Presidential Proclamation on AAPI Heritage Month 2012
1. Presidential Proclamation -- Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, 2012
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/05/01/presidential-proclamation-asian-american-and-pacific-islander-heritage-m
2012 Theme:
Striving for Excellence in
Leadership, Diversity & Inclusion
2. Diversity
Asian Americans have emerged as the Nation’s fastest
growing racial group. Asian and Pacific Islanders represent
more than thirty different nationalities and ethnic groups. In
terms of their various languages, cultures, and histories the
diversity of Asian Americans is remarkable. Even beyond the
nationalities the diversity continues. A single nationality can
have significant differences in regional dialect, religion, class
background, educational level, and political perspective as
well as distinctions based on generation, gender, and lifestyle
orientation. Additional factors that contribute to the diversity
of Asian Americans are the different ways they have entered
the United States such as refugees, immigrants and the large
number of Asian children that are adopted into both Asian
and non-Asian families.
6. Inclusion
The fusion of Asian
culture and influence
into mainstream
America continues to
grow and become more
wide spread. There are
many examples of
Asian influences
including zen-style spas,
shiatsu massage,
eastern medicine,
architectural design,
noodle house
restaurants, and anime
and manga comics.
7. Asian Influence on Mainstream America
Kung Fu Yu-Gi_Uh!
Panda Popular
2008 Trading
Box office Card
Dragonball Z hit! Hit hip hop dance group
Jabbawockeez game
Hit anima TV series
Both in Japan and 7 out of 10 team
The US members are of Asian
decent
8. Asian Influence on Mainstream America
Yoga Acupuncture
Originated in ancient India. It is An alternative medicine
a physical, mental and spiritual methodology originating in
discipline. It originated in the ancient China that treats
Tai Chi
Hindu religion with the goal of patients by manipulating thin,
achieving a state of perfect Originated in China. It is a type
solid needles that have been
insight or tranquility while of internal Chinese martial arts
inserted into acupuncture
meditating on the Hindu and is practiced for its defense
points in the skin.
concept of divinity. training and health benefits. It
is commonly associated with the
Chinese Yin-Yang.
9. Daniel K. Inouye
On September 7, 1924, Senator Daniel K. Inouye was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. On December 7,
1941, the fateful day of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 17-year-old Dan Inouye was one of
the first Americans to handle civilian casualties in the Pacific war. He had taken medical aid
training and was pressed into service as head of a first-aid litter team. He saw a "lot of blood" and
did not go home for a week.
In March 1943, 18-year-old Dan Inouye, then a freshman in pre-medical studies at the University
of Hawaii, enlisted in the U.S. Army's 442nd Regimental Combat Team. In the fall of 1944,
Inouye's unit was shifted to the French Vosges Mountains and spent two of the bloodiest weeks
of the war rescuing a Texas Battalion surrounded by German forces. Inouye lost ten pounds,
became a platoon leader and won the Bronze Star and a battlefield commission as a Second
Lieutenant. Back in Italy, the 442nd was assaulting a heavily defended hill in the closing months
of the war when Lieutenant Inouye was hit in his abdomen by a bullet which came out his back,
barely missing his spine. He continued to lead the platoon and advanced alone against a machine
gun nest which had his men pinned down. He tossed two hand grenades with devastating effect
before his right arm was shattered by a German rifle grenade at close range. Inouye threw his
last grenade with his left hand, attacked with a submachine gun and was finally knocked down
the hill by a bullet in the leg.
Dan Inouye spent 20 months in Army hospitals after losing his right arm. On May 27, 1947, he
was honorably discharged and returned home as a Captain with a Distinguished Service Cross
(the second highest award for military valor), Bronze Star, Purple Heart with cluster and 12
other medals and citations. His Distinguished Service Cross was recently upgraded to a Medal of
Honor, the nation's highest award for military valor. He received that medal from the President of
the United States on June 21, 2000.
When Hawaii became a state on August 21, 1959, Daniel Inouye won election to the United States
House of Representatives as the new state's first Congressman. He was reelected to a full term in
1960. Elected to the United States Senate in 1962 and is now serving his ninth consecutive term.
10. Dr. Sammy Lee
Born in Fresno in 1920 to Korean immigrants who worked on a
Hawaiian plantation, Dr. Lee was the first Asian American to win an
Olympic gold medal. He was awarded the gold medal for the 10-meter
platform at the 1948 Olympic games in London. Four years later, he
went on to win the gold in the 10-meter and the bronze in the 3-meter
springboard in the Helsinki Olympics.
His accomplishments were not limited to the athletic field. Dr. Lee was
a student-athlete at the University of Southern California School of
Medicine, where he received his M.D. in 1947. He went on to serve in
the U.S. Army Medical Corps in Korea from 1943-45, where he
specialized in the diseases of the ear.
In 1968 Dr. Lee was elected to the International Swimming Hall of
Fame, followed by his induction into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in
1990. His many other achievements include: serving as a member of
the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports from 1971-80
and coaching the U.S. diving team for the 1960 and '64 Olympics.
During the 1976 Montreal Olympics, he coached Greg Louganis, who
won a silver medal in the 10-meter platform.
11. Sarah Chang
Sarah Chang debuted as a violinist at the age of 8
with the New York Philharmonic. She is recognized
as one of the world's great violinists. She tours
extensively both in the US and globally. She has
exclusively recoded for EMI classics record label for
the past 20 years, and has recorded 20 albums
under the label.
In 2006, she was honored as one of 20 Top Women
in Newsweek Magazine’s “Women and Leadership,
20 Powerful Women Take Charge” issue. In March
2008, Ms. Chang was honoree a s a Young Global
Leader for 2008 by the World Economic Forum for
her professional achievements, commitment to
society and potential in shaping the future of the
world.
12. Dr. Chi Huang
Dr. Chi Huang earned an undergraduate degree in
biology from Texas A&M University and graduated
cum laude in 1998 from Harvard Medical School. He is
an assistant professor in pediatrics, medical director of
inpatient pediatrics, director of the pediatric global
health initiative, and internal medicine hospitalist
attending at Boston Medical Center, Boston University
School of Medicine.
He has spent the last 15 years advocating for the lives
of street children in developing countries including
spending 3 months a year working with the children
personally. He was influential in cofounding Casa
Bernabe, a home for Bolivian street children, in 2001;
and is the founder of Kaya Children International, a
nonprofit organization.
Dr. Huang has received numerous awards and
recognition for his work. He wrote about his
experiences with the street children in La Paz, Bolivia
in his book “When Invisible Children Sing.”
13. Angela Oh
Angela E. Oh is an attorney, teacher, and public lecturer. Her law firm, Oh & Barrera,
LLP is based in Los Angeles. The firm offers representation in state and federal
criminal matters and civil rights.
In June 1997, she was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the President’s Initiative
on Race. She served as part of a seven-member Advisory Board to the President in
an effort directed at examining how race, racism, and racial differences have affected
the United States.
Between 1998 and 2002, Ms. Oh left the full-time practice of law to study, teach, and
write. Her speeches and writings reflect the opportunities and challenges that diversity
presents. Ms. Oh’s lectures have taken her into both national and international
arenas, including China, Korea, the Middle East, Northern Ireland, and the United
Kingdom.
In 2000, Ms. Oh was appointed Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of California,
Irvine where she continues to teach a course on Race and American Law and
Leadership for the 21st Century. In 2002, she finished a collection of essays entitled
Open: One Woman’s Journey, published by UCLA’s Asian American Studies
Department.
She is a graduate of University of California, Los Angeles, where she earned her
Bachelor of Arts and Masters in Public Health degrees. Her Juris Doctorate is from
King Hall, the University of California, Davis School of Law. Ms. Oh is also an
ordained Priest, Zen Buddhist-Rinzai Sect.
