History
Why is AAPI Heritage Month in May? Name at least one of the two primary reasons
It celebrates when the first Japanese immigrants came to the U.S., and the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad (May 1969)
The railroad helped open up the West to settlement and development. Nearly 20,000 Chinese laborers worked in hazardous and even deadly conditions for low wages to construct it.
How many people (or approximately what percentage) of people identify as AAPI in the U.S.?
25.8 million (approximately 7.7% of total U.S. Population)
This American snowboarder became the youngest woman to win Olympic gold in snowboarding at age 17 in PyeongChang.
Bonus: if you can say how many Olympic medals she has won since she started her career
Chloe Kim
Bonus: 3 (2 gold and recently 1 silver)
This animated 2025 release became Netflix ‘s most viewed film of all time, with more than 236 million views to date.
Bonus: name the original song from the movie that hit number 1 on the billboard charts.
KPop Demon Hunters
Bonus: Golden
This Japanese American invention replaced raw fish with avocado and imitation crab to make sushi more approachable to U.S. diners in the 1960s.
California Roll
What was the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II?
Bonus points if you can say how many Japanese Americans were impacted.
Japanese Americans were put in internment camps during World War II primarily due to fear of espionage and sabotage after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Executive Order 9066, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, authorized the relocation of people of Japanese descent from designated military areas, particularly on the West Coast, to camps in remote inland locations. This decision was driven by a combination of racial prejudice, wartime hysteria, and political pressure, even though there was a complete lack of evidence to support the claim that Japanese Americans posed a threat.
Bonus: 120k
Approximately what percentage of businesses in the United States are Asian-Owned?
11.5%
Fun fact: Asian-owned businesses contribute $1.2 trillion in receipts (as of 2025)
This Chinese American architect designed the famous glass pyramid entrance at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
I.M. Pei
This Netflix dark comedy explores identity, ambition, and rage through the lives of two Asian American strangers after a road rage incident.
Beef
Founded in 1983 by Chinese American entrepreneurs Andrew and Peggy Cherng, this fast-casual restaurant chain grew from a single California mall location to more than 2,000 restaurants across the world, largely thanks to the popularity of its orange chicken.
Panda Express
After communist governments took power in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos in 1975, millions fled in what became known as the ________ refugee crisis.
The Indochina refugee crisis
After the fall of South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos government, displacing millions, the U.S. initially struggled to respond, passing emergency measures like the Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act and later the Refugee Act of 1980, which reshaped American refugee policy and expanded resettlement efforts.
Which state has the lowest percentage of Asian residents?
Bonus: if you can guess the percentage
Bonus: if you can guess the lowest by #
West Virginia (source)
Bonus: 0.84% (14k)
Bonus: Lowest # is Wyoming approx. 4k
This Pakistani American comedian created and starred in the semi-autobiographical series “The Big Sick.”
Kumail Nanjiani
This film centers on a Korean American family who moves to an Arkansas farm in search of its own American dream. Amidst the challenges of this new life in the strange and rugged Ozarks, they discover the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.
Bonus: Who directed this film
Minari
Fun Fact: "Minari" won a total of 68 awards. The film also received 6 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Original Score. Notably, Yuh-Jung Youn won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Bonus: Lee Isaac Chung
Despite having fewer than 20 U.S. locations, this Taiwanese chain generates the highest average revenue per restaurant in America.
Bonus: if you can estimate how much revenue each location generates annually
Din Tai Fung
Bonus: $27 million
This Chinese American was beaten to death in a hate crime by two auto workers who blamed him for the massive layoffs occurring in the auto industry in 1982
Vincent Chin
On the night of his Bachelor party, Chin was beaten to death by Ebens and Nitz with a baseball bat, thinking he was Japanese, whom they blamed for the auto industry layoffs. These men were arrested and released the same night of the murder. The judge who gave the sentencing offered the following explanation: “These aren’t the kind of men you send to jail. You fit the punishment to the criminal, not the crime.”
This Southeast Asian country is the only one in the region that has never been colonized by a European power.
Thailand
Born in Paris to Chinese parents and raised in the United States, this renowned classical musical has won more than a dozen Grammy Awards and founded the Silkroad Ensemble.
Yo-Yo Ma
This Grammy-winning R&B artist, born Shaffer Smith, earned songwriting credits on hits for Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Mario before dominating the charts himself.
Ne-Yo
(Father has Chinese ancestry)
This food delivery platform was co‑founded by Tony Xu (Chinese American), Stanley Tang (Hong Kong–American), and Andy Fang (Taiwanese American), who started the company while at Stanford in 2013
Bonus: how many orders were place in Q1 2026 on this platform
DoorDash
Bonus: 933 mm
This 1897–98 Supreme Court case established that a child born in the United States to non-citizen parents is still a U.S. citizen under the 14th Amendment.
United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1897)
While Wong Kim Ark’s parents were denied citizenship due to the Chinese Exclusion Acts, he was born in San Francisco. He faced denial of reentry into the United States after visiting China which raised the question: is a child who was born in the US to Chinese-citizen parents who lawful permanent residents of the US considered a citizen under the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Supreme Court ruled 6–2 in favor of Wong Kim Ark and established the principle of jus soli (“right of soil”)
What are the three largest origin groups for the US Asian population?
Note: all three are needed for full credit – partial credit is up to host’s discretion.
Chinese – 22%
Indian – 21%
Filipino – 19%
A native to Hawaii, this American actress and singer, is best known for voicing Moana but has gone on to many leading roles both in film and on Broadway.
Bonus: Spell her name correctly.
Auli’i Cravalho
The daughter of sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar, this singer known for her smoky, jazz-inflected blend of pop, folk, and blues won five Grammy Awards in a single night in 2003.
Norah Jones
What two countries heavily incorporate “SPAM” into their dishes, and what is the reason why?
The Philippines and Korea – when U.S. Armed Forces were stationed in these countries, they ate cheap canned meat, a.k.a SPAM. When soldiers left, the countries had an abundance of these, and they became incorporated into their food (i.e. Filipino SPAM, egg and Rice and Korea’s Budae Jiggae)