Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at NeoGenomics: Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month

May 2021

At NeoGenomics, we celebrate our rich and diverse culture and backgrounds and are constantly working to build an equitable and inclusive environment for everyone. This month, we are highlighting and elevating awareness for Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.

We’re proud that our Core Values—Quality, Integrity, Accountability, Teamwork, and Innovation—enable a culture of diversity, and we work hard to promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) awareness as we continue building an environment of belonging and trust. We’re also especially proud that the Neo team is 53% ethnically diverse, with 27% or almost a third of our workforce identifying as Asian.

In commemoration of AAPI Heritage Month and in our continued effort to support an environment of belonging and trust at Neo, we are offering several companywide learning activities, a DE&I discussion session, and a Company-Match Donation Program for the Stop AAPI Hate charitable organization.

Since Neo is an organization with international locations, including sites in Asia and Singapore, our May celebration of AAPI Heritage Month shines the spotlight on Asian & Pacific Islander communities globally! But since this month is specifically recognized in the U.S., we’re sharing a brief history of how this recognition in America originated, as well as some facts you might not already know.

History of AAPI Heritage Month: In 1978, a joint congressional resolution established “Asian/Pacific America Heritage Week,” with the first 10 days of May chosen to coincide with two important milestones in Asian/Pacific American History: the arrival in the U.S. of the first Japanese immigrants (May 7, 1843) and contributions of Chinese workers to the building of the transcontinental railroad, completed May 10, 1869. In 1992, Congress expanded the observance to a month-long celebration now known as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Did You Know? A broad term, “Asian/Pacific” encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island).

In the U.S., as of 2019 census data, the estimated number of Asian (alone or in combination) residents is 22.9 million, with an estimated 1.6 million residents identifying as native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander (alone or in combination)!

Interested in joining the team at NeoGenomics? Browse career opportunities and read more about the Benefits at NeoGenomics. You can also check us out on Glassdoor and watch a video about the #LifeAtNeo.