A guest post by commenter Jefe:
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month was enacted into law by Congress on October 23, 1992 and signed into law by President Bush. It replaced Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week, which was first proclaimed by President Carter in 1979. It joins National Hispanic Heritage Month as one of the few designated cultural heritage or history months enacted into law by Congress. By contrast, Black History Month and Women’s History Month have never been enacted by law, but continue merely by annual Presidential proclamation.
The quest for this law began in 1976 when President Ford proclaimed February as Black History Month during the U.S. Bicentennial to recognize the contribution of African-Americans to the nation’s history and culture. Jeanie Fong-Lee Jew, a Chinese-American banker in her 30s, noticed that Asian Americans were completely left out of the Bicentennial celebrations and seemed destined to be written out of the country’s historical and cultural narrative altogether. Inspired by family stories of her grandfather, who himself worked on the Transcontinental Railroad and was killed while standing up to a white mob in Oregon in the 1890s, Ms. Jew began a crusade to establish a month to commemorate Asian/Pacific Americans’ (APA) contributions to U.S. history.
May was chosen because it marks the month when Japanese immigration to the US began (May 7, 1843) and when the Transcontinental Railroad was completed by Chinese workers (May 10, 1869).
Ms. Jew approached many people in her quest, among them:
- Jack Herrity, the chairman of the Fairfax County (Virginia) Board of Supervisors in suburban DC. Elected to his office in 1976, Mr. Herrity, recognizing the explosive growth of APA in his county, was the first senior executive official in the US to proclaim an APA Heritage Week. It would become the model for Congress.
- Congressman Frank Horton (R-NY), whose administrative assistant was her childhood schoolmate, Ruby Moy.
In the House of Representatives, Congressman Horton, who served beside the highly decorated all-Japanese-American 442nd regiment in WWII, pounced on the idea, but suggested that they had a better chance of success to propose a week, instead of a month. By that time, numerous Asian-American groups across the country, like the Japanese-American Citizens League (JACL) and the Organization for Chinese Americans (OCA), had formed a coalition in San Francisco. Joining the bandwagon were Congressmen Norman Mineta (D-CA) and Robert Matsui (D-CA). The resolution passed the House with 218 votes.
In the Senate, Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Spark Matsunaga (D-HI) and S.I. Hayakawa (R-CA) rallied for the bill, which made its way through the Senate Judiciary Committee to pass.
President Carter proclaimed on March 28, 1979 the first Asian Pacific American Heritage Week beginning on May 4, 1979.
In 1990, President Bush extended it to a full month, but it still required a Congressional resolution every year. To honor the retiring Congressman Horton in 1992, President Bush signed House Resolution 5572, cementing APA Heritage Month into perpetuity.
Ms. Jew, who later became the National President of the Organization of Chinese American Women (OCAW), finally achieved her quest to make it the law of the land.
See also:
- Full text of the Public Law: http://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/pdf/106%20stat%202251.pdf
- Pub. L. 102-450 (Historical resolutions): http://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/asian.php
- Asian American cibil rights (future post)
- Welcome to Asian American History Month
- Nominations for Asian American History Month
- Asian Americans
- What I was not taught about American history
- Welcome to White History Month!
- White History Month
- Black History Month
Reblogged this on Life in Anglo-America.
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Agabond! Can you home school my children?? They would get more and then some out of you than the brick buildings they report to everyday!
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There are also Hispanic Heritage month and American Indian Heritage Month. All the heritage months are listed here http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/heritage_month/index.html
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[…] "Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month was enacted into law by Congress on October 23, 1992 and signed into law by President Bush. It replaced Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week, which was first proclaimed by President Carter in 1979. It joins National Hispanic Heritage Month as one of the few designated cultural heritage or history months enacted into law by Congress. By contrast, Black History Month and Women’s History Month have never been enacted by law, but continue merely by annual Presidential proclamation."click through to read more […]
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I welcome the opportunity to learn about the history and culture of the various ethnic groups that makeup the US and those around the globe as well.
I learned something new from this post and want to Thank you Jefe, for taking the time to research it and to write it.
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Maybe we can see some Hispanic Heritage Month and American Indian Heritage theme postings when the time comes, esp. if some of the postings could link up with Black American and Asian American history. It is nice to learn how our histories are all intertwined, not just as separate contributions to Anglo American history.
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There is also a Mixed Experience History month
http://lightskinnededgirl.typepad.com/my_weblog/mixed-experience-history-month/
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^ I see it is also in May.
Who declared this month? Is it law anywhere? Why May? (I would have picked June to match Loving v. Virginia). It looks like this blogger just decided to declare it herself. It does not look official.
But, maybe we do need an official one.
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Abagond, before this month runs out, are you by chance, maybe, possibly, (hopefully) going to do a post on
Smoking “Hot as H’ll” Pacific Island men, such as:
Ryan Tongia, Papua New Guinean rugby player
http://www.starnow.com.au/ryantongia/photos/3829472#!photo-3829460
Jason Momoa, half Hawaiian actor
(Conan the Barbarian, Khal Drogo of Game of Thrones)
http://www.fansshare.com/gallery/photos/12320300/egcjfjd-khal-drogo/
Leonard Peters, Samoan football/rugby player
You’ve already done the most “gorgeous black, white, and east Asian” men
but you have yet to do one of the sexiest men on the planet that sun, fish, and pork has ever produced — Asian/ Pacific island men
I’ll gladly supply the names and links so you can post these pictures with as little difficulty as possibly… I’m here to serve, Abagond… just let me know 🙂
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Those are gorgeous men indeed, Linda!
I myself would absolutely LOVE it if abagond were to write that particular blog post using your suggested title — “SMOKING! HOT as HELL Pacific Island men”. 😉
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@ Linda,
I hope that Abagond takes up your suggestion. He probably will..
I asked many times, and was seconded and thirded, for a most gorgeous SOUTH ASIAN man, giving suggestions of no less gorgeous indeed samples than included by you above, but nothing came of it.
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Pay It Forward, Bulanik
Thanks for the support, ladies !
The month is almost over, so I suppose I need to become a squeaky wheel and post more photos until Abagond gives us the grease:
Dayvid Thomas
http://theberry.com/2012/07/31/afternoon-eye-candy-dayvid-thomas-20-photos/
Somoan Dancer (if anyone knows his name, please tell)
Samoan’s David Fa’alogo and Roy Asotasi and Maori Jake Webster
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Comment in moderation, so I’ll repeat
Pay It Forward, Bulanik — Thanks for the support, ladies !
more photos coming up until Abagond can find the time to post the actual photos himself.. since my links are putting my comments into moderation.
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Joe Anoa’i (wrestler Roman Reigns), half Samoan and cousin of Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson.
http://allworldsportsgames.blogspot.com/2013/09/roman-reigns-wwe-new-hd-wallpapers-2013.html
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@ Linda: Those are some sexy guys. Especially that Ryan Tongia. Very nice indeed.
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Well, more please, Linda 😛
This makes me think that perhaps it’s time to again request Abagond does a thread on different kinds of Asian men’s gorgeousness, considering how South Asian and different mixtures of Asian manhood are supposedly so effeminate and undesirable.
What rubbish. Time for some counter-moves!
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Yes, Indeed, Ms. Mary….
I think we ladies deserve to end Asian/Pacific heritage month on a highnote 🙂
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@ Linda, etc
This month has gone by so fast! Hopefully I will end it on a high note!
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In Canada, we call ours Asian Heritage Month rather than Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. Please check out this link.
http://www.magdaragatphilippinesinc.com/
There are pictures in there that celebrates Filipino culture mostly dance. One of my longtime friends is a dance teacher there and I learned a lot of new stuff about my culture through her.
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Hey! Welcome Back!
Do you have any information on the history about Asian Heritage Month in Canada? Is it a law? How is it promulgated?
The US govt lumps persons of Asian origin with Pacific Islanders. It might be partially due to the fact that the USA includes the State of Hawaii, the territories of Guam and Samoa, places which also include many people of Asian descent or mixed with Asian. If you are familiar with Hawaii, you may have seen how they blended the identities together. It might be partially due to the govt feeling lazy and wanting to make things easier for themselves.
So, what do Canadians with origins in the Pacific Islands do?
Also, maybe you can explain to us the difference between the meaning of the word “Asian” in Canada and in the US under “The term “Asian” thread.
Thanks.
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HI jefe! Gosh, I think your best bet regarding information on Asian Heritage Month would be checking out this link.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/multiculturalism/asian/index.asp?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=poster&utm_campaign=AsianHeritageMonth
I’m not familiar with how other parts of Canada celebrate Asian Heritage Month, but in my province, there are cultural shows put on display for anyone interested in checking out different Asian cultures.
Also, my province celebrates a two week festival in the summer called Folklorama which showcases all the ethnicities living in my city.
http://www.folklorama.ca/
That’s a very good question, jefe. I have lived in Canada all my life, but I have yet to come across someone who is Pacific Islander, at least, where I come from. I heard Pacific Islander descendants live in the Pacific Northwest of Canada, though.
However, I do vaguely recall reading somewhere the Canadian Census didn’t have reported data for people of Pacific Islander descent because their population is so small. They were listed as n.i.e. which stands for not included elsewhere. Anyway, please don’t quote me on that as I do not know for sure.
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Hello again Leigh,
My question was not about how Asian Heritage month in Canada is celebrated.
I just looked at all the links in the link you provided. None of them tell about the background of Asian Heritage Month in Canada. It only mentions how the month may be celebrated and some milestones in Asian-Canadian history. Nothing about the background of Asian Heritage month.
Do you know anything about the background of Asian Heritage Month in Canada? I am curious about the other countries (UK, Australia) which have also designated similar months as well.
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My apologies, jefe. I completely misunderstood your previous post. You want to know the background of Asian Heritage Month? Then I think I found what you’re looking for.
Source: http://www.rcinet.ca/patrimoine-asiatique-en/le-mois-du-patrimoine-asiatique-au-canada/
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Thanks,
So it was Adrienne Poy (sorry, I always remember her as Adrienne Clarkson) who spearheaded it? Apparently not, as it was being celebrated in Vancouver and Calgary before she went back to Ottawa. I guess she is the one who made it a National declaration. However, there are some parallels to the USA as the need for an Asian Heritage Month was prompted after noting the prior recognition of Black History month. And it looks like informal celebrations started in Canada after it was enacted in the USA. I was just curious how it began in Canada.
Actually, that quote you provided contained an error. As you can read in the original post, Asian Pacific American Heritage <b? WEEK began in 1979, also as a congressional resolution, not APA Heritage month. Asian Pacific Islander American Heritage Month was eventually enacted by law in 1992, not as a government declaration.
The link you provided is also not loading into my browser. I guess I have to check to see if there is an error or if it is blocked or something.
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