Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, 2016

Proclamation 9434 of April 29, 2016

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage
Month, 2016

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) are the
fastest growing racial group in our country, growing
over 4 times as rapidly as the population of the United
States. As one of the most culturally and
linguistically diverse groups in America, the AAPI
community reminds us that though we all have distinct
backgrounds and origins, we are bound in common purpose
by our shared hopes and dreams for ourselves and our
children. Our Nation's story would be incomplete
without the voices of countless Asian Americans, Native
Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders who have called the
land we all love home. This month, we honor the
irreplaceable roles they have played in our past, and
we recommit to ensuring opportunities exist for
generations of AAPIs to come.

The AAPI community's long and deeply-rooted legacy in
the United States reminds us of both proud and painful
chapters of our history. Confronted with grueling and
perilous working conditions, thousands of Chinese
laborers on the transcontinental railroad pushed the
wheels of progress forward in the West. Japanese
American troops fought for freedom from tyranny abroad
in World War II while their families here at home were
interned simply on the basis of their origin. And many
South Asian Americans in particular face
discrimination, harassment, and senseless violence
often in the communities in which they live and work.

Today, AAPIs lend their rich heritage to enhancing our
communities and our culture. As artists and activists,
educators and elected officials, service men and women
and business owners, AAPIs help drive our country
forward. Yet despite hard-won achievements, AAPIs
continue to face obstacles to realizing their full
potential. One in three AAPIs does not speak English
fluently, and certain subgroups experience low levels
of educational attainment and high levels of
unemployment. AAPIs also often experience heightened
health risks, and millions of AAPI men, women, and
children in the United States live in poverty.

My Administration is committed to supporting and
investing in AAPI communities. Thanks to the Affordable
Care Act, 20 million uninsured adults have gained
health insurance coverage, including 2 million AAPIs.
Among Asian Americans under the age of 65, the
uninsured rate has declined by 55 percent since 2013.
Last year, we brought together thousands of AAPI
artists; advocates; and business, community, and
Federal leaders from across America for the first-ever
White House Summit on AAPIs to discuss the key issues
facing their communities. The Summit was hosted by the
White House Initiative on AAPIs, which I reestablished
during my first year in office and is housed within the
Department of Education. We are working with Federal
agencies to build stronger and more robust regional
networks across our country that improve access to
Federal resources and expand opportunities. We have
worked to protect civil rights, foster educational
equity, and create economic opportunity across our
country. Because a lack of detailed data perpetuates
the false notion of AAPIs as a model minority, we are
working across Government to improve data collection to
counter existing stereotypes and to shed light on the
realities faced

and resources needed by the AAPI community. Through the
White House Task Force on New Americans, Federal
agencies are working with cities and counties around
America to build welcoming communities that allow
immigrants and refugees to thrive. And we will continue
working to allow more high-skilled immigrants to stay
in our country--too many talented AAPIs are held back
from fully realizing our country's promise, and too
many have suffered the consequences of our Nation's
broken immigration system.

Peoples of diverse backgrounds and circumstances have
long come to our country with the faith that they could
build a better life in America, and spanning
generations, the story of AAPIs in the United States
embodies this promise. During Asian American and
Pacific Islander Heritage Month, let us celebrate the
many contributions our AAPI brothers and sisters have
made to the American mosaic, and let us renew our
commitment to creating more opportunities for AAPI
youth as they grow up and embrace the hard work of
active citizenship, adding their unique voices and
experiences to our Nation's narrative.

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 2016 as Asian
American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. I call
upon all Americans to visit www.WhiteHouse.gov/AAPI to
learn more about our efforts on behalf 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
twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord two
thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and fortieth.