May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, an annual celebration that recognizes the historical and cultural contributions of Asian Americans to the United States.
Before the month was celebrated, a federal week of celebration was commemorated. Jeanie Jew, a former Capitol Hill staffer, shared the idea with Rep. Frank Horton, who introduced the legislation. The resolution was initially brought to Congress in 1977. In 1978, similar legislation passed and was signed by President Jimmy Carter. More than a decade later, in 1992, Congress extended the observance to a month and passed a public law to annually designate May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
Two significant dates were noted in the legislation to place the commemoration in May. The first Japanese immigrations arrived in the United States on May 7, 1843. And on May 10, 1869, also known as Golden Spike Day, the first transcontinental railroad in the United States was completed, with much of the work being completed by Chinese workers.
The month has expanded to celebrate the histories of Americans hailing from the entire Asian continent and the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. Today, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are the fastest-growing racial group in the United States.
At the Delaware County District Library, our librarians have created some great reading lists in honor of the month. At the library’s online catalog, at www.delawarelibrary.org, you can search for booklists by our staff members. Refine the search bar to find the user DCDL_MsJoelle, DCDL_Hillary, and DCDL_Hannah to find their amazing collections of literature for all ages.
Be sure to draw your attention to novels by our featured author, Lisa See. Lisa is the bestselling author of “The Island of Sea Women,” “The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane,” “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan,” and many more titles that celebrate authentic Chinese characters and cultures. Her newest novel,…
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