The United States has been celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage throughout May for the last 44 years.
According to AsianPacificHeritage.gov, May is significant to the AAPI community because it honors the first Japanese immigrants who came to America in May of 1843. It also honors transcontinental railroad workers, a majority of whom were Chinese immigrants, who finished the project in May of 1869.
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However, national recognition didn't begin until almost a century later, when President Jimmy Carter signed a bill into law in May 1979. The initial legislation marked seven days of the month as "Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week," starting on May 4. Then, in 1990, Congress passed legislation to observe the occasion for an entire month. It wasn't until 1992 that Congress passed additional legislation to officially declare May AAPI Heritage Month.
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AsianPacificHeritage.gov defines Asian/Pacific as encompassing:
• The Asian continent
• 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)
• Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island)
According to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, there's been a nearly 30% increase in those who identify as Asian, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander from 2010 to 2020.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, hate crimes against the AAPI community soared. In January, the White House rolled out the first-ever strategy to promote safety and equity for AAPI communities.
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Below are resources to learn more about the culture, history and important figures of the AAPI community.
• Asian Pacific Heritage
• National Archives News Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
• EDSITEment! Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage and History in the U.S.
• National Park Service Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage
• Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
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