YES! There is a month dedicated to the Asian & Pacific Islanders of America and it is celebrated during the month of May.
The Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
How many of you knew that this existed?
Back in 1978, Congress had passed a resolution to commemorate the Asian American Heritage week during the first week of May. Two factors played in the choosing of this week. First, it marked the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants on May 7th, 1843 and secondly, it marked the completion of the transcontinental railroad by the Chinese on May 10, 1869. It was later decided in 1990, by President Bush, to expand the celebration to span the entire month of May....and so we now have the National Asian Pacific American Heritage month.
There are many festivals that will be taking place during this month all over the United States, so if you get the chance, do a little research ~ you might find one near you.
If you are in the New York area, there will be two festivals held. One on May 4th in Flushing and one on May 18th in Chinatown. You can get more information here at CAPA Online.
If you are interested and near Washington, DC, there will be a festival on May 18th, 2013. The festival will showcase a variety of things, such as art, food, performances and many other multi-cultural and interactive displays.
I have decided that during this month, I will highlight some famous and not so famous Asian Pacific Americans and give my readers some tidbits of Asian American culture. There are so many things that I never learned in history class, and I think that it's always a good thing to learn a little about the those who have contributed to the history of the United States.
I hope you join me this month.
You can also read more about APA Heritage month by visiting the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
