Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month


May has been designated Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

The reason May was picked was because the first Japanese immigrant came to the United States on May 7, 1843. On May 10, 1869, the Golden Spike was driven into the Frist Transcontinental Railroad which was finished using Chinese Labor. My grandfather was one of the ones who worked on building that railroad.

A joint resolution for the celebration was signed by President Jimmy Carter on October 5, 1978. President George HW Bush signed a bill to extend Asian American Heritage Week to a month in 1990. May was chosen as the designated month two years later. President Obama issued a Presidential Proclamation on May 1, 2009, which recalls the challenges faced by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. This proclamation celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander's great and significant contributions to our society.

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