When Capitol Hill staffer Jeanie F. Jew realized that Asian Americans had been left out of the various ethnic groups celebrated during the United States Bicentennial in 1976, she enlisted the help of Ruby Moy, administrative assistant to Rep. Frank Horton of New York.

"We were literally ignored, even though we were part of building this country," she said later. Her great-grandfather had been a laborer on the Transcontinental Railroad back in the 1860s.

At the encouragement of Jew and Moy, in June 1977 Horton and Rep. Norman Mineta of California introduced a bipartisan resolution requesting that the first 10 days of May be declared Pacific/Asian American Heritage Week.

The week was chosen for its significance in Asian American history: The first Japanese immigrants were recorded as having arrived in the US on May 7, 1843, and Chinese laborers officially completed the Transcontinental Railroad on May 10, 1869. A month after that initial resolution, Senators Spark Matsunaga and Daniel Inouye introduced a similar bill on the floor of the Senate.

Jew founded the National Coalition for an Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week, and with the help of Moy, also organized the Asian Pacific Congressional Staff Caucus. Other organizations that worked to spread awareness and push for the passage of the bills were the Japanese American Citizens League, the Organization of Chinese American Women and the Organization of Chinese Americans.

On March 28, 1979 President Jimmy Carter issued Presidential Proclamation 4650, in which he noted that Asian Americans had faced discrimination in immigration and naturalization laws, and in the areas of education, housing and employment.

"Yet Asians of diverse origins from China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and Southeast Asia continued to look to America as a land of hope, opportunity and freedom," he wrote. "At last their confidence in the United States has been justified. We have succeeded in removing the barriers to full participation in American life, and we welcome the newest Asian immigrants to our shores."

He declared the week beginning May 4, 1979, to be Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week, and called upon US citizens, particularly the educational community, to observe the week with culturally appropriate activities, events and ceremonies.

"America's greatness - its ideals, its system of government, its economy, its people - derives from the contribution of peoples of many origins who come to our land seeking human liberties or economic opportunity," Carter wrote. "Asian Americans have played a significant role in the creation of a dynamic and pluralistic America, with their enormous contributions to our science, arts, industry, government and commerce."

Although his claim to have removed all barriers for Asian Americans could be (and has been) vigorously disputed, the reaction from Asian American communities in the US was widely positive.

There were around 17.3 million Asians and 1.2 million Pacific Islanders in the US in 2010, according to the US Census Bureau.

Following Carter's announcement, for the next decade Presidents Carter, Reagan and George H.W. Bush signed annual proclamations ensuring the continuation of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. On May 7, 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed an extension to expand the earlier proclamation to cover the entire month of May. Two years later, Congress permanently designated the month of May each year as "Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month." Each year since, Presidents Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama have renewed the proclamation. The month is now officially called "Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month."

Among other heritage and commemoration months in the US are February's Black History Month, and National Hispanic History Month in September.

This year's Presidential Proclamation, issued on April 30, noted the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

"Their story is the American story, and this month, we honor them all," President Obama said. "This year, we recognize the 25th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and the 70th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act's repeal - milestones that helped mend deep wounds of systemic discrimination. And with irrepressible determination and optimism, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have prevailed over adversity and risen to the top of their fields - from medicine to business to the bench. But even now, too many hardworking AAPI families face disparities in health care, education and employment that keep them from getting ahead."

His administration remains committed to addressing those and other disparities, he said. Among the various activities scheduled by the government and a variety of organizations across the country are a screening of State of Aloha, a documentary about Hawaiians, at Washington, DC's Smithsonian Institution; the Asian Pacific American Heritage Awards in San Francisco, honoring notable Asian Americans; and a celebration at Asia Society in New York earlier this month.

Contact the writer at kdawson@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA 05/28/2013 page2)