NATIONAL NEWS
May 6, 2008
Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage
In May, we salute the contributions of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the U.S.
Every May, the country celebrates the contributions Asian and Pacific Islanders have made to American history and culture. This celebration began in 1977 when congressional representatives Frank Horton of New York and Norman Y. Mineta of California asked President Jimmy Carter to proclaim the first ten days of May as Asian/Pacific Heritage Week. Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga, both from Hawaii, introduced a similar bill in the Senate. In 1990, the celebration was expanded from a week to a month.
 |  FREDERICK M. BROWN—GETTY IMAGES Steve Chen, who was born in Taipei, on the island of Taiwan, is a founder of the popular video-sharing company YouTube. |
Mineta eventually made history for the Asian Pacific American community. He became the first Asian Pacific Islander ever nominated to a Cabinet post. After serving as former President Bill Clinton's Secretary of Commerce, Mineta became transportation secretary and the only Democrat to serve in President George W. Bush's cabinet. Mineta held that job until 2006. Bush also appointed Chinese-American Elaine Chao as the country's labor secretary. She is the first Asian American woman to hold a cabinet post. On January 14, Bobby Jindal, the son of Indian immigrants, was sworn in as governor of Louisiana. "My mom and dad came to this country in pursuit of the American dream," he told supporters at his victory party. "And guess what happened, they found the American dream to be alive and well right here in Louisiana."
Politics isn't the only place Asian Pacific Americans have succeeded. Just consider the amazing accomplishments of Asian Pacific Americans, including golf superstars Tiger Woods and Michele Wie, award-winning writers Amy Tan and Cynthia Kadohata, actress Ming Na, musician Yo-Yo Ma, architects I.M. Pei and Maya Lin, fashion designer Vera Wang, YouTube cofounder Steve Chen and Olympic figure-skating champion Michelle Kwan. Young author Nancy Yi Fan, who was born in China, has already written two novels. Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo's chairman and chief executive officer, was born in India.
A Mix of Cultures and BackgroundsMany groups of people make up the Asian Pacific American community. They come from a number of countries including Japan, China, the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and others.
In the U.S., Asian Pacific Americans share a variety of backgrounds, histories, languages and cultures. This diversity, or mix of cultures, has been celebrated every May since President George H. W. Bush (the current President's father) signed a proclamation in 1990 declaring it Asian American Pacific Heritage Month. May was chosen to mark the immigration of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States in 1843.
The Celebration ContinuesAsian Pacific American Heritage Month is celebrated with community festivals, government gatherings, and educational activities. Many schools celebrate the month by learning about contributions of Asian Pacific Americans both past and present. Those who started the celebration more than 20 years ago hope the achievements of Asian Pacific Americans will be recognized all year long.
