Friday, May 29, 2009

SENATOR KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND VISITS FLUSHING



Today,United States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will deliver the keynote address at the celebration of Asian/Pacific American (APA) Heritage Month held in the Flushing Library (Auditorium)41-17 Main Street Flushing, NY 11354., hosted by Councilmember John C. Liu. The event will highlight the struggles and achievements of APA youth in Queens, with remarks by Assemblymember Grace Meng, Senator Toby Stavisky, and community leaders.

May is Asian Pacific American (APA) Heritage Month—a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. Much like Black History and Women's History celebrations, APA Heritage Month originated in a congressional bill.

In June 1977, Representatives 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.

In May 1990, the holiday was expanded further when President George H. W. Bush designated May to be Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. 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.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is celebrated with community festivals, government-sponsored activities, and educational activities for students. This year's theme is "Lighting the Past, Present, and Future."

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