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Capital Campus Library

Capital Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Introduction

Here is your  guide for research on Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage at the Arthur C. Banks Library. Notice the tabs along the side of the screen; select the one that best matches your informational need.


Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
 Grainy black and white photo of a young Gandhi. He is wearing a suit jacket that is too big for him, a white shirt, and a striped tie. He has a mustache and is looking directly into the camera.

Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Description

About Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month

May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month – a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. A rather broad term, Asian-Pacific encompasses 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).

Like most commemorative months, Asian-Pacific Heritage Month originated in a congressional bill. In June 1977, Reps. Frank Horton of New York and Norman Y. Mineta of California introduced a House resolution that called upon the president to proclaim the first ten days of May as Asian-Pacific Heritage Week. The following month, senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga introduced a similar bill in the Senate. Both were passed. On October 5, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed a Joint Resolution designating the annual celebration. Twelve years later, President George H.W. Bush signed an extension making the week-long celebration into a month-long celebration. In 1992, the official designation of May as Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month was signed into law.

The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.

Taken from http://asianpacificheritage.gov/about.html

Prominent Asian American & Pacific Islanders. You Can Locate Information By Searching the Library Databases. To Access Databases Off Campus, Please Enter Your Banner ID and Password.

List of Prominent Asian American & Pacific Islanders

ASIAN AMERICANS IN POLITICS, LAW AND THE MILITARY

  • Kamala Harris
  • Tammy Duckworth
  • Hiram Fong
  • Patsy Mink
  • Eric K. Shinsek
  • Viet Xuan Luong

ASIAN AMERICANS IN SPORTS

  • Bruce Lee
  • Apolo Ohno
  • Jeremy Lin
  • Kristi Yamaguchi
  • Erik Spoelstra 

ASIAN AMERICANS IN THE PERFORMING ARTS

  • Anna May Wong
  • Miyoshi Umeki
  • George Takei
  • Mindy Kaling
  • Margaret Cho
  • Bruno Mars

ASIAN AMERICANS IN LITERATURE

  • Amy Tan
  • Jhumpa Lahiri
  • Ocean Vuong

ASIAN AMERICANS IN ARTS AND DESIGN

  • Ang Lee
  • Chloe Zhao
  • Vera Wang