News and Announcements

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! This month serves as a time to celebrate the culture, history, and achievements of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in New York City and across the country. The recognition of AAPI Heritage on a federal level began in 1978 when President Jimmy Carter signed a resolution into law that had been introduced by Representative Frank Horton of Rochester, New York, which established Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week to take place in early May.

The dates were chosen to commemorate the arrival of the first Japanese immigrant to the United States(Open external link) on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869, in recognition of the Chinese immigrants who made up a majority of laborers completing the work on the project. From then on, it was celebrated for one week in May every year until 1990, when a new law was passed to expand the observance to a month.