What is APIDA?
The history of the Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans (APIDAs) is an important part of the American experience. Works dedicated to APIDAs contribute to a fuller understanding of the history of the United States. Their stories encompass a rich legacy of achievement, along with hardships and sacrifices, that deserve to be recognized. 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 the 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. This term ultimately includes all people of Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander ancestry who trace their origins to the countries, states, jurisdictions and/or the diasporic communities of these geographic regions. In the 2000 United States Census, the Federal Government defines “Asian American” to include persons having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent.
