87R17892 CJM-D
By: Button H.R. No. 551
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, May 2021 has been set aside as Asian American and
Pacific Islander Heritage Month to recognize the accomplishments
and wide-ranging contributions of individuals who trace their
ancestry to Asia and the Pacific Islands; and
WHEREAS, Originally established by the United States
Congress as Asian-Pacific American Heritage Week, the observance
celebrates the diverse culture, traditions, and history of people
from the Asian continent and the islands of Melanesia, Micronesia,
and Polynesia in the Pacific; it was officially expanded into a
monthlong celebration in 1992; and
WHEREAS, The month of May was chosen for this commemorative
period because of two key events in our nation's history; on May 7,
1843, the first Japanese immigrants arrived, and on May 10, 1869, a
workforce largely composed of Chinese laborers completed the
Transcontinental Railroad; and
WHEREAS, According to a 2017 U.S. Census Bureau estimate,
Asian Americans represent approximately 5 percent of the country's
population, while about 1.5 million Americans trace their origins
to Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands; among U.S.
states, Texas has the third-largest Asian American population and
the fourth-largest Pacific Islander population; and
WHEREAS, In 2017, the Pew Research Center released a factual
analysis highlighting the growth and progress of the Asian American
community; the study established Asian Americans as the
fastest-growing of all the major racial or ethnic groups in the
United States in recent years, with a population increase of 72
percent between 2000 and 2015; the Pew analysis further noted that
the Asian American population as a whole had higher than average
levels of economic well-being and that more than half of Asian
Americans age 25 and older held at least a bachelor's degree; and
WHEREAS, The Lone Star State is home to generations of
Americans who take great pride in their family roots in Asia and the
Pacific Islands, and this annual observance provides a welcome
opportunity to celebrate their significant contributions to the
prosperity and cultural vibrancy of our nation; now, therefore, be
it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas
Legislature hereby recognize May 2021 as Asian American and Pacific
Islander Heritage Month.