The AACP Newsletter |
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Since 1970 | Asian American Curriculum Project, Inc. - Books for All Ages | June 2004 |
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At a Glance999 Paper CranesAn article on origami
May: The Forgotten Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month
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Origami Links |
An Editorial by Ellen Lee Edited by Leonard Chan |
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On May 29th, 2004, I was shopping at my local Safeway store in American Canyon (a small city in Napa County). I turned back to look twice at a sign that caught my eye in the Deli section as I was walking out. The sign said "May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month," with a picture, name and a short biography of a gentleman of Asian descent who has significantly contributed towards AIDS research and development of a cure for AIDS. "THERE'S ASIAN-PACIFIC HERITAGE MONTH?!" I thought to myself with surprise and awe. I, being a recent grad from UC Berkeley, had never, ever, heard of such a thing during my 10 years of being educated in the United States. Now, why is that? I had known about February being the African-American Heritage Month since middle school. I took my share of Asian-American Studies classes at UC Berkeley, and deemed myself quite knowledgeable about Asian-American history. Well, I guess I shouldn't have given myself that much credit. Or, is there just not that much publicity going on about May being APAHM (Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month), a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States? I discussed this issue with Leonard, the executive editor of this newsletter, and he pointed out that May is when semesters end for many academic institutions and that could be why this month doesn't get much attention. Then I started to wonder, when was APAHM established, and why was it established in May of all months? After some research, I found out that much like Black History and Women's History celebrations, APAHM originated in a congressional bill. In June 1977, Representatives Frank Horton of New York and Norman Y. Mineta of California introduced a House resolution that called upon the President to proclaim the first ten days of May as Asian/Pacific Heritage Week. The following month, senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga introduced a similar bill in the Senate. Both were passed. On October 5, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed a Joint Resolution designating the annual celebration. |
In May 1990, the holiday was expanded further when President George H. W. Bush designated May to be Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month. May was chosen 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. Although there was good reason for May to be designated as APAHM, community and government sponsored activities and educational activities for students seems to be either non-existent or poorly organized and/or publicized. Was it always so? It had been pointed out to me that PBS channels in the San Francisco area once had large portions of their prime time programming dedicated to the month. My browsing of this past month's TV schedule revealed a disturbing dearth of appropriate Asian Pacific American Heritage specials. Is this an actual trend that reflects the demise of the month? Is the media just kowtowing to viewers' lack of interest or is the media complicit in APAHM's waning visibility? Another area of consideration is where and how APAHM fits in with schools' curricula. In the vast reorganization and standardization of what children are learning in the school system, is Asian Pacific American Heritage being squeezed out and forgotten? By having this special month so near to the end of the school term, are children getting shortchanged? It's time to reevaluate the goals of APAHM. Should we have APAHM moved to another month? Are schools integrating this event into their curricula and can it be done better? Whether we start by writing our representatives or we organize to hold our own cultural and historical events, it is urgent that we work to make this event more significant or it will fade into insignificance. |
The following books are discounted for subscribers to our newsletter. The discounts on these books end July 14, 2004. |
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Japanese Children's Favorite Stories
By Florence Sakade |
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Voices of the HeartBy Ed YoungIllustrated by Ed Young 1997, 56 pages, Hardback. The author Ed Young combined visual symbols of the West in the same manner the ancient Chinese used in composing their characters. He focuses specifically on characters that contain the heart symbol. This is a wonderful book that would make a lovely gift for any one interested in learning a few Chinese characters in both a mnemonic and poetic manner.
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Folksongs of Samoa
By Namulauulu Paul V. Pouesi |
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Paper Doll Book Bundle
Japanese Kimono: Paper Dolls in Full Color
Hawaiian Girl and Boy Paper Dolls
Japanese Girl and Boy Paper Dolls: in Full Color Get the paper doll bundle of these three books now and have hours of enjoyment. There are over 70 accurately drawn costumes between the three books. Kids will learn of the historic and cultural clothes worn by Japanese and Hawaiians.
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Paper Masks and Dragons Bundle
Cut and Make Japanese Masks
Cut & Assemble Paper Dragons That Fly: 8 Full-Color Models The limits to what you can do with these books are only determined by the limits of your imagination. The authentic Japanese masks can be used for parties, Halloween, school projects and plays. While the paper dragons can actually be flown, used as decorations, or turned into whimsical mobiles.
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