1. Asian American and Pacific
Islander Heritage Month
Eugenia Beh
May 16, 2011
2. What is APAHM?
• To celebrate the
achievements and
contributions of Asian
Americans and
Pacific Islanders in
the United States
3. Why May?
• May 7, 1843 - arrival
of the first Japanese
to the United States
• May 10, 1869 – the
completion of the first
transcontinental
railroad (primarily built
by Chinese
immigrants) Joining the Tracks for the First
Transcontinental Railroad,
Promontory Point, Utah Newline
Photographer. Andrew J. Russell,
http://apa.si.edu/ongoldmountain/
4. June-July 1977
• Reps. Frank Horton and
Norman Mineta and Sens.
Daniel Inouye and Spark
Matsunaga introduce
resolutions authorizing the
President to annually
proclaim a week during the
first 10 days of May as
“Pacific/Asian American
Heritage Week”
5. October 5, 1978
• President Jimmy Carter signs joint resolution
declaring first Asian/Pacific American Heritage
Week as May 4-10, 1979
6. 1990-2009
• May 7, 1990 - President George H.W. Bush
extends Asian Pacific American Heritage Week
to a month (Presidential Proclamation 6130)
• Oct 23, 1992 - Congress permanently
designates each May as Asian Pacific American
Heritage Month (Public Law 102-450)
• May 1, 2009 - President Barack Obama
renames the month as Asian American and
Pacific Islander Heritage Month (Presidential
Proclamation 8369)
12. Leadership
• Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke
• Secretary of Energy Steven Chu
• Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki
• Veterans Affairs Assistant Secretary of Public
and Intergovernmental Affairs Tammy
Duckworth
• Representative Mike Honda (D-CA15)
• Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
• Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
• TX State Representative Hubert Vo (D-149)
22. Resources
• Library of Congress
http://asianpacificheritage.gov/index.html
• Law Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-
observations/asian.php
• Smithsonian Institution
http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educato
rs/
resource_library/asian_american_resources.h
tml
• White House Initiative on Asian Americans and
Pacific Islanders
1 of several federal commemorative months recognized by presidential proclamationhttp://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/index.php
All presidents have annually issued a proclamation designating May as “Asian/Pacific American Heritage Heritage Month”
http://www.aasc.ucla.edu/archives/stats2011.asphttp://blog.angryasianman.com/2011/03/us-census-data-asians-are-fastest.htmlhttp://www.examiner.com/public-policy-in-louisville/asian-pacific-american-heritage-month-by-the-numbersTexas – state with the 3rd largest Asian pop, behind CA and NYhttp://www.asianpacificheritage.gov/about.html#theme
“[A]ll 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).” (Library of Congress)
http://www.annarbor.com/passions-pursuits/remember-vincent-chin-28-years-later/In May 1999 a group of students opposing the arrest of 10 student protesters ended a week of unrest when administrators agreed to meet with them to discuss creating a new Asian American Studies Program.http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/aushc/00177/ahc-00177.htmlDuring the 1990’s a student group called the Asian Relations Committee (ARC) and later, the Asian American Relations Group (AARG) worked to bring an Asian American Studies program to The University of Texas at Austin. In response to the activism of students and faculty, administrators put in place a search committee to find a director to head the program. Tensions arose between students, faculty, and administration during the selection process, which led to a sit-in at the West Mall Office Building and the eventual arrest of ten students. Those ten students were named the “UT 10” and were instrumental in pushing for the creation of the Center for Asian American Studies and the hiring of a permanent director.
