TITLE
Recommendation to declare the month of May to be Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.
DISCUSSION
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (AP AHM) is celebrated in May to commemorate the contributions of people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent in the United States. Congress passed a joint Congressional Resolution in 1978 to commemorate Asian American Heritage Week during the first week of May. Congress later voted to expand it from a week long to a month long celebration.
The tenl1 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).
The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7,1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.
The theme for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month is selected annually by the Federal Asian Pacific American Council, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization organized exclusively for educational purposes to promote equal opportunity and cultural diversity for Asian Pacific Americans within in the federal and D.C. governments.
This year's theme, "Leadership, Diversity and Harmony--Gateway to Success," honors the many contributions citizens of Asian and Pacific Island ancestry have made to America. Through their entrepreneurship and strong values, they have enriched communities across the nation.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
None.
FISCAL IMPACT
None.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
Mayor Bob Foster