III 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 200 

Recognizing the significance of the designation of the month of May as 

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 26, 2011 

Mr. AKAKA (for himself, Mr. INOUYE, Mrs. MURRAY, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, and 

Mr. REID) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the significance of the designation of the month 

of May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. 

Whereas each May, the people of the United States join together to pay tribute to the contributions of the generations of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders who have 

enriched the history of the United States; 

Whereas the history of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders 

in the United States is inextricably tied to the history of 

the United States; 

Whereas as of 2011, according to the United States Census 

Bureau, the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community is 1 of the fastest growing and most diverse populations in the United States and is comprised of more 


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•SRES 200 IS 

than 45 distinct ethnicities and more than 28 language 

groups; 

Whereas the 2010 United States Census estimates that there 

are— 

(1) 17,300,000 United States residents who identify 

themselves as Asian alone or in combination with 1 or 

more other races; and 

(2) 1,200,000 United States residents who identify 

themselves as Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander 

alone or in combination with 1 or more other races; 

Whereas the United States Census Bureau projects that by 

the year 2050— 

(1) there will be 40,600,000 United States residents 

identifying themselves as Asian alone or in combination 

with 1 or more other races, comprising 9 percent of the 

total population of the United States; and 

(2) there will be 2,600,000 United States residents 

identifying themselves as Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander alone or as Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander in combination with 1 or more other races, 

comprising 0.6 percent of the total population of the 

United States; 

Whereas the month of May was selected for Asian/Pacific 

American Heritage Month due to the facts that on May 

7, 1843, the first Japanese immigrants arrived in the 

United States, and on May 10, 1869, the first transcontinental railroad was completed, with substantial contributions from Chinese immigrants; 

Whereas Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders have faced 

injustices throughout the history of the United States, including the Act of May 5, 1892 (27 Stat. 25, chapter 60) 

(commonly known as the ‘‘Geary Act’’ or the ‘‘Chinese 


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Exclusion Act’’), the internment of Japanese-Americans 

during World War II, unpunished hate crimes, such as 

the murder of Vincent Chin, and other events; 

Whereas section 102 of title 36, United States Code, officially 

designates May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage 

Month and requests the President to issue an annual 

proclamation calling on the people of the United States 

to observe the month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities; 

Whereas Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, such as Yuri 

Kochiyama, a civil rights activist, Herbert Pililaau, recipient of the Medal of Honor, Dalip Singh Saund, the 

first Asian-American Congressman, Patsy T. Mink, the 

first Asian-American Congresswoman, and Norman Y. 

Mineta, the first Asian-American member of a presidential cabinet, have made significant strides in the political and military realms; 

Whereas the Presidential Cabinet of the Obama Administration includes a record 3 Asian-Americans, including Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, Secretary of Commerce 

Gary Locke, and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric 

Shinseki; 

Whereas in 2011, the Congressional Asian Pacific American 

Caucus, a bicameral caucus of Members of Congress advocating on behalf of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, includes 30 Members of Congress; 

Whereas Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders have made 

history by assuming office in a number of new and historically significant positions, including Nikki Haley, the 

first Asian-American and first female Governor of the 

State of South Carolina, Edwin M. Lee, the first AsianVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:42 May 27, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR200.IS SR200

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American Mayor of San Francisco, California, and Jean 

Quan, the first Asian-American and first woman to serve 

as Mayor of Oakland, California; 

Whereas as of the date of approval of this resolution, AsianAmerican and Pacific Islander leaders are serving in 

State legislatures across the United States in record 

numbers, including in the States of Alaska, Arizona, 

California, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, 

Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, 

Texas, Virginia, Utah, and Washington; 

Whereas Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders have risen to 

some of the highest staff levels in the Obama Administration, including Pete Rouse, who is the first Asian-American to serve as White House Chief of Staff, Tina Tchen, 

Chief of Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama, Chris Lu, 

White House Cabinet Secretary, Neal Katyal, Acting Solicitor General of the United States, Rajiv Shah, Administrator of the United States Agency for International 

Development, L. Tammy Duckworth, Assistant Secretary 

for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Anthony M. Babauta, Assistant Secretary for Insular Areas of the Department of Interior, and many others; 

Whereas the commitment of the United States to judicial diversity has been demonstrated through the nomination of 

high caliber Asian-Americans and other minority jurists 

at all levels of the Federal bench; 

Whereas significant outreach efforts to the Asian-American 

and Pacific Islander community have been made through 

the reestablishment of the White House Initiative on 

Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders to coordinate 


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multiagency efforts to ensure more accurate data collection and access to services for the community; 

Whereas even with the exceptional milestones achieved by the 

Asian-American and Pacific Islander community, there 

remains much to be done to ensure that linguistically and 

culturally isolated Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders 

have access to resources, a voice in the Federal Government, and continue to advance in the political landscape 

of the United States; and 

Whereas celebrating Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month 

provides the people of the United States with an opportunity to recognize the achievements, contributions, and 

history of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders and to 

appreciate the challenges faced by Asian-Americans and 

Pacific Islanders: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the significance of the designa3 tion of the month of May as Asian/Pacific American 

4 Heritage Month; 

5 (2) encourages the celebration during Asian/Pa6 cific American Heritage Month of the significant 

7 contributions Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders 

8 have made to the United States; and 

9 (3) recognizes that the Asian-American and Pa10 cific Islander community strengthens and enhances 

11 the rich diversity of the United States. 

Æ 


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