May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month – a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. A rather broad term, Asian/Pacific encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia including the Hawaiian Islands.
Like most commemorative months, Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month originated with Congress in 1977.
The month of 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. Most of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.
Please join God’s Diversity Committee in celebrating on May 5th at 4:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall. We will have a group of Japanese Dancers entertain us and we will have food and refreshments indicative to the islands and Asia. We will also have on display items and facts about the culture and the Episcopal Church in Asia.