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Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month

Focusing on Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander heritage, this guide highlights electronic databases, journals, and books published since 2015 and held in the E. H. Butler Library collection.

About Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month

May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month – a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. A rather broad term, 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).

Like most commemorative months, Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month originated with Congress. In 1977 Reps. Frank Horton of New York introduced House Joint Resolution 540 to proclaim the first ten days in May as Pacific/Asian American Heritage Week. In the same year, Senator Daniel Inouye introduced a similar resolution, Senate Joint Resolution 72. Neither of these resolutions passed, so in June 1978, Rep. Horton introduced House Joint Resolution 1007. This resolution proposed that the President should “proclaim a week, which is to include the seventh and tenth of the month, during the first ten days in May of 1979 as ‘Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week.’” This joint resolution was passed by the House and then the Senate and was signed by President Jimmy Carter on October 5, 1978 to become Public Law 95-419 (PDF, 158kb). This law amended the original language of the bill and directed the President to issue a proclamation for the “7 day period beginning on May 4, 1979 as ‘Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week.’” During the next decade, presidents passed annual proclamations for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week until 1990 when Congress passed Public Law 101-283 (PDF, 166kb) which expanded the observance to a month for 1990. Then in 1992, Congress passed Public Law 102-450 (PDF, 285kb) which annually designated May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.

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.

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. (n.d.). About. https://asianpacificheritage.gov/about/

Advancing Leaders Through Opportunity (2023 theme of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month)

The Federal Asian Pacific American Council (FAPAC), premier organization representing Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) employees in the Federal and District of Columbia governments, is proud to announce the National 2023 theme for the observance of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May: "Advancing Leaders Through Opportunity". This year's theme is a continuation of the "Advancing Leaders" theme series which began in 2021. "Advancing Leaders Through Opportunity" further highlights FAPAC’s efforts in advancing leaders in the Federal and DC government.  

Opportunity is defined as “a set of circumstances that make it possible to do something”. Opportunity can be built, it can be accessed, it can be achieved, or it can be given. It has been the foundation of our great Nation and thus America is known to be the land of opportunity.  Each year, thousands of immigrants from all over the world come to the United States to gain access to these opportunities. No matter who you are, you can achieve anything in this country if you put your mind to it. To keep the Nation moving forward, the capable ones must lend a hand to those in need and provide an opportunity for them to advance, as well. 

The theme of Advancing Leaders Through Opportunity is especially paramount now as the public sector has demonstrated its ability to successfully be agile and pivot workplace processes to achieve organizational goals throughout and after the pandemic.  This dynamic has manifested noteworthy opportunities, which hinge on innovation, critical thinking, strategic leadership, and building great teams in furtherance of not only meeting, but exceeding department and agency goals in service to our Nation. 

Through providing advancement opportunities, organizations can reduce the barriers to professional progression and consequently reduce employee turnover and increase satisfaction. A successful organization invests in its employees’ professional development by providing opportunities that enable the employees to refine their skills and enhance their leadership abilities. 

Federal Asian Pacific American Council. (2023, January 13). FAPAC announces theme for the 2023 Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. https://fapac.org/pressreleases/13056819

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