AANHPI Heritage Month 2025: Honoring Migrant Journeys and Student Voices

This Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, Hindus for Human Rights reflects on the hopes, challenges, and contributions of migrant and student communities across the U.S.—many of whom are navigating increasing uncertainty and discrimination.

As international students face rising visa barriers and surveillance, and immigrant families continue to confront detention, displacement, and fear, this month is a time to affirm belonging and dignity for all. For South Asians, these struggles often intersect with caste, faith, and economic insecurity—deepening the need for awareness and support.

At HfHR, we see this moment as an opportunity to draw on the inclusive values at the heart of Hindu thought—nonviolence, truth, and service—as we work to build communities where everyone is welcomed and protected.

AANHPI Heritage Month is a reminder that heritage is not only about the past—it’s about the world we’re shaping together.

These experiences are not separate from broader AANHPI narratives—they are central to them. The AANHPI community includes refugees, undocumented people, Indigenous islanders, and working-class immigrants who carry forward rich cultural traditions even as they confront systemic obstacles. And for South Asians, these challenges are often compounded by caste discrimination, religious bias, and the burden of being seen as both outsiders and representatives of an entire faith or region.

At Hindus for Human Rights, we mark AANHPI Heritage Month by affirming our commitment to inclusive justice. We draw from values rooted in Hindu traditions—ahimsa (nonviolence), satya (truth), and seva (service)—to guide our work supporting those most vulnerable, including students and migrants. Explore our new resource, Stranger is God: A Hindu Guide to Supporting Migrants, which offers reflection, context, and action steps for standing with immigrant communities through a spiritual and justice-centered lens.

Heritage is not just about celebration. It’s also about recognition. About holding space for the stories that don’t always make headlines, and about lifting up the quiet courage of those navigating displacement, paperwork, and isolation with resilience and grace.

This month, let us honor heritage by standing with our communities—not only in memory, but in action.