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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, May 2021 has been set aside as Asian American and |
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| 6 | 7 | | Pacific Islander Heritage Month to recognize the accomplishments |
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| 7 | 8 | | and wide-ranging contributions of individuals who trace their |
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| 8 | 9 | | ancestry to Asia and the Pacific Islands; and |
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| 9 | 10 | | WHEREAS, Originally established by the United States |
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| 10 | 11 | | Congress as Asian-Pacific American Heritage Week, the observance |
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| 11 | 12 | | celebrates the diverse culture, traditions, and history of people |
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| 12 | 13 | | from the Asian continent and the islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, |
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| 13 | 14 | | and Polynesia in the Pacific; it was officially expanded into a |
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| 14 | 15 | | monthlong celebration in 1992; and |
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| 15 | 16 | | WHEREAS, The month of May was chosen for this commemorative |
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| 16 | 17 | | period because of two key events in our nation's history; on May 7, |
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| 17 | 18 | | 1843, the first Japanese immigrants arrived, and on May 10, 1869, a |
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| 18 | 19 | | workforce largely composed of Chinese laborers completed the |
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| 19 | 20 | | Transcontinental Railroad; and |
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| 20 | 21 | | WHEREAS, According to a 2017 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, |
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| 21 | 22 | | Asian Americans represent approximately 5 percent of the country's |
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| 22 | 23 | | population, while about 1.5 million Americans trace their origins |
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| 23 | 24 | | to Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands; among U.S. |
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| 24 | 25 | | states, Texas has the third-largest Asian American population and |
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| 25 | 26 | | the fourth-largest Pacific Islander population; and |
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| 26 | 27 | | WHEREAS, In 2017, the Pew Research Center released a factual |
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| 27 | 28 | | analysis highlighting the growth and progress of the Asian American |
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| 28 | 29 | | community; the study established Asian Americans as the |
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| 29 | 30 | | fastest-growing of all the major racial or ethnic groups in the |
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| 30 | 31 | | United States in recent years, with a population increase of 72 |
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| 31 | 32 | | percent between 2000 and 2015; the Pew analysis further noted that |
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| 32 | 33 | | the Asian American population as a whole had higher than average |
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| 33 | 34 | | levels of economic well-being and that more than half of Asian |
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| 34 | 35 | | Americans age 25 and older held at least a bachelor's degree; and |
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| 35 | 36 | | WHEREAS, The Lone Star State is home to generations of |
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| 36 | 37 | | Americans who take great pride in their family roots in Asia and the |
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| 37 | 38 | | Pacific Islands, and this annual observance provides a welcome |
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| 38 | 39 | | opportunity to celebrate their significant contributions to the |
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| 39 | 40 | | prosperity and cultural vibrancy of our nation; now, therefore, be |
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| 40 | 41 | | it |
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| 41 | 42 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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| 42 | 43 | | Legislature hereby recognize May 2021 as Asian American and Pacific |
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| 43 | 44 | | Islander Heritage Month. |
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