Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month
May is Asian Pacific American (APA) Heritage Month—a celebration of
Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. Much like Black
History and Women's History celebrations, APA Heritage Month originated
in a congressional bill. This poster is also available to be downloaded
and printed out for posting in your office during Asian Pacific American
Heritage Month.
This poster is available in
Adobe Reader format.
Asian Pacific American Month Poster (PDF; 204 KB)
Congressional Bills Establish Celebration
In June 1977, Representatives Frank Horton of New York and Norman Y.
Mineta of California introduced a House resolution that called upon the
president to proclaim the first ten days of May as Asian/Pacific
Heritage Week. The following month, Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark
Matsunaga introduced a similar bill in the Senate. Both were passed. On
October 5, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed a Joint Resolution
designating the annual celebration.
APA Becomes Month-long Celebration
In May 1990, the holiday was expanded further when President George
H. W. Bush designated May to be Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
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 is celebrated with community
festivals, government-sponsored activities, and educational activities
for students. This year's theme is "Lighting the Past, Present, and
Future."
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