Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
Observed by	United States
Date	May

Staff Sgt. Kaimi Kawai, an information management specialist, 24th Detachment, 1101st U.S. Army Hawaii Garrison Support Unit, attempts to perform a hula dance with dancers from the Dizanne Productions dance company during an Asian-Pacific American Heritage month celebration.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM), officially proclaimed "Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month" by President Barack Obama, is a celebration of the culture, traditions, and history of Asians Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. 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. In 1990 Congress voted to expand it from a week to a month long celebration and in May 1992, the month of May was permanently designated as “Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.”

Events

During APAHM, communities celebrate the achievements and contributions of Asian and Pacific Americans with community festivals, government-sponsored activities and educational activities for students. Akufuncture hosting a special event in Downtown LA ArtWalk, May 12, 2011. [1]

• 19th Annual SF Taiwanese American Cultural Festival, hosted by TAP-SF and the Taiwanese American Federation of Northern California (TAFNC), on May 14, 2011 San Francisco, California

• 4th Annual National Queer & Asian Conference, hosted by Cal Q&A, April 30 - May 2, 2011, Berkeley, California

• Asian Cultural Festival of San Diego Liberty Station: NTC Park in San Diego, California, May 1, 2011

• 2010 First Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in Penn State Altoona, April 1- April 30, Altoona, PA

• Asian Kaleidoscope Month, Presented by Asian American Student Union at University of Florida, Oct-Nov, in Gainesville, Florida

• Seattle Chinatown ID Preservation & Development Authority Spring Roll: Party Down for Chinatown, May 24, 2010 at Union Station, Seattle

• Wing Luke Asian Museum celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month , Seattle, Washington

• Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival, First weekend in May, New York, New York

• VC FILMFEST: The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, May 3 – May 10, Los Angeles, California

• Annual Pacific Rim Street Fest - May 17, 2009, Sacramento, California

• Asian Pacific Islander Festival, May 6, Seattle, Washington

• The 2007 Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival Presented by CAPA, May 6, Union Square Park, New York, New York

• Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival, May 9-18, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Asian Awareness Month, May 9, Florida State University - Union Ballroom, Tallahassee, Florida

• National Asian Heritage Festival – Fiesta Asia, May 16, 2009, Washington D.C.

• Asian Heritage Street Celebration, May 16, 2009 in San Francisco, California

• 2007 Asian Festival, May 19, Dallas, Texas

• Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, May 2-31, 2009 in Chinatown, Oakland, California

• Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration, Sponsored by Asian American Cultural Center at University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, May 2, 2010, 2-4p.m. in Urbana, Illinois.

See also

• Asian American
• Asian-Pacific American
• Pacific Islander
• List of commemorative days

External links

• President Obama proclaims the month Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, The American Presidency Project
• Origins of APA Heritage Month, A national celebration established in 1977, InfoPlease.com
• Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation & Development Authority in Seattle, Washington
• Wing Luke Asian Museum, a Smithsonian Institution affiliate in Seattle, Washington
• "ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH IPTV SERIES" "8ight degrees" produced by SuncasTV and ENERI Communications
• "Celebrate APA Heritage Month" at Asian-Nation.org
• 2006 Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Proclamation by President George W. Bush
• A|P|A Histories at the Asian Pacific American History Collective
• Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival in New York City organized by the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans
• Asian Pacific Americans in the U.S. Army by ARMY.MIL
• Asian Pacific American Heritage Month at IMdiversity.com
• Asian Pacific American Heritage Month at the Center for Asian American Media
• "Asian Pacific American Heritage Association" Organization in Houston, TX that plans APA Heritage Month Events and More
• "Ten Good Things to Do for APA Heritage Month" Suggestions for raising awareness
• "National Asian Heritage Festival-Fiesta Asia" in the Nation's Capital, Washington D.C. organized by Asia Heritage Foundation
• http://www.axawards.com/
• "Asian Coalition of Tallahassee" Tallahassee, Florida