You knew that, right? May is the month set aside for celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander American heritage. But why May? Just a random choice? Apparently not:
In May 1990, the holiday was expanded further [from a Congressionally adopted week-long celebration] 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.Who knew May was a significant month for Asian Americans even before it became APA Heritage Month?!
Click here to see last year's post about APA Heritage Month, including links to lots of good sites with information about Asian & Pacific American heritage.
No comments:
Post a Comment