May is Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Heritage Month, recognizing the achievements of the Asian, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian communities. On May 30 from 5-7 p.m. CDT, the Nashville Bar Association's (NBA) Diversity Committee will host a reception at Bass, Berry & Sims to celebrate the people, culture and businesses of Nashville’s API community. For more information, visit the NBA's website.

In honor of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage (AANHPI) Month, American Bar Association President Mary Smith recently released a statement highlighting the theme of “Bridging Histories, Shaping Our Future" and noting the major impact the AANHPI community has had on the legal profession. According to the ABA’s Profile of the Legal Profession, the number of Asian American lawyers has grown faster than any other demographic group, increasing from 2.5% of all lawyers in 2021 to 6% in 2023. Smith concludes "As a nation, we should ensure that the AANHPI stories are lifted up. As lawyers, we should combat discrimination and hate that is too often targeted at this community ... Let us use this month to not only honor the achievements of the AANHPI people, many who overcame great hardship and discrimination to reach their goals, but also to dedicate ourselves to building bridges across cultures to create a future where all are treated equally and can succeed."

The Nashville-based Center for Nonprofit Management is holding a free virtual event Friday to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. The “Virtual Day of Convening” will feature AAPI voices and narratives through panel discussions as well as visual and performance art. Topics include “What AAPI Means,” “How the AAPI Community Is Addressed in DEI Conversations,” “Hate Crimes and COVID-19” and “The Bamboo Ceiling.” Each session will run for 30 minutes between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Learn more about the event and register here.

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and the TBA is celebrating by sponsoring a free CLE program from the Tennessee Asian Pacific American Bar Association. "How We Got Here and the Laws That Impacted Our Journey” will feature a panel that will explore the history of Asian-Americans and the intersection of laws and regulations that affected their rights and their contributions to civil rights in America. The event will take place on May 20 at 3 p.m. CDT at Baker Donelson, 1600 West End Ave., Ste. 2000, Nashville. The program is also available online. Register for the program here.

The ABA has launched a 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge© in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. It is the second ABA-wide challenge launched this year, the first of which was offered in February for Black History Month. The idea behind the challenge is to advance deeper understandings of the intersections of race, power, privilege, supremacy and oppression by inviting participants to complete 21 short assignments over 21 consecutive days. Each activity takes about 15 to 20 minutes and can include readings, videos and podcasts. This specific challenge is designed to expose participants to AAPI histories, identities and cultures, as well as the community’s experiences of racism in America.

President Joe Biden yesterday signed legislation that aims to combat the rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans that has occurred since the coronavirus pandemic, The Hill reports. The legislation is designed to improve hate crime tracking and reporting, as well as bolster support for state and local officials investigating hate crimes. The advocacy group Stop AAPI Hate says it has received reports of more than 6,600 anti-Asian hate incidents in the United States since the start of the pandemic. Read the president’s remarks at the signing ceremony.

Six leaders of the Asian American legal community will discuss the legacy of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the American justice system at a virtual program hosted by the American Bar Association Judicial Division. A Journey Through America’s Silent History: A Discussion Highlighting Asian American and Pacific Islanders’ Contributions to the Advancement of America Amid Exclusion and Invisibility” will be held May 21 at 11 a.m. CDT. Panelists will discuss legal issues arising from Asian American life in the United States, including the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Korematsu v. United States. Register here.