Richmond Elementary School

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and Portland Public Schools recognizes the important contributions of Asian Americans Pacific Islander.

At PPS, our student, and staff population across all academic programs and mission areas represent a wide variety of AAPI ethnic groups, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, Indian and more. Our AAPI communities include native Oregonians and newcomers who come from diverse national histories, linguistic and religious backgrounds with a wealth of cultural experiences that enrich our communities.

Our district and our lives are enriched and strengthened by the presence and contributions of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. We thank those who work every day to make our dual language immersion program a place for Chinese, Vietnamese, and Japanese students to thrive. Our team continues to provide interpretation and translation services to the AAPI diaspora through our language access services. We are grateful for our staff and partners who help us develop culturally responsive strategies to better engage and serve AAPI families across the district.

Below are several resources that are available as we work together to create an environment of belonging, a connection to caring adults, and needed support to ensure our students are prepared to lead a more socially just world.

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Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month Website. The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America's history and are instrumental in its future success.

Care Package, the Asian Pacific American Center's online exhibition curated with love in difficult times. This exhibition includes short films, poems, music, and meditations.

Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center. This digital program brings the stories and insights of the nation’s preeminent scholars and activists together with treasures from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History to engage a broad audience in a deeper exploration of the past, present, and future of Asians in America.

Jamie Suehiro, AVID TOSA in the College and Career Readiness Department and Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School Asian Desi Pacific Islander Student Union Advisor, developed this compelling resource for educators:
On Anti-Asian Hate Resource

As a reminder if you, students, parents or community experience hate speech in your school community, we have a set of hate speech protocols we want folks to follow: PPS Hate Speech Protocols.