May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month. A reader contacted me by email and asked me to describe the Asian-Pacific culture.
As I thought about the task, I realized I would need to take into consideration the largest landmass and ocean area in the world. I also had to account for people from nearly 30 different countries and thousands of South Pacific islands, each with a distinct culture and unique history.
May was chosen for Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month partly because the transcontinental railroad was completed on May 10, 1869. The majority of the back-breaking work of laying steel rails across the country was done by Chinese immigrants, most of whom came into the United States through San Francisco.
Asian-Pacific Americans came to this country first in the 1800's when thousands of Chinese, mainly Cantonese, came to San Francisco. Many went on to work on the railroads and some to take their chances in the Sierra-Nevada panning for gold.
Japanese immigrants favored Hawaii, although a number of Japanese farmers settled in the great Central Valley of California.
Later, following the Spanish-American War, many Filipinos began migrating to the United States. Also, when parts of Samoa came under U.S. control, the continental United States became a popular destination for American Samoans.
Relatively few Hawaiians migrated to the continental U.S. after Hawaii joined the Union. The reason is obvious. Hawaii is a true paradise and most Hawaiians saw no reason to leave.
Throughout the 20th century people from throughout Southeast Asia migrated to the U.S., particularly to California. Today there are large numbers of people from Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar living in California.
Today, there are more than 13 million Americans who claim their heritage to be Asian-Pacific. Many events are taking place this month in San Francisco and throughout the United States to celebrate the rich contributions made by Asian-Pacific Americans to our nation.
Here are some information sources you may wish to visit:
The Asian-American Journalists Association is a good place to learn more about Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month.
The Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center of San Francisco is a rich source of information about local events planned for May.
The National Park Service put together a very interesting web site that is particularly impressive at listing a number of events of interest to Pacific Islanders. The site may be found here.
IMDiversity.com offers a unique experience called Asian-American Village and is a must-see for anyone interested in Asian-Pacific American heritage Month.
San Francisco's PBS television station, KQED, is producing an impressive list of programs and resources that may be found here.
The Bay Area Discovery Museum has designed a fascinating series of events and programs titled Monkey King: a Journey to China that will run from May 27th to September 3rd. The opening ceremony event will take place on Sunday, May 28th from 10 AM to 5 PM when their will be free admission to the museum and to all events! Details may be found here.
Finally, the venerable Chinese Cultural Center of San Francisco is sponsoring a number of very interesting learning experiences. The Center is a major community-based non-profit organization established in San Francisco in 1965 to foster the understanding and appreciation of Chinese and Chinese-American art, history and culture in the United States.
One of the highlights of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month in San Francisco is the Asian Heritage Street Celebration, Saturday, May 20th from 11 AM to 6 PM. It will take place on Irving Street in the Sunset District, between 20th and 25th Avenues. For more information about this exciting event, visit their web site here.
To send this story to a friend, simply click on the envelope icon below
0 comments:
Post a Comment