Assembly Resolution No. 469
BY: M. of A. Niou
MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim
May 2017, as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
in the State of New York
WHEREAS, Asian and Asian-Pacific Islander Americans have contributed
greatly to the wealth and cultural heritage of our great State of New
York; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to memorialize
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim May 2017, as Asian Pacific American
Heritage Month in the State of New York, in conjunction with the
observance of National Asian Pacific American Heritage Month; and
WHEREAS, Asian Pacific Islander Americans comprise many ethnicities
and languages, and their myriad achievements embody the American
experience; and
WHEREAS, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans have fostered
enterprise to include many of our Nation's most successful and dynamic
businesses; these men and women are leaders in every aspect of American
life such as government, industry, science, medicine, the arts, our
Armed Forces, education and sports; and
WHEREAS, New York received some of the first Asian arrivals in the
early 1800s; sailors and traders of the China trade route became an
essential part of the port culture that formed in New York City, the
city of immigrants and the American Dream; and
WHEREAS, New York is home to Asian and Asian Pacific Islanders from
all parts of the Asian continent and Pacific Islands, including Japan,
China, Taiwan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Burma (Myanmar),
Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Samoa, Fiji, Guam,
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan; and
WHEREAS, The United States Congress passed a joint Congressional
Resolution in 1978, to commemorate Asian and Asian Pacific American
Heritage Week during the first week of May; this date was chosen because
two important anniversaries occurred during this time: the arrival of
the first Japanese immigrants in America on May 7, 1843, and the
completion of the transcontinental railroad by Chinese laborers on May
10, 1869; and
WHEREAS, In 1990, Congress voted to expand it from a week to a
month-long celebration; in May 1992, the month of May was permanently
designated as "Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month"; and
WHEREAS, According to the 2010 Census, Asian and Asian Pacific
Islanders comprised 7.8% of the population of New York State and 12.7%,
and growing, of New York City; and
WHEREAS, New York is home to the second largest Asian population in
the country and Chinatown in Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn form the
largest enclave of Chinese people in the Western hemisphere; and
WHEREAS, There are many notable Asian and Asian Pacific Islander
Americans from New York, some of whom include: Wataru "Wat" Misaka,
player for the New York Knicks in the 1947-48 season; Yuri Kochiyama,
former World War II Internee and Nobel Peace Prize nominee; Roger Y.
Tsien, awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his discovery and
development of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) with two other
chemists: Martin Chalfie of Columbia University and Osamu Shimomura of
Boston University and Marine Biological Laboratory; Jip Chun, who worked
for Otis Elevator Co. and invented a fire safety switch in all
elevators; Lucy Liu, Chinese American actress from Woodside, Queens;
Hikaru Utada, Japanese American singer, songwriter, arranger, and
producer; Bill Lann Lee, Assistant United States Attorney General for
the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division under
President Bill Clinton; Sheryl WuDunn, a SUNY Trustee and writer for The
New York Times and the first Asian American to win a Pulitzer Prize in
1990; Zubin Mehta, Conductor, New York Philharmonic Orchestra; Charles
Mingus, jazz double bassist, composer, band leader; Laura Chang, science
editor, The New York Times; Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
literary critic and author; Jennifer Lee, journalist, The New York
Times; John Liu, the first Asian American elected to the New York City
Council (representing Flushing, Queens) in 2001 and New York City
Comptroller; Grace Meng, the first Asian American elected to the U.S.
Congress from New York; Benny Agbayani, former outfielder for the New
York Mets; Yung Wing, the first Chinese person to graduate from a U.S.
college (Yale in 1854); and Jeremy Lin, player for the New York Knicks
in the 2011-2012 season, to name a few; and
WHEREAS, According to a newly released report, Asian Americans of
the Empire State: Growing Diversity and Common Needs, from the Asian
American Federation, the Asian population in New York State grew fastest
outside of New York City;the number of Asian American residents in the
suburban counties surrounding New York City grew by approximately 50%,
marking the expansion of this community throughout our State; and
WHEREAS, With the population growth upstate came increased
diversity; Burmese Americans went from being too few to be reported to
the sixth largest Asian group in upstate counties in 2010; and
WHEREAS, By recognizing the accomplishments and contributions of
Asian and Asian Pacific Americans, this great Empire State reaffirms our
commitment to diversity and equal opportunity for all, thereby ensuring
a bright future for all New Yorkers and Americans; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim May 2017, as Asian
Pacific American Heritage Month in the State of New York; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of
New York.
