Encyclopedia > Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is celebrated in May to commemorate the contributions of people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent in the United States. Just like the Black History Month and Women's History Month celebrations, the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month originated from legislation. Congress passed a joint Congressional Resolution in 1978 to commemorate Asian American Heritage Week during the first week of May. This date was chosen because two important anniversaries occurred during this time: the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants in America on May 7, 1843 and the completion of the transcontinental railroad (by many Chinese laborers) on May 10, 1869. Congress later voted to expand it from a week long to a month long celebration. Asian-Pacific American is a term, increasingly used in the United States to include both Asian Americans and Americans of Pacific Island ancestry, sometimes but not always including Hawaiians in the U.S. outside Hawaii. ... Black-History Month is a remembrance of important people and events in black history. ... Womens History Month is an annual declared month in the United States that highlights contributions of women to events in history. ... Serving from 1999 to 2003, Army General Eric Shinseki of Hawaii became the first Asian American military chief of staff. ... The ceremony for the driving of the golden spike at Promontory Summit, Utah, May 10, 1869. ...
An Asian American is a person of Asian ancestry or origin who was born in or is an immigrant to the United States. ... Asian-Pacific American is a term, increasingly used in the United States to include both Asian Americans and Americans of Pacific Island ancestry, sometimes but not always including Hawaiians in the U.S. outside Hawaii. ... A Pacific Islander or Pacific Person (plural: Pacific People, also called Oceanic[s]), is a term used in several places, such as New Zealand and the United States, to describe the inhabitants of Oceania. ... The following is a list of observed commemorative days, that is, days that are used by various governments, groups and organizations to raise awareness of an issue, commemorate a group or event, or celebrate something. ... Black-History Month is a remembrance of important people and events in black history. ... National Hispanic Heritage Month was enacted into law on August 17, 1988 on the approval of Public Law 100-402. ...
May is the fifth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days.
The monthmay have been named for the Greek goddess Maia, who was identified with the Roman goddess of fertility, Bona Dea, whose festival was held in May. See:-Months in various calendars
In the American film industry, the first week of May-- that is, between the 2nd and the 8th-- marks the beginning of the summer movie season.
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