Topic: Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
msharmony's photo
Mon 05/12/14 11:39 AM
Just an FYI and interesting tidbit,,,





Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month was enacted into law by Congress on October 23, 1992 and signed into law by President Bush. It replaced Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week, which was first proclaimed by President Carter in 1979. It joins National Hispanic Heritage Month as one of the few designated cultural heritage or history months enacted into law by Congress. By contrast, Black History Month and Women’s History Month have never been enacted by law, but continue merely by annual Presidential proclamation.

The quest for this law began in 1976 when President Ford proclaimed February as Black History Month during the U.S. Bicentennial to recognize the contribution of African-Americans to the nation’s history and culture. Jeanie Fong-Lee Jew, a Chinese-American banker in her 30s and former White House correspondence writer, noticed that Asian Americans were completely left out of the Bicentennial celebrations and seemed destined to be written out of the country’s historical and cultural narrative altogether. Inspired by family stories of her grandfather, who himself worked on the Transcontinental Railroad and was killed while standing up to a white mob in Oregon in the 1890s, Ms. Jew began a crusade to establish a month to commemorate Asian/Pacific Americans’ (APA) contributions to U.S. history.

May was chosen because it marks the month when Japanese immigration to the US began (May 7, 1843) and when the Transcontinental Railroad was completed by Chinese workers (May 10, 1869).

Ms. Jew approached many people in her quest, among them:
Jack Herrity, the chairman of the Fairfax County (Virginia) Board of Supervisors in suburban DC. Elected to his office in 1976, Mr. Herrity, recognizing the explosive growth of APA in his county, was the first senior executive official in the US to proclaim an APA Heritage Week. It would become the model for Congress.
Congressman Frank Horton (R-NY), whose administrative assistant was her childhood schoolmate, Ruby Moy.

In the House of Representatives, Congressman Horton, who served beside the highly decorated all-Japanese-American 442nd regiment in WWII, pounced on the idea, but suggested that they had a better chance of success to propose a week, instead of a month. By that time, numerous Asian-American groups across the country, like the Japanese-American Citizens League (JACL) and the Organization for Chinese Americans (OCA), had formed a coalition in San Francisco. Joining the bandwagon were Congressmen Norman Mineta (D-CA) and Robert Matsui (D-CA). The resolution passed the House with 218 votes.

In the Senate, Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Spark Matsunaga (D-HI) and S.I. Hayakawa (R-CA) rallied for the bill, which made its way through the Senate Judiciary Committee to pass.

President Carter proclaimed on March 28, 1979 the first Asian Pacific American Heritage Week beginning on May 4, 1979.

In 1990, President Bush extended it to a full month, but it still required a Congressional resolution every year. To honor the retiring Congressman Horton in 1992, President Bush signed House Resolution 5572, cementing APA Heritage Month into perpetuity.

Ms. Jew, who later became the National President of the Organization of Chinese American Women (OCAW), finally achieved her quest to make it the law of the land.


http://abagond.wordpress.com/

lilott's photo
Mon 05/12/14 11:47 AM
What about National America Month.

no photo
Mon 05/12/14 11:50 AM
Excellent link:


msharmony's photo
Mon 05/12/14 11:55 AM

What about National America Month.



America month is every month, all races are a part of it

but not all races get a part in the telling of its 'history',, so they get more isolated and focused 'months' during the year,,,

Chazster's photo
Mon 05/12/14 08:13 PM
What about European American month?

msharmony's photo
Mon 05/12/14 11:21 PM

What about European American month?


that's everyday,,,,thats basically what all of formal education is concerning history 'European american' history


electives and special 'months' were added to give some attention to those other than European americans,,,

Chazster's photo
Tue 05/13/14 05:35 AM


What about European American month?


that's everyday,,,,thats basically what all of formal education is concerning history 'European american' history


electives and special 'months' were added to give some attention to those other than European americans,,,

Typical BS. No there is no national holiday for it. Most history is taught about the Settlement of America. How much general education teaches about Scottish, Irish, Polish, Russian, etc history from their time in Europe? Not really that much. It is a shame that minorities claim that everything not specifically stated as for a minority group is specifically for "white/European" people.

msharmony's photo
Tue 05/13/14 07:20 AM
there doesn't NEED to be a national holiday its already accepted as the STAPLE of 'American history'


scots, irish , polish, all became WHITE in America,, so teaching about the NATIONALITY Of others is different than teaching about race in the context of AMERICAN HISTORY


its a shame so many refuse to see that so much that isn't labeled 'white' still basically and mostly IS for white people and about white people, determined and defined by white people,,,,

but its understood that when there is no need for someone to HAVE to consider something, they usually have difficulty understanding why anyone else does,,,

Chazster's photo
Tue 05/13/14 09:35 AM
The fact that you claim they became white when entering America shows your lack of knowledge on the subject. Many non British people were treated poorly. My grandparents were beat at school if caught speaking a language other than English.

msharmony's photo
Tue 05/13/14 09:38 AM
Edited by msharmony on Tue 05/13/14 09:39 AM

The fact that you claim they became white when entering America shows your lack of knowledge on the subject. Many non British people were treated poorly. My grandparents were beat at school if caught speaking a language other than English.


great, so show me on the census the box to mark for 'scottish'?

whoa

none there, as it is a nationality and not a race

a RACE is defined by ancestral geography, those with Europeans ancestry are considered 'white' racially