Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month May 2011

Asian-Pacific American Facts

May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month United States. Asian-Pacific encompasses the Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. —a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the entire Asian continent and the Pacific Islands of

Asian-Pacific American Facts

May was chosen in order to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese people to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.

Asian-Pacific American Facts

President Obama said in his 2010 Presidential Proclamation “

Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders have persevered and flourished, achieving success in every sector of American life. They stood shoulder to shoulder with their fellow citizens during the civil rights movement; they have served proudly in our Armed Forces; and they have prospered as leaders in

business, academia, and public service.”

2011 Theme Diversity, Leadership, Empowerment, and Beyond

The next few slides focus on Diversity

Trivia Questions

What is the significance of the numbers: 3 , 13 , and 19 ?

What language (after Spanish), was the most widely spoken non-English language according to the Census Bureau?

3 is Significant

The 2010 U.S. Census Bureau Questionnaires were available in three languages: (Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean)

13 is Significant

The 2010 Census Bureau Public Service Announcements were translated into 13 Asian languages: Bengali, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Hindi, Hmong, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Laotian, Tagalog, Thai, Urdu, and Vietnamese

19 is Significant

The 2010 Census Bureau Language Assistance Guides (instructions) were created in 19 languages: Bengali, Burmese, Cebuano, Chinese, Hindi, Hmong, Ilocano, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Laotian, Malayalam, Tagalog, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Urdu, and Vietnamese and also available in Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander languages: Chamorro, Chuukese, Marshallese, Samoan, and Tongan

Asian-Pacific American Facts

2.5 million The number of people age 5 and older who spoke Chinese at home in 2009. After Spanish, Chinese was the most widely spoken non-English language.

Asian-Pacific American Facts

15.5 million The estimated number of U.S. residents in July 2008 who said they were Asian or Asian in combination with one or more other races comprising 5% of the total population.

Asian-Pacific American Facts

48% The proportion of civilian employed single-race Asians age 16 and older who worked in management, professional, and related occupations, such as financial managers, engineers, teachers, and registered nurses.

Asian-Pacific American Ethnicities

Asian-Indian Burmese

Asian

Bangladesh Cambodian Bhutanese Ceram Chinese Filipino Indonesian Javanese Mien Nepali Taiwanese Vietnamese Kampuchea Hmong Japanese Korean Mongolian Singaporean Thai Urdu Indochinese Ikinawan Malayan Laotian Sumatran Sri Lankan Tibetan

Asian-Pacific American Ethnicities

Fijian Melanesian New Guinean Paluan Papua Micronesian

Pacific Islander

Guamanian Tongan Polynesian Hawaiian Northern Mariana Islander Samoan Tahitian Yapese Solomon Islander

2011 Theme

Diversity,

Leadership, Empowerment, and

Beyond

The next few slides focus on Leadership and Empowerment

Photo courtesy of Defense.gov

Military Facts

Thailand-born Ladda "Tammy" Duckworth is the Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for public and intergovernmental affairs. She was a National Guard soldier, Black Hawk pilot, and an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran. In 2004, her helicopter was shot down during a combat mission in Iraq, resulting in the loss of both legs and was limited to partial use of one arm.

Military Facts

During World War II, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team was a unit made up of the sons of Nisei-American born sons of Japanese immigrants. The 442nd was the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in the entire history of the U.S. military.

Photo courtesy of the White House

Military Facts

Korean-American Herbert Choy, 1971. previously a 1st lieutenant in the Army, became the first Asian American federal judge in

Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense

Military Facts

Juan T. Salas was the first Chamorro (Asian Pacific Islander from Guam) to graduate from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (Class of 1968). He was also the first Chamorro to reach the rank of commanding officer.

Photo courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard

Military Facts

On December 15, 1943, Wilbur Carl Sze was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant and the first Chinese-American officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Photo courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corps

Military Facts

Thirty-one Asian-Pacific Americans have been awarded the Medal of Honor.

Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army

Doua Thor: Executive Director

Photo courtesy of the White House

Doua Thor Center . is the executive director of the Southeast Asia Resource Action She and her family were among the thousands of Hmong refugees who were resettled in the United States after fighting alongside the U.S. during the Vietnam War. Thor was appointed by President Obama to the President's Advisory Commission on Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders in 2010.

Tarō Akebono: Sumo Wrestler

Tarō Akebono , the world’s best sumo wrestler, is an American. Akebono is the only yokozuna in sumo wrestling, the highest classification in Japan's most traditional sport.

"You have to be able to swallow your pride, no matter how much you get kicked down and thrown around," he said in English. "You just swallow your pride and

keep working as hard as you can.“

Ellison Onizuka: Astronaut

Ellison Onizuka was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in 1978. He worked at the Kennedy Space Center for STS-l and STS-2. He flew on the first Space Shuttle DoD mission, which launched in 1985.

Lieutenant Colonel Onizuka was a mission specialist on the Challenger when it exploded January 28, 1986, 1 minute 13 seconds after launch.

Photo courtesy of NASA

Dr. Steven Chu: Scientist & Secretary of Energy

Dr. Steven Chu is a distinguished scientist and cowinner of the Nobel Prize for Physics (1997).

Photo courtesy of the Department of Energy

As United States Secretary of Energy, Chu is implementing President Obama's agenda to invest in clean energy, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, address the global climate crisis, and create new jobs.

Duke Paoa Kahanamoku: Surfer

Born in Honolulu in 1890, Duke Paoa Kahanamoku was known as the father of international surfing.

He won gold at the 1920 Olympics, silver at the 1924 Olympics, and bronze at the 1932 Olympics. Kahanamoku's surfing talents caught the attention of Hollywood, where he appeared in nearly 30 movies. He also served as sheriff of Honolulu for 26 years.

Empowerment

“There's a basic philosophy here that by empowering ... workers you'll make their jobs far more interesting, and they'll be able to work at a higher level….”

Bill Gates, American entrepreneur and founder of Microsoft

2011 Theme

Diversity,

Leadership, Empowerment, and Beyond

The remaining slides focus on Beyond

The Art of Feng Shui

As Asian culture becomes more popular in the U.S., the ancient Chinese method of creating a harmonious environment, feng shui, is also gaining ground. Pronounced " fung shway ," it means "wind and water.” The art of feng shui is nearly 5,000 years old and seeks to promote prosperity, good health, and general well-being by examining how energy, qi (pronounced "chee,") flows through a particular room, house, building, or garden.

Inventions

You may have used these items in your daily lives. Do you know where these inventions came from?

abacus ink & cards porcelain compass fireworks kite silk paper wheelbarrow

Inventions

The facts are modern agriculture, shipping, astronomical observatories, decimal mathematics, paper money, umbrellas, papermaking, printing, gunpowder, the mariner's compass, wheelbarrows, multi-stage rockets, brandy and whiskey, chess, and much more, all came from China.

Celebrations

Two examples of Asian New Year’s celebrations are: Genjitsu Japanese New Year's Day Gung Hay Fat Choy Chinese New Year

Celebrations

Genjitsu This is a special festival in Japan . On New Year's morning, the family dresses in new clothes. They eat soup, black beans, and seaweed (symbolizing happiness). After the meal, children receive their special New Year's gifts, usually coins sealed in special gift envelopes. On the second day, the “first writing” or kakizome occurs. Every family member uses a brush and ink to write a poem or proverb on a long piece of paper.

Celebrations

Gung Hay Fat Choy The Chinese add a year to their age on New Year's Day, regardless of the day on which they were born.

It is a time for new clothes, homes are filled with flowers and fruit, and families remember their ancestors. Money is wrapped in red paper for the children, called lai see, and firecrackers are set off to scare away any evil spirits. The ceremonial dragon winds its way through the throngs of happy people in the streets.

Bibliography

http://www.uscg.mil

http://www.chcp.org

http://www.fourthmarinesband.com

http://www.history.com

http://www.navy.mil

http://goforbroke.org

http://www.army.mil

asianpacificheritage.gov

http://www.loc.gov

http://www.whitehouse.gov

http://asiasociety.org

http://www.infoplease.com

http://www.teachervision.fen.com

Prepared by Jose A. Principe, MBA on behalf of the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute Patrick Air Force Base, Florida

All photographs are public domain and are from various sources as cited.

Opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and should not be construed to represent the official position of DEOMI, the U.S. Military services, or the Department of Defense .