Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Love Dim Sum and Sushi?

Come and check out our Asian and Pacific Islander collection in the library

May is the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, which is a celebration of the culture, traditions, and history of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans. In 1978 President Jimmy Carter signed a Joint Resolution introduced by Representatives Frank Horton of NY and Norman Y. Mineta of CA, and Senataors Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga. The month of May was selected to commemorate the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants (May 7, 1843) and the completion of the transcontinental railroad for which many Chinese immigrants laid the tracks (May 10, 1869).

Becoming American: The Chinese Experience

Bill Moyers introduces the program with excerpts from conversations with young people and a brief look at the history of the Chinese in America. In the mid-19th century, Barnum & Bailey displayed a Chinese family in its side show.

Quick Facts

• Profile America: Facts for Features

• Number of Asians and Pacific Islanders (2010) in Arizona

                  170,509 (2.7%) and 10,959 (0.2%)

Resources

• PBS Ancesters in the Americas - Asian American History Web Sites

Sources of graphics

 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dimsum-shanghai.JPG

 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Assortment_of_sushi,_May_2010.jpg