Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month explained

Holiday Name:Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Type:secular
Official Name:Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Observedby:United States
Date:May
Frequency:Annual
Duration:1 month

Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (officially changed from Asian American Pacific Islander Month)[1] is observed in the United States during the month of May, and recognizes the contributions and influence of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islander Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States.[2] [3]

Background

See main article: article and History of Asian Americans.

The first Asians documented in the Americas arrived in 1587, when Filipinos landed in California;[4] [5] from 1898 to 1946, the Philippines was an American possession.[6] The next group of Asians documented in what would be the United States were Indians in Jamestown, documented as early as 1635.[7] In 1778, the first Chinese to reach what would be the United States, arrived in Hawaii.[8] In 1788, the first Native Hawaiian arrived on the continental United States, in Oregon;[9] in 1900, Hawaii was annexed by the United States.[10] The next group of Asians documented in what would be the United States were Japanese, who arrived in Hawaii in 1806.[11] In 1884, the first Koreans arrived in the United States.[12] In 1898, Guam was ceded to the United States;[13] beginning in the 1900s, Chamorros began to migrate to California and Hawaii.[14] In 1904, what is now American Samoa was ceded to the United States;[15] beginning in the 1920s, Samoans began to migrate to Hawaii and the continental United States, with the first Samoans documented in Hawaii in 1920.[16] In 1912, the first Vietnamese was documented in the United States.[17]

History

A former congressional staffer in the 1970s, Jeanie Jew, first approached Representative Frank Horton with the idea of designating a month to recognize Asian Pacific Americans, following the bicentennial celebrations.[18] In June 1977, Representatives Horton, and Norman Y. Mineta, introduced a United States House of Representatives resolution to proclaim the first ten days of May as Asian-Pacific Heritage Week.[19] [20] A similar bill was introduced in the Senate a month later by Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga.[19] [21]

The proposed resolutions sought that May be designated for two reasons. First, on May 7, 1843, the first Japanese immigrant, Nakahama Manjirō, arrived in the United States.[22] [23] More than two decades later, on May 10, 1869, the golden spike was driven into the first transcontinental railroad, which was completed using Chinese labor.[24]

President Jimmy Carter signed a joint resolution for the celebration on October 5, 1978.[19]

On May 1, 2009, President Barack Obama signed Proclamation 8369, recognizing the month of May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.[25]

On April 30, 2021, President Joe Biden signed Proclamation 10189, recognizing the month of May as Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Federal legislation

"A joint resolution authorizing the President to proclaim annually a week during the first 10 days in May as Pacific/Asian American Heritage Week." was text in House Joint Resolution 540; this resolution as well as Senate Joint Resolution 72 did not pass. Ultimately, though, Rep. Horton's House Joint Resolution 1007 was passed by both the House and the Senate, and was signed by President Jimmy Carter on October 5, 1978, to become Public Law 95-419. In 1990, George H. W. Bush signed a bill passed by Congress to extend Asian-American Heritage Week to a month;[26] May was officially designated as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month two years later.[27] [28]

Observances

During Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, communities celebrate the achievements and contributions of Asian and Pacific Americans with community festivals, government-sponsored activities and educational activities for students.[29]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Tiangco . Arielle . April 25, 2022 . APA, AAPI, APIDA or AANHPI? The history and significance of the “Asian American” identity crisis . March 25, 2024 . The Optimist Daily . Formerly known as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the name officially changed to Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in April 2021, with President Joe Biden's signing of Proclamation 10189. . March 26, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240326153418/https://www.optimistdaily.com/2022/04/apa-aapi-apida-aanhpi-the-history-and-significance-of-the-asian-american-identity-crisis/ . live .
  2. Web site: Asian Pacific American Heritage Month . APAICS . Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies . 28 May 2020 . May 18, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210518080658/https://www.apaics.org/events/asian-pacific-american-heritage-month . live .
    Web site: Trump . Donald . Proclamation on Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, 2020 . . . 28 May 2020 . June 12, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210612211356/https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/proclamation-asian-american-pacific-islander-heritage-month-2020/ . live .
    Web site: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month - NPS Celebrates! (U.S. National Park Service) . www.nps.gov . U.S. Department of the Interior . 28 May 2020 . en . May 24, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220524123524/https://www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/asian-american-pacific-islander-heritage-month.htm . live .
  3. Web site: Proclamation 10189—Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month, 2021 The American Presidency Project . 2024-03-26 . www.presidency.ucsb.edu . March 26, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240326153417/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/proclamation-10189-asian-american-and-native-hawaiianpacific-islander-heritage-month-2021#:~:text=Proclamation%2010189%E2%80%94Asian%20American%20and%20Native,Hawaiian/Pacific%20Islander%20Heritage%20Month,%202021 . live .
  4. Antionette J. . Lee . Michele Gates . Moresi . Daphne . Dador . Janet . Paz . Eloisa . Borah . Lucy . Cohen . Kevin . Foster . Laura . Feller . Marilyn . Harper . John . Muir . Franklin . Odo . Martin . Perschler . Mark . Pfeifer . Carol . Shull . Erika Martin . Seibert . John . Sprinkle . Dan . Vivian . Priscilla . Wegars . Frank . Wu . Lawrence . Kingsbury . Dwight . Pitcaithley . National Center for Cultural Resources . 2005 . Asian Reflections On The American Landscape: Identifying and Interpreting Asian Heritage . National Park Service . 30 May 2020 . May 12, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210512081122/https://www.nps.gov/heritageinitiatives/pubs/Asianisms.pdf . live .
  5. Book: Howe. William A.. Lisi. Penelope L.. Becoming a Multicultural Educator. 28 December 2018. SAGE Publications. 978-1-5063-9382-7. 169. May 30, 2020. July 13, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240713173454/https://books.google.com/books?id=ABF7DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT169#v=onepage&q&f=false. live.
  6. Book: McFerson, Hazel M.. Mixed Blessing: The Impact of the American Colonial Experience on Politics and Society in the Philippines. 2002. Greenwood Publishing Group. 978-0-313-30791-1. May 31, 2020. July 13, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240713173454/https://books.google.com/books?id=7FPLWmaGQpEC. live.
    Book: Brands, H. W.. Bound to Empire : The United States and the Philippines: The United States and the Philippines. 17 September 1992. Oxford University Press, USA. 978-0-19-987437-8. May 31, 2020. July 13, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240713173455/https://books.google.com/books?id=RcBQwcWsRHgC. live.
    Book: Filipino Heritage: The American colonial period (1900-1941). 1978. Lahing Pilipino Pub. Manila. May 31, 2020. July 13, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240713173455/https://books.google.com/books?id=DsgRAQAAMAAJ. live.
    Book: Linn, Brian McAllister. Guardians of Empire: The U. S. Army and the Pacific, 1902-1940. 1 February 1999. Univ of North Carolina Press. 978-0-8078-4815-9.
  7. Martha W. . McCartney . Lorena S. . Walsh . Ywone . Edwards-Ingram . Andrew J. . Butts . Beresford . Callum . Colonial Williamsburg Foundation . 2003 . A Study of the Africans and African Americans on Jamestown Island and at Green Spring, 1619-1803 . National Park Service . 237 . 30 May 2020 . November 13, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181113072710/https://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/upload/African%20Americans%20on%20Jamestown%20Island.pdf . live .
  8. Book: Chang, Toy Len. Sailing for the Sun: The Chinese in Hawaii, 1789-1989. 1988. University of Hawaii Press. 978-0-8248-1313-0. 74. May 30, 2020. July 13, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240713173455/https://books.google.com/books?id=HasX67ugiC0C&pg=PA74#v=onepage&q&f=false. live.
    Book: Carrier, Jerry. Tapestry: The History and Consequences of America's Complex Culture. 1 August 2014. Algora Publishing. 978-1-62894-048-0. 50. May 30, 2020. July 13, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240713173455/https://books.google.com/books?id=lvhKBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA50#v=onepage&q&f=false. live.
    Chinese in Hawai'i . Center for Chinese Studies . 2011 . University of Hawai‘i at Manoa . 2011 APEC Summit . May 30, 2020 . August 27, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210827052831/http://www.hawaii.edu/news/docs/chinese-in-hawaii.pdf . live .
  9. Clark . Robert Carlton . March 1934 . Hawaiians in Early Oregon . Oregon Historical Quarterly . 35 . 1 . 22–31 . 20610848 .
    Web site: Aloha, Oregon! Hawaiians In Northwest History . Rabun . Sheila . 1 June 2011 . Oregon Digital Newspaper Program . University of Oregon . 30 May 2020 . April 19, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220419164109/https://odnp.uoregon.edu/2011/06/01/aloha-oregon-hawaiians-in-northwest-history/ . live .
  10. Web site: Annexation of Hawaii: Topics in Chronicling America . . Research Guides . Library of Congress . 31 May 2020 . June 18, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200618124839/https://guides.loc.gov/chronicling-america-annexation-hawaii . live .
    Book: William Michael Morgan. Pacific Gibraltar: U.S.-Japanese Rivalry Over the Annexation of Hawai'i, 1885-1898. 2011. Naval Institute Press. 978-1-59114-529-5. May 31, 2020. July 13, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240713173456/https://books.google.com/books?id=yuLHwAEACAAJ. live.
  11. Book: Pacific Northwest Quarterly. 1933. Washington State Historical Society. 245. May 30, 2020. July 13, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240713174005/https://books.google.com/books?id=IORFqiCgFiQC. live.
    Kono . Hideto . Sinoto . Kazuko . 2000 . Observations of the First Japanese to Land in Hawai'i . The Hawaiian Journal of History . 34 . 49–62 . 30 May 2020 . May 9, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210509092137/https://evols.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10524/201/JL34055.pdf . dead .
  12. Book: Min, Pyong Gap. Asian Americans: Contemporary Trends and Issues. 14 July 2005. SAGE Publications. 978-1-4522-6447-9. 230. May 30, 2020. July 13, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240713174005/https://books.google.com/books?id=1SV1AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA230#v=onepage&q&f=false. live.
    Web site: History of Korean Immigration to America, from 1903 to Present . Soojin . Chung . Boston Korean Diaspora Project . Boston University . 30 May 2020 . May 25, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220525155054/https://sites.bu.edu/koreandiaspora/issues/history-of-korean-immigration-to-america-from-1903-to-present/#_ftn1 . live .
  13. Web site: The Spanish-American War, 1898 . Office of the Historian . 2016 . Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations . United States Department of State . 31 May 2020 . June 19, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190619124156/https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/spanish-american-war . live .
    Book: Leonard. Thomas. Buchenau. Jurgen. Longley. Kyle. Graeme. Mount. Encyclopedia of U.S. - Latin American Relations. 31 January 2012. SAGE Publications. 978-1-60871-792-7. 732. May 31, 2020. March 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230323053347/https://books.google.com/books?id=tIOzDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA732. live.
  14. Book: Long, Lucy M.. Ethnic American Food Today: A Cultural Encyclopedia. 17 July 2015. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. 978-1-4422-2731-6. 420. May 31, 2020. July 13, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240713174006/https://books.google.com/books?id=DBzYCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA420#v=onepage&q&f=false. live.
    Book: Danico, Mary Yu. Asian American Society: An Encyclopedia. 19 August 2014. SAGE Publications. 978-1-4833-6560-2. 1319. May 31, 2020. July 13, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240713174007/https://books.google.com/books?id=9J6kBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT1319#v=onepage&q&f=false. live.
  15. Web site: History of American Samoa . . 2020 . American Samoa Government . 31 May 2020 . April 18, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200418235748/https://www.americansamoa.gov/history-of-american-samoa . dead .
    Book: Schaefer, Richard T.. Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Society. 20 March 2008. SAGE. 978-1-4129-2694-2. 1315. May 31, 2020. July 13, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240713174009/https://books.google.com/books?id=YMUola6pDnkC&pg=PT1315#v=onepage&q&f=false. live.
  16. Mishra . Shiraz I. . Luce-Aoelua . Pat . Lynne R. . Wilkens . Leslie . Bernstein . August 1996 . Cancer Among American-Samoans: Site-Specific Incidence in California and Hawaii . International Journal of Epidemiology . 25 . 5 . 713–721 . 10.1093/ije/25.4.713 . 8921447 . free .
    Book: Daniels, Roger. American Immigration: A Student Companion. 2001. Oxford University Press. 978-0-19-511316-7. 236.
    Lewthwaite . Gordon R. . Mainzer . Christiane . Holland . Patrick J. . 1973 . From Polynesia to California: Samoan Migration and Its Sequel . 25168141 . The Journal of Pacific History . 8 . 133–157 . 10.1080/00223347308572228 .
  17. Charles . Keith . March 2019 . The First Vietnamese in America . Sojourn: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia . 34 . 1 . 48–75 . 26594524 . 10.1355/sj34-1b. 195578702 .
  18. Moon . Kat . May 23, 2019 . How One Woman's Story Led to the Creation of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month . Time . March 10, 2020 . May 1, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200501054125/https://time.com/5592591/asian-pacific-heritage-month-history/ . live .
    Web site: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Highlights Traditions . Carr . Janis . April 16, 2019 . News . California State University, Long Beach . March 10, 2020 . May 5, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190505150817/http://www.csulb.edu/news/article/asian-american-and-pacific-islander-heritage-month-highlights-traditions . live .
  19. Web site: About – Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month. asianpacificheritage.gov. February 2, 2016. August 15, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140815013003/http://asianpacificheritage.gov/about.html. live.
  20. Web site: Joint Resolution: Authorizing and requesting the President to proclaim the 7-day period beginning on May 4, 1979 as "Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week" . October 5, 1978 . . July 18, 2012 . February 24, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130224200115/http://loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/pdf/92%20stat%20920.pdf . live .

  21. Web site: Asian/Pacific-American Heritage Month: Home . Rebar . Lauri . 2015 . Libraries . Florida Atlantic University . March 10, 2020 . September 23, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200923072141/https://libguides.fau.edu/asian-pacific-month . live .
    News: Knoedler . Matt . May 29, 2019 . Hawaii lawmakers reflect on Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month . KITV . Hawaii . March 10, 2020 . October 20, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201020070834/https://www.kitv.com/story/40552519/hawaii-lawmakers-reflect-on-asian-american-and-pacific-islander-heritage-month . live .
    Web site: IEE 'Bulletin Board in a Bag': Asian Pacific Heritage Month . . 2019 . Inclusion and Equity Education . University of Denver . March 10, 2020 .
  22. Web site: APA President's Statement on Asian Pacific American Heritage Month . Henderson Daniel . Jessica . Luna . Kaitlin . May 1, 2018 . American Psychological Association . March 10, 2020 .
  23. Book: Masako Herman. The Japanese in America, 1843–1973: a chronology & fact book. registration. 1974. Oceana Publications. 978-0-379-00512-7. 1.
  24. Web site: Geography of Chinese Workers Building the Transcontinental Railroad . Chang . Gordon H. . Fiskin . Shelly Fisher . Obenzinger . Hilton . Wolfesntein . Gabriel . Stephanie . Niu . Erik . Stiener . Leo . Barleta . Yue . Li . 2018 . Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project . Stanford University . March 10, 2020 . October 24, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201024085419/https://web.stanford.edu/group/chineserailroad/cgi-bin/website/virtual/ . live .
    Katz . Jesse . May 2019 . The Transcontinental Railroad Wouldn't Have Been Built Without the Hard Work of Chinese Laborers . Smithsonian Magazine . Smithsonian Institution . March 10, 2020 . July 13, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240713174531/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/transcontinental-railroad-chinese-laborers-180971919/ . live .
  25. Web site: May 1, 2009 . Proclamation 8369—Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, 2009 . The American Presidency Project . March 10, 2022 . UC Santa Barbara . March 10, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220310154826/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/proclamation-8369-asian-american-and-pacific-islander-heritage-month-2009 . live .
  26. Web site: About Asian/Pacific Heritage Month . . Asian Pacific American Heritage Month . The Library of Congress . March 10, 2020 . February 28, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200228143336/https://asianpacificheritage.gov/about/ . live .

    Web site: Joint Resolution: To designate May 1991 and May 1992 as "Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month" . May 14, 1991 . . July 18, 2012 . February 24, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130224200121/http://loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/pdf/105%20stat%20243.pdf . live .
  27. Web site: Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month Law Library of Congress. www.loc.gov. April 1, 2012. February 2, 2016. October 6, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101006200349/http://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/asian.php. live.
    Web site: Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month . Law Library of Congress . September 7, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101006200349/http://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/asian.php . October 6, 2010 . live .
  28. Web site: An Act: To designate May of each year as "Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month" . October 23, 1992 . . July 18, 2012 . February 24, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130224200125/http://loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/pdf/106%20stat%202251.pdf . live .
  29. Web site: Celebrate APA Heritage Month : Asian-Nation :: Asian American History, Demographics, & Issues. asian-nation.org. February 2, 2016. February 5, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160205103406/http://www.asian-nation.org/heritage.shtml. live.

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