The term Asian American was coined in 1968 by students Yuji Ichioka and Emma Gee, who founded the Asian American Political Alliance at UC Berkeley. They wanted a political identity that united Chinese, Japanese, Filipino and other Asian communities against shared discrimination. Pacific Islander was added later in many uses, and some groups now write AANHPI to name Native Hawaiians specifically.
In 1997, the federal government split the old "Asian or Pacific Islander" category into two: Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. The split reflected different histories, including the US overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Congress designated it a month in 1992, marking the first Japanese immigration in May 1843 and the completion of the transcontinental railroad in May 1869, built largely by Chinese workers.
Critics note that combined data hides large gaps. Some Asian American groups have high median incomes, while others have high poverty rates. Disaggregated data, broken out by specific community, gives a more accurate picture.