More than news & views -­ A complete source for South Asians

June 2002

HOME | ABOUT US | CONTACT | FEEDBACK | WEATHER | BACK ISSUES | ADVERTISE

WINDOW ON USA

Celebrating May *

Asian Heritage Month

in  Atlanta   New York

S. Jacob

GlobalomNet Media Service

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 put forward by legislators.

South Asians constitute over 15% of the American population.

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 immigrants to the United States in 1843.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is celebrated with community festivals, government-sponsored activities, and educational activities for students. The theme for 2002 is “Unity in Freedom”. (There have been different themes since 1981.)

In a Proclamation for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, 2002, President Bush, said, “Our Nation's rich cultural diversity reflects our Constitution's core vision of freedom and justice for all. Throughout our history, Asian/Pacific Americans have made great contributions to America's heritage and prosperity. During this month, we proudly celebrate Asian/Pacific Americans, one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in the United States, for their remarkable role in our Nation's development.”

“Through the years, Asian immigrants and Pacific Islanders have enriched the American way of life. Nobel Prize winner Dr. Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar's groundbreaking theories on the evolution of stars helped lay the foundation for modern astrophysics,” he added.

Dr Chandrasekhar was the only South Asian mentioned in the proclamation. The only other from Asian/Pacific region was, Anna May Wong, “one of the first Asian Americans to achieve great fame in American film”.

Atlanta

In Atlanta, Georgia, Asian/ Pacific American Council organised the celebrations.

Founded in 1985, Asian/ Pacific American Council is a federation of societies in the metro Atlanta area. The member societies, amongst others, include India American Cultural Association and Pakistani-American Society of Atlanta.

Alan Wang, WSB- TV’s South metro bureau was the master of ceremonies at the May 4 Banquet held at Atlanta Perimeter Centre.

Dr Narsi Narasimhan  Narsi introduced the guest speaker. Narsi is the founder of the Indian Professionals Network

Dr Rajeev Dhawan was the featured speaker. He probably holds the second most prestigious position for an economist in the Southeast USA.  Of course, the President of the Federal Reserve Bank in Atlanta is undiputed key economist here.  In the academia, there is no question that the Director of the Economic Forecasting Center at Georgia State University holds tremendous stature.  He is constantly invited by CNN, Atlanta Business Chronicle and local television, radio and print media.