HomeMy WebLinkAboutAsian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month - May 2021Proclamation
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
May 2021
WHEREAS, the month of May was chosen as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month to commemorate the
immigration of the first Japanese citizen, Nakahama Manjiro, to the United States on May 7, 1843, but also the anniversary
of the May 10, 1869 completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad, built with the back-breaking labor of nearly 20,000
Chinese immigrants; and
WHEREAS, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage in the United States was celebrated beginning in 1978 and
was made into a month-long event in 1992; and
WHEREAS, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month seeks to honor and recognize the contributions of
residents from Asia, India and the Pacific Islands; and
WHEREAS, Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have distinguished themselves as leading researchers in
science, medicine, and technology; innovative farmers and ranchers; distinguished lawyers, judges and government leaders;
in the arts, literature, and sports; as war heroes who defended our country from fascism; and peacetime healthcare heroes
currently on the front lines of the pandemic; and
WHEREAS, we celebrate the achievements and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders that enrich
our history, society and culture, we must also acknowledge a darker aspect of the AAPI experience in America - structural
discrimination, prejudice and injustice that most recently manifested itself in racist attacks on Asian Americans related to
the COVID-19 pandemic; and
WHEREAS, racially motivated discrimination and harassment is at a high with a national spike in hate crimes against
the AAPI community, especially targeting its Muslim, South Asian, and Southeast Asian members; and
WHEREAS, during AAPI Heritage Month we acknowledge the additional determination, hard work, and
perseverance, AAPI must put forth to be heard and seen and that these additional efforts are a result of inequitable
institutional and systemic injustices; and
WHEREAS, today more than 20 million Asian American Pacific Islanders live in the United States and through their
actions, make America a more vibrant, prosperous, and secure nation; and
NOW, WHEREAS, I, Saul Martinez, Mayor of the City of Pasco, Washington, on behalf of the entire City Council,
do hereby proclaim May 1st through May 31st as
“Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month”.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Official Seal of the City of Pasco, State of
Washington, to be affixed this 3rd day of May 2021.
Saul Martinez, Mayor
City of Pasco