Celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with us in May

The upcoming month of May is a very exciting time! As of May 1992, the month of May was designated "Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month." This month is used to celebrate the culture, traditions, and history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. A slightly broad term, Asia-Pacific includes all of the Asian continent, and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, and Easter Island). 


To learn more about Asian themes, please visit Fujimini Island, find Fujimini Island on Facebook, follow Fujimini Island on Twitter.

Originally, the holiday was only a week. In 1978 a bill to commemorate Asian American Heritage week was passed by a joint Congressional Resolution. The first week of May was chosen because the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to American was on May 7, 1843 in addition to the completion of the transcontinental railroad, done by many Chinese laborers, was on May 10, 1869. Congress voted to expand it from a week to a month in 1990, and in 1992 it was permanently designated as a month long celebration in May. 


To learn more about the author of this article Eileen Wacker and her acclaimed book series,  visit ONCEKids, ONCEKids on Facebook,  ONCEKids on Twitter.