May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month. Initially a week-long celebration of Asian American culture introduced as a congressional bill in 1977, it was expanded to a month-long celebration by President H.W. Bush. May was selected for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869 (the majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.)
Asianpacificheritage.gov is a web portal bringing together online exhibits and collections, audio and video resources, and educator resources on Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage.
The Milwaukee Public Library has many wonderful resources celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander culture and history. Browse through our catalog for a list of books on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
