Jimmy Carter remembered for launching 1st Asian Pacific American Heritage Week

As the nation mourns the death of Jimmy Carter, Asian American and Pacific Islanders look back on the historic contribution the then-president made to the community.

As the nation mourns the loss of Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday at age 100, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders look back on the historic contribution the then-president made to the community.

Following a push from several Asian American lawmakers, Carter, the country’s 39th president, signed a proclamation that designated May 4, 1979, as the start of Asian Pacific American Heritage Week. It was the first time in the country’s history that the racial group had a nationally recognized celebration. Decades later, the week would be extended, becoming the heritage month now celebrated annually. 

“Unfortunately, we have not always fully appreciated the talents and the contributions which Asian-Americans have brought to the United States,” Carter wrote in his proclamation. “Yet, Asians of diverse origins — from China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, and Southeast Asia — continued to look to America as a land of hope, opportunity, and freedom.”

Madalene Mielke, president and CEO of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, said that Carter’s declaration was a profound step in acknowledging the racial group’s critical role in the country’s legacy. 

“It really created this idea that we aren’t disposable constituents,” Mielke told NBC News. “That is really how this country has started to recognize us as a community and as people who have been active citizens and participants in the growth of this country.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/jimmy-carter-asian-american-heritage-month-rcna71682

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