May is big on events. Not only does the month celebrate Mother's Day, Memorial Day Older Americans, Teacher Appreciation Month, Tennis Month, National Egg Month, Better Sleep Month, and more, it is also Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

This celebration began by congressional resolution in 1978, setting aside the first ten days of May to acknowledge a couple of important milestones in Asian Pacific American history: the contributions made by Chinese workers to the construction, and finally completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869, and the arrival of the first immigrants from Japan on May 7, 1843. In 1992, Congress made it a month-long gig.

The National Register of Historic Places is showcasing historic properties that highlight important aspects of the Asian and Pacific experience in America. Angel Island in San Francisco Bay, Seattle's Chinatown, Locke and Walnut Grove near Sacramento, Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park in Hawaii, all are featured for special educational programs during the month.

If you're in Texas,you have dozens of events on offer honoring the occasion with Houston's Asian/Pacific American Heritage Association (APAHA) taking the lead in organizing activities.

From Marriage Education Workshops in Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese, to a Dragon Boat Fesitval, there is a lot happening in the Houston area, so check out their website for details and directions.

On the 8th of May, there will be a reception in the Asian Reading Room of the Thomas Jefferson Building in the Library of Congress in Washington,D.C. for the Asian-American Yearbook. (for more info: asianamericanyearbook@tiym.com)

Also in the Library of Congress:
Built in America (HABS/HAER/HALS)
The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) and Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) collections document achievements in architecture, engineering, landscape and design in the United States through a comprehensive range of building types and engineering technologies, including sites related to Asian-Pacific history and culture. Searches on keywords like "Japanese," "Chinese," or "World War II" will provide information on an array of associated sites. Most of the site records have publication-quality drawings, photographs and historical data. Of special interest are the following properties: the Chee Kung Tong Society in Hawaii, the Joe Shoong Chinese School, and the Chinese Joss House in California.

Should you have Asian kids, this month is good for letting them know how rich American history is with people who look just like them, and how they continue to contribute to make the country great.

According to the US Census, in 2004 people with Asian roots comprised 5% of the total population of the US with 14 million people, and this was the fastest growing racial group for the year between 2003 and 2004. Almost half, 49%, of Asians over 25-years-old are college grads, the highest proportion of any race or ethnic group in the US, and 20% of all Asians over the age of 25 have advanced degrees.

The median household income was the highest of all race groups at $57,518, and the poverty rate only 9.8%.

8.7 million Asian-born residents make up one-fourth of the US's total of foreign-born nationals, and 52% are naturalized citizens.

Serving the country in 2004 were 282,000 Asian-American military veterans.

It's estimated that by 2050 there will be 33.4 million US residents identifying themselves as Asian, eight percent of that future population.

So, from our family over here with our Cambodian roots, may we wish a very happy and satisfyingly appropriate celebration of Asian Pacific Heritage this month to every family lucky enough to have within their fold people from China, India, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam, Korea, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Samoa, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, or anywhere else that wonderfully amazing part of the world provides.

If you have an event in your area coming up, feel free to let me know and I'll pass along the information.