LBCC LibGuides: Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi Resource Guide: APID Information

The United States is an immigrant country, so it is not a surprise to find people of many races, from various countries, and of diverse ethnicities on our campus and in our communities. This guide offers resources to help us learn more about identities contained within the Asian Pacific Islander Desi community. This guide has interesting places to visit for each ethnic group, topics of concern, and descriptions of customs and traditions that will help in learning the culture of those with APID heritage.

Stop AAPI Hate. Image of young people with their arms around each other in solidarity.

"What makes someone American isn't just blood or birth, but our allegiance to our founding principles and faith in the idea that anyone--from anywhere--can write the next chapter of our story." - Barack Obama

"We call for the end of bigotry as we know it. The end of racism as we know it. The end of child abuse in the family as we know it. The end of sexism as we know it. The end of homophobia as we know it. We stand for freedom as we have yet to know it. And we will not be denied." - Urvashi Vaid

"I feel we have the same rights as [anyone] because in that constitution it said that everybody has equal rights and justice. You've got to make that come about. They are not going to give it to you." - Larry Itliong

"The most powerful weapon for we women of color is truth. Go out and tell truth--everywhere." - Yuri Kochiyama

"I truly believe the only way we can create global peace is through not only educating our minds, but our hearts and our souls." - Malala Yousafzai

Helpful Terms

There are a number of terms that are used to denote Asian and Pacific Islander populations, including Asian Pacific American (APA), Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI), and Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI). We use the term APIDA, which stands for Asian Pacific Islander Desi American, as a pan-ethnic classification that intentionally includes South Asians (Desi) as part of our community. There is a great diversity of identities and ethnicities encompassed under the APIDA umbrella, including East Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander.

Color-coded map of Asia

Cacahuate, amendments by Peter Fitzgerald, Globe-trotter, Joelf, and Texugo, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

East Asians refer to people from China (including Macau and Hong Kong), Korea, Japan, Okinawa, Taiwan, and Mongolia.
South Asians refer to people from the following countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Ethnic groups include Sindhi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, and many others.
Southeast Asians refer to people from the following countries and ethnic groups: Burma, Brunei, Cambodia (Khmer, Cham, KhmerLoeu), Indonesia, Laos (Hmong, Lao, Lao Loum, Iu Mien, Khmu, Tai Dam, Tai Leu, and many other ethnic groups), Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Philippines, and Vietnam (Vietnamese, Khmer Kampuchea Krom, Montagnards).
Pacific Islanders refer to those whose origins are the original peoples of Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia. Polynesia includes Hawaii (Native Hawaiian), Samoa and American Samoa (Samoan), Tokelau (Tokelauan), Tahiti (Tahitian), and Tonga (Tongan). Micronesia includes Guam (Guamanian or Chamorro), Mariana Islands (Mariana Islander), Saipan (Saipanese), Palau (Palauan), Yap (Yapanese), Chuuk (Chuukese), Pohnpei (Pohnpeian), Kosrae (Kosraean), Marshall Islands (Marshallese), and Kiribati (I-Kiribat). Melanesia includes Fiji (Fijian), Papua New Guinea (Papua New Guinean), Solomon Islands (Solomon Islander), and Vanuatu (Ni-Vanuatu).

SOURCES: SEARAC, Southeast Asian American Statistical Profile,2004; https://www.empoweredpi.org/; https://www.api-gbv.org/resources/census-data-api-identities

Long Beach APID in Pictures

An abstract collage mural, "Learning," by Ann Phong. Hands are shown in multiracial colors, expressing the universal human emotion associated with touch. Two teens and an adult are shown standing behind a stack of books symbolizing lifelong learning.

A photo of first Long Beach female and Japanese-american mayor, Eunice Sato in 1982

Two women and one man pose for the camera for Filipino-American Friendship Day. The two women are wearing small carnation corsages. The two people on the left are wearing modern embroidered Filipino attire.

A group of eight young Asian children pose for a photograph during a birthday party. A tall hedge is just behind them. Beyond the hedge is a residence and a few trees.

A smiling young Cambodian woman is shown here wearing a colorful, elaborately decorated and jeweled traditional garment and headdress.

A small class of Japanese American men wearing military uniforms sit at long wooden tables as they listen to the teacher standing in the front of the room.

A group of men wearing white Nehru style jackets perform on a variety of traditional instruments. At far right, a woman wearing a white dress holds a microphone.

Six young women dressed in Japanese kimonos pose outdoors in their neighborhood for a photograph.

A Cambodian woman wearing traditional attire is dancing. In the background, young people are playing traditional musical instruments.

A fmaily of 11 Asian people of varying ages with different expressions pose in front of a boat upon relocating to Long Beach.

A smiling Cambodian young person performs a dance outdoors in a colorful, elaborately decorated and jeweled traditional garment and hat.

A Japanese family is visiting Pierpoint Landing. Portions of the pier, buildings, equipment, and cranes are visible in the background.

Local APID Cultural Hubs

Cambodia Town
Cambodia Town is located along the business corridor of Anaheim Street between Atlantic and Junipero Avenues in Long Beach, California.
Historic Filipinotown
A nostalgic trip through history lies along Beverly Boulevard and W. Temple Street. A large mural in Unidad Park celebrates Filipino-American history and culture.
Koreatown
Bound roughly by Vermont Avenue on the east, Western Avenue on the west, Third Street on the north, and Olympic Boulevard on the south, Koreatown is a historic district in the Mid-Wilshire region of Los Angeles.
Little India
Little India is a cultural enclave centered on Pioneer Boulevard between 183rd and 188th streets in Artesia, California.

Local APID Cultural Hubs

Little Saigon
There are various locations that are called Little Saigon in Westminister area of Southern California, but the largest and most popular is along Bolsa Avenue.
Little Tokyo
Little Tokyo is a historical area that showcases the Japanese American role in California history. It is bordered by the Los Angeles River to the east, downrtown Los Angeles to the west, L.A. City Hall and the Parker Center to the north.
Thai Town
Thai Town is a six-block area in the East Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California; it is the only officially recognized Thai Town in the United States. Thai Town is bordered by the neighborhoods of Los Feliz to the north and east, central Hollywood to the west, and Little Armenia to the south.