1.1A House resolution
1.2celebrating the month of May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
1.3WHEREAS, the month of May was chosen as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month to
1.4commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843,
and to
1.5mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10,
1869. The
1.6majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants. President Carter
signed a
1.7joint resolution for the celebration on October 5, 1978, and in 1990, President George
H. W. Bush
1.8signed a bill passed by Congress to extend the week to a month; and
1.9WHEREAS, according to Minnesota's state agency, the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans,
1.10the Asian Pacific Minnesotan community is descended from more than 40 nationalities
and is
1.11arguably the most diverse community in the state. Minnesotans of Hmong, Vietnamese,
Lao,
1.12Cambodian, Bhutanese, and Karen heritage make Minnesota's Asian Pacific community
different
1.13from those in any other state; and
1.14WHEREAS, May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month - a celebration of Asians and
1.15Pacific Islanders in the United States. Broadly, Asian/Pacific encompasses all of
the Asian continent
1.16and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, and
the Solomon
1.17Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati,
Nauru, and
1.18the Federated States of Micronesia), and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands,
Rotuma,
1.19Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia,
and
1.20Easter Island); and
1.21WHEREAS, Asian Pacific Americans are the fastest growing racial group in our country,
1.22growing over four times as rapidly as the population of the United States; and
1.23WHEREAS, Asian Pacific Americans lend their rich heritage to enhance our communities
1.24and our culture; and
2.1WHEREAS, Asian Pacific Minnesotans are university professors, realtors, nurses, veterans,
2.2authors, nonprofit leaders, business owners, social justice advocates, software engineers,
police
2.3officers, teachers, chefs, judges, doctors, and local and state elected officials;
and
2.4WHEREAS, there are more than 6,000 Hmong-American veterans who live in Minnesota
2.5who put their lives on the line with the United States armed forces; and
2.6WHEREAS, our state has a growing population of 20,000 Karen refugees. Most Karen people
2.7reside in Ramsey County, with populations also living in Austin, Albert Lea, Marshall,
Worthington,
2.8and Willmar; and
2.9WHEREAS, Minnesota is home to more than 47,000 Asian Indians, one of the fastest growing
2.10ethnic groups in the state. The majority of the community resides in the Twin Cities
metropolitan
2.11area, followed by Rochester; and
2.12WHEREAS, Asian Pacific Americans often face discrimination, harassment, and violence;
2.13and
2.14WHEREAS, in 2015, a working group on violence against Asian women and children was
2.15established in the Minnesota Department of Health; and
2.16WHEREAS, in 2016, the Legislature passed the All Kids Count Act to disaggregate student
2.17data to reveal disparities along lines of race and ethnicity, English language ability,
foster care
2.18status, military family status, gender, low-income status, and disabilities; and
2.19WHEREAS, many cultural events are held throughout the year, serving as opportunities
for
2.20elected and appointed officials to build relationships and learn how their decisions
impact
2.21communities of Asian Pacific Americans; NOW, THEREFORE,
2.22BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the State of Minnesota that it
2.23recognizes the month of May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and celebrates
the many
2.24contributions Asian Pacific Americans have made to our state.
2.25BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives is
2.26directed to prepare an enrolled copy of this resolution, to be authenticated by his
signature and that
2.27of the Speaker and transmit it to the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans.
