Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, 2013

Proclamation 8965 of April 30, 2013

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage
Month, 2013

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Each May, our Nation comes together to recount the ways
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) helped
forge our country. We remember a time 170 years ago,
when Japanese immigrants first set foot on American
shores and opened a path for millions more. We remember
1869, when Chinese workers laid the final ties of the
transcontinental railroad after years of backbreaking
labor. And we remember Asian Americans and Pacific
Islanders who have made our country bigger and brighter
again and again, from Native Hawaiians to the
generations of striving immigrants who shaped our
history--reaching and sweating and scraping to give
their children something more. Their story is the
American story, and this month, we honor them all.

For many in the AAPI community, that story is one also
marked by lasting inequality and bitter wrongs.
Immigrants seeking a better life were often excluded,
subject to quotas, or denied citizenship because of
their race. Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders
endured decades of persecution and broken promises.
Japanese Americans suffered profoundly under internment
during World War II, even as their loved ones fought
bravely abroad. And in the last decade, South Asian
Americans--particularly those who are Muslim, Hindu, or
Sikh--have too often faced senseless violence and
suspicion due only to the color of their skin or the
tenets of their faith.

This year, we recognize the 25th anniversary of the
Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and the 70th anniversary of
the Chinese Exclusion Act's repeal--milestones that
helped mend deep wounds of systemic discrimination. And
with irrepressible determination and optimism, Asian
Americans and Pacific Islanders have prevailed over
adversity and risen to the top of their fields--from
medicine to business to the bench. But even now, too
many hardworking AAPI families face disparities in
health care, education, and employment that keep them
from getting ahead.

My Administration remains committed to addressing those
disparities. Through the White House Initiative on
AAPIs, we are working to ensure equal access to Federal
programs that meet the diverse needs of AAPI
communities. We are standing up for civil rights,
economic opportunity, and better outcomes in health and
education. We are fighting for commonsense immigration
reform so America can continue to be a magnet for the
best and brightest from all around the world, including
Asia and the Pacific.

Meeting those challenges will not be easy. But the
history of the AAPI community shows us how with hope
and resolve, we can overcome the problems we face. We
can reaffirm our legacy as a Nation where all things
are possible for all people. So this month, as we
recognize Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who are
fulfilling that promise in every corner of our country,
let us recommit to giving our children and
grandchildren the same opportunity in the years ahead.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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 2013 as Asian

American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. I call
upon all Americans to visit www.WhiteHouse.gov/AAPI and
www.AsianPacificHeritage.gov to learn more about the
history of Asian Americans 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 thirteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
seventh.