National Council of Asian Pacific Americans Celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) each May to recognize the history, diversity and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Originally introduced by Reps. Norman Y. Mineta and Frank Horton in 1977 as “Asian-Pacific Heritage Week,” the celebration was officially designated and extended to a month under President George H. W. Bush in 1992. May was chosen because May 7, 1843, is the date recorded when the first Japanese immigrants came to the U.S., and May 10, 1869, was when the first transcontinental railroad in the U.S. was completed due to the work of 12,000 Chinese immigrants.

In Washington, D.C., NCAPA and its member organizations will host many events to mark the month. NCAPA member Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) is proud to welcome President Barack Obama as its keynote speaker for the 22nd Annual APAICS Awards Gala Dinner on May 4.

On May 24, NCAPA is co-hosting a reception on Capitol Hill with Mnet America and APAICS in collaboration with the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC). The event will feature remarks from CAPAC Chair Representative Judy Chu, Mnet America’s Sang H. Cho, APAICS’ Floyd Mori and NCAPA National Director Christopher Kang.

This month, NCAPA also will release its quadrennial policy platform that outlines issues important to our community, including data disaggregation, language access and pushing back against xenophobic and anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies.

“May is a time to recognize the countless contributions that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made to our nation, and as the fastest-growing racial group, we continue to shape the history and culture of the United States,” said NCAPA National Director Christopher Kang. “We are honored to have the President celebrate with us during his last year and are looking forward to presenting our policy platform and priorities for the next four years.”

Read the Presidential Proclamation for APAHM here, and a calendar of APAHM events, statements and more information is available on the NCAPA website here. NCAPA will also highlight the work of its members in a series of social media and blog posts.

###

Based in Washington, D.C., the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans is a coalition of 35 national Asian Pacific American organizations that serves to represent the interests of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities and to provide a national voice for our communities’ concerns. Our communities are the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States, currently making up approximately six percent of the population.