This May, we're coming together to celebrate and honour the contributions of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) people who have deeply enriched our culture in Canada and across North America. Celebrated as Asian Heritage Month in Canada, we're using this month to share and recognize the historical experiences of this diverse and complex community. This includes people with ties to all parts of the Asian continent - from East to West and South to North, and the Pacific Islands.

On TikTok, Asian creators are embraced for their creativity, authenticity, and cultural pride. This month, we're honouring the Asian community across Canada and the US with #AsianTikTok and #WeAreAPI, to shine a light on their powerful stories and experiences. We'll also be hosting weekly virtual community events, including TikTok LIVE streams, and Asian creators and small business spotlights, to celebrate the impact Asian creators have made in the community.

From starting food trends to celebrating family moments, to entertaining and inspiring others, Asian creators are a big part of TikTok's vibrant and creative community. Every day, they bring their stories and culture to life through engaging, meaningful, and relatable content. We're honoured to celebrate them this month and every day of the year.

Inaugural API TikTok Trailblazers

Today we're announcing the inaugural API TikTok Trailblazers list. These individuals were recognized and nominated by the North American API creator community for their passion and dedication to creating content that connects and inspires. Our Trailblazers are using their platform to educate, entertain, and advocate for the API community. Two Canadian creators - @onlinekyne and @Tiffycooks - were named on the inaugural Trailblazers list. These creators are proudly representing their Asian heritage authentically and creatively every day. Follow them on TikTok and look out for more from these incredible Trailblazers! To see the full list, please see the US Newsroom.

  • @onlinekyne - Kyne is a drag queen and mathematics wizard known on TikTok for spreading enthusiasm for education, math, and diversity and inclusion in STEM on TikTok. She was born in Manila and grew up in Ontario, where she graduated from University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Mathematics majoring in mathematical finance.
  • @Tiffycooks - Tiffy is a first-generation Taiwanese immigrant and food blogger who shares easy, delicious, and quick Asian recipes she learned both growing up in a household of foodies and those she cultivated through her travels across Asia.

LIVE Programming

Starting May 1, #AsianTikTok will be a featured banner on the Discover page, connecting our community to a schedule of TikTok LIVE programming featuring Asian creators and artists. Each week, we'll host TikTok LIVEs that showcase the pride, diversity and strength of the Asian community, including "This is Activism," "Styling and Shining," "Kitchen Chronicles," and "History is Happening." Community-favorite TikTok LIVE programs such as #LearnOnTikTok and Sound Off will also honour and feature Asian creators, celebrating the rich diversity of the Asian community. Check the Discover page daily for the latest LIVE programming schedule.

In-App Creative Effects

Our design team has also developed new stickers to help creators celebrate and share stories of API culture and community. The creation of the stickers was led by Julia Yellow, a TikTok employee of Taiwanese descent, who was inspired to create stickers that looked beyond identity and celebrated the different dimensions of API cultures. To feature an API Heritage Month sticker, open the Stickers tray after filming and add them on top of your video.

Maintaining strong safety policies in support of the Asian community

With the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes, we remain vigilant and work to identify and remove hateful content if it manifests on our platform. For instance, at the start of the pandemic, we banned "kungflu" and other slurs used against these communities. There's no finish line when it comes to safety, and our Community Guidelines exist to protect the API community and others as we maintain a safe and welcoming experience on our platform. We encourage people to report content they think violates our Community Guidelines.

Community Support

In honor of Asian Heritage Month and API Heritage Month, we're donating $275K to non-profit organizations across North America that fight for racial equality and justice and provide programs and resources to local API communities. These organizations include Asian Mental Health Collective, Hate is a Virus, and more. We're also sponsoring the Third Annual Act to Change AAPI Day Against Bullying + Hate Conference on May 18.

Building on our support for small businesses, we're recognizing and promoting amazing Asian-owned businesses throughout May. Six of our incredible Trailblazers will partner with an Asian-owned small business to help raise awareness of the business's impact on the Asian community on TikTok and beyond. The TikTok community will be able to discover these businesses through #SpotlightAPI, and each of the businesses will participate in a special workshop designed to help them reach customers and thrive on TikTok.

To our Asian community in Canada and our API community in the US and abroad: your presence and passion enrich TikTok every day - thank you! We're excited for you to celebrate your culture with us this May and all year long. #WeAreAPI #AsianTikTok