May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, or Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a month dedicated to celebrating the history, culture, diversity, and significant contributions made by Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in the United States.
Asian American (AA) and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) communities represent a multitude of ethnicities, languages, and experiences that enrich America and strengthen our Union.
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)
Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, and Easter Island).
First observed in 1979 as "Asian/Pacific Heritage Week", Congress expanded the observance to a month in 1990, and in 1992, Congress passed a bill annually designating May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.
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.
"Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have long played an essential role in writing the American story. From serving our country in uniform, advocating for civil rights, starting new businesses, and winning Olympic medals, the contributions of the AA and NHPI community touch the lives of Americans every day.
AA and NHPIs serve with distinction at the highest levels of Federal, State, and local government. I am proud to have Vice President Kamala Harris, the first person of South Asian descent to serve as Vice President, and Katherine Tai, the first Asian American United States Trade Representative, in my Administration.
As we celebrate AA and NHPI communities, we must also redouble our commitment to combating the surge of anti-Asian hate crimes. The First Lady and I shared the Nation’s outrage as we witnessed these crimes increase by 339 percent last year compared to the year before in cities across America. Many other incidents of anti-Asian bias, xenophobia, and harassment that surfaced throughout the COVID-19 pandemic were not even reported. We cannot allow these horrific acts to continue threatening the safety of AA and NHPI Americans — especially women, girls, and the elderly. These acts are wrong; they are un-American; and they must stop.
This month, we celebrate our fellow Americans from AA and NHPI communities and pay tribute to all they have done to help fulfill the promise of America for all. Together, let us recommit ourselves to building a country in which every American — regardless of who they are, where they come from, or what they look like — has an equal opportunity to thrive."
A Proclamation on Asian American, Native Hawaiian,
And Pacific Islander Heritage Month, 2022
April 29, 2022
www.whitehouse.gov
Download our "Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month" bulletin board display here. We have spotlighted a number of incredible Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders from kid activists, to scientists to surfers.
Based on the size of your bulletin board you may choose to spotlight some or all of the individuals available, allowing you to customize your bulletin board display in any number of ways.
We are asking for a suggested donation of $20 which will assist in our efforts to pay the artists and illustrators for their work creating the coloring pages for us each month. However, please feel free to pay whatever you are able. Donations can be made here.
Note: All of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month coloring pages were created by BIPOC illustrators and artists.
Tips for Printing and Putting the Bulletin Board Together:
Posters and Coloring Pages:
Each poster is formatted to print on 8 1/2" x 11 cardstock. There are various general information posters about Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, as well as posters spotlighting various Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander individuals.
The coloring pages are formatted to print on 8 1/2" x 11 paper.
The "Win a Book" Drawing poster can be trimmed down and then attached to a box for children to drop their quiz or coloring page entries into if you choose to have a drawing for a book as part of your display.
The quiz can be copied and printed to 4 on a page.
Posters can be downloaded here.
You can see a small sampling of the individuals we spotlighted this month and some of the posters included below.
Banner: The banner is formatted to print as a poster at 36" x 10".
Depending on the size of your bulletin board you can cut the sides of the banner down to the size you would like. There are two similar banner options to choose from.
There are four banner options, with various color combinations. All four can be downloaded here.
Border: The border is formatted to print on 11" x 17" cardstock.
We recommend printing five copies of the border to have enough to outline your bulletin board, however, depending on the size of your bulletin board you may need more or less.
(Note: the bulletin board at our local elementary school is approximately 96 inches x 47 inches and we need five copies of the border printed and cut to outline the bulletin board.)
Cut along the three lines to create four strips of the border from each sheet of cardstock.
Border can be downloaded here.
This Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month we hope you enjoy learning about just a few of the incredible Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander men and women who have helped shape this nation and made invaluable contributions.
Comments