ASIAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER IDENTITIES

DEFINITIONS & GROUPINGS

Historically, Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States have been grouped together under various names both by government classifications as well as by us, as part of an intentional community-based strategy to build coalitions with one another.  We recognize the tremendous diversity of more than fifty distinct ethnic and national origin subgroups included within any one grouping.  We also recognize that there are conflicting views on the appropriateness of any aggregate classification or reference.  For example, "Asian and Pacific Islander", "Asian Pacific American", "Asian American and Pacific Islander" have all been used in recent years to name our communities.  Such groupings are ultimately political and part of a dynamic continuing process of self-determination and self-identification.

The Federal Government defines (a) "Asian American" to include persons having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent; and (b) "Pacific Islander" includes the aboriginal, indigenous, native peoples of Hawai'i and other Pacific Islands within the jurisdiction of the United States, and those having origins in the Melanesian, Micronesian and Polynesian regions of the Pacific Islands.  In the 2000 Census, the Federal Government no longer groups Asians and Pacific Islanders together.  The new groupings are Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders (NHOPI), American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIAN).

For our purposes, we include all people of Asian or Pacific Islander ancestry, i.e., those who trace their origins to the countries or diasporic communities of the region; residing in the United States and the U.S.-associated Pacific Island Jurisdictions.  We seek to remain inclusive and responsive to all our diverse communities in how we are named.

ETHNIC IDENTITITES & REGIONAL GROUPINGS
Asians and Pacific Islanders are typically grouped by regions; some of these can be politically controversial.  In addition, there are more ethnicities than there are countries (e.g., Hmong are an ethnic group from Laos).  We have tried to be thorough, but notions of identity carry political, social and familial meanings too complex to analyze here.  

Central Asians
Afghani, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, Uzbek

East Asians
Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Okinawan, Taiwanese, Tibetan  

Hawaiians & Pacific Islanders*
Carolinian, Chamorro, Chuukese, Fijian, Guamanian, Hawaiian, Kosraean, Marshallesse, Native Hawaiian, Niuean, Palauan, Pohnpeian, Samoan, Tokelauan,Tongan, Yapese

* For these purposes, we have listed only those that are part of the US Jurisdictions.

Southeast Asians
Burmese, Cambodian, Filipino, Hmong, Indonesian, Laotian, Malaysian, Mien, Papua New Guinean, Singaporean, Timorese, Thai, Vietnamese

South Asians
Bangladeshi, Bhutanese, Indian, Maladivian, Nepali, Pakistani, Sri Lankan

West Asians
West Asian is a contested term, most people from the region do not self-identify as such. It is typically referred to as the Middle East; and geographically includes the countries of Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey (straddles Europe and Asia) United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPINGS
Ethnic groupings can make other defining identities invisible, so we have listed them

• Disabled
• Elderly
• Immigrant and Refugee
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT)
• Pan-Asian
• Rural
• Youth