of tracks — not of iron, but of silicon and algorithms," Wang said.

Wang warned that despite significant contributions, Asian Americans still face barriers that echo earlier periods of exclusion.