Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month, 2021

Citation86 FR 23843
Record Number2021-09570
Published date05 May 2021
SectionPresidential Documents
CourtExecutive Office Of The President
Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 85 (Wednesday, May 5, 2021)
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 5, 2021)]
                [Presidential Documents]
                [Pages 23843-23844]
                From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
                [FR Doc No: 2021-09570] Presidential Documents
                Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 5, 2021 /
                Presidential Documents
                ___________________________________________________________________
                Title 3--
                The President
                [[Page 23843]]
                 Proclamation 10189 of April 30, 2021
                
                Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific
                 Islander Heritage Month, 2021
                 By the President of the United States of America
                 A Proclamation
                 This May, during Asian American and Native Hawaiian/
                 Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we recognize the
                 history and achievements of Asian Americans, Native
                 Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) across our
                 Nation. In the midst of a difficult year of pain and
                 fear, we reflect on the tradition of leadership,
                 resilience, and courage shown by AANHPI communities,
                 and recommit to the struggle for AANHPI equity.
                 Asian Americans, and Native Hawaiians, and Pacific
                 Islanders make our Nation more vibrant through
                 diversity of cultures, languages, and religions. There
                 is no single story of the AANHPI experience, but rather
                 a diversity of contributions that enrich America's
                 culture and society and strengthen the United States'
                 role as a global leader. The American story as we know
                 it would be impossible without the strength,
                 contributions, and legacies of AANHPIs who have helped
                 build and unite this country in each successive
                 generation. From laying railroad tracks, tilling
                 fields, and starting businesses, to caring for our
                 loved ones and honorably serving our Nation in uniform,
                 AANHPI communities are deeply rooted in the history of
                 the United States.
                 We also celebrate and honor the invaluable
                 contributions the AANHPI communities have made to our
                 Nation's culture and the arts, law, science and
                 technology, sports and public service--including the
                 courageous AANHPIs who have served on the front lines
                 of the COVID-19 pandemic as health care providers,
                 first responders, teachers, and other essential
                 workers.
                 During this year's Asian American and Native Hawaiian/
                 Pacific Islander Heritage Month, our Nation celebrates
                 the achievements of Vice President Harris, the first
                 person of South Asian descent to hold the Office of the
                 Vice President. Vice President Harris has blazed a
                 trail and set an example for young people across the
                 country to aspire to follow, including members of
                 AANHPI communities and AANHPI women in particular.
                 In spite of the strength shown and successes achieved,
                 the American dream remains out of reach for far too
                 many AANHPI families. AANHPI communities face systemic
                 barriers to economic justice, health equity,
                 educational attainment, and personal safety. These
                 challenges are compounded by stark gaps in Federal
                 data, which too often fails to reflect the diversity of
                 AANHPI communities and the particular barriers that
                 Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Southeast Asian, and
                 South Asian communities in the United States continue
                 to face.
                 My Administration also recognizes the heightened fear
                 felt by many Asian American communities in the wake of
                 increasing rates of anti-Asian harassment and violence
                 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the increasingly
                 observable layers of hate now directed toward women and
                 elders of Asian descent in particular. Our Nation
                 continues to grieve the senseless killings of six women
                 of Asian descent in Atlanta, and the unconscionable
                 acts of violence victimizing our beloved Asian American
                 seniors in cities across the country.
                [[Page 23844]]
                 Acts of anti-Asian bias are wrong, they are un-
                 American, and they must stop. My Administration will
                 continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with AANHPI
                 communities in condemning, denouncing, and preventing
                 these acts of violence. We will continue to look for
                 opportunities to heal together and fight against the
                 racism and xenophobia that still exists in this
                 country.
                 Present-day inequities faced by AANHPI communities are
                 rooted in our Nation's history of exclusion,
                 discrimination, racism, and xenophobia against Asian
                 Americans. Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and
                 Pacific Islanders have endured a long history of
                 injustice--including the Page Act of 1875, the Chinese
                 Exclusion Act of 1882, the incarceration of Japanese
                 American citizens during World War II, the murder of
                 Vincent Chin, the mass shooting of Southeast Asian
                 refugee children in 1989, and the targeting of South
                 Asian Americans, especially those who are Muslim,
                 Hindu, or Sikh, after the national tragedy of 9/11. It
                 is long past time for Federal leadership to advance
                 inclusion, belonging, and acceptance for all AANHPI
                 communities. My Administration is committed to a whole-
                 of-government effort to advance equity, root out racial
                 injustices in our Federal institutions, and finally
                 deliver the promise of America for all Americans.
                 Vice President Harris and I affirm that Asian
                 Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders make
                 our Nation stronger. I urge my fellow Americans to join
                 us this month in celebrating AANHPI history, people,
                 and cultures.
                 NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
                 the United States of America, by virtue of the
                 authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
                 of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2021 as
                 Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
                 Heritage Month. I call upon the people of the United
                 States to learn more about the history of Asian
                 Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, and
                 to observe this month with appropriate programs and
                 activities.
                 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
                 thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two
                 thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the
                 United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                 fifth.
                
                
                 (Presidential Sig.)
                [FR Doc. 2021-09570
                Filed 5-4-21; 8:45 am]
                Billing code 3295-F1-P
                

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