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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, May 2021 has been set aside as Asian American and |
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Pacific Islander Heritage Month to recognize the accomplishments |
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and wide-ranging contributions of individuals who trace their |
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ancestry to Asia and the Pacific Islands; and |
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WHEREAS, Originally established by the United States |
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Congress as Asian-Pacific American Heritage Week, the observance |
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celebrates the diverse culture, traditions, and history of people |
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from the Asian continent and the islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, |
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and Polynesia in the Pacific; it was officially expanded into a |
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monthlong celebration in 1992; and |
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WHEREAS, The month of May was chosen for this commemorative |
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period because of two key events in our nation's history; on May 7, |
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1843, the first Japanese immigrants arrived, and on May 10, 1869, a |
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workforce largely composed of Chinese laborers completed the |
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Transcontinental Railroad; and |
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WHEREAS, According to a 2017 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, |
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Asian Americans represent approximately 5 percent of the country's |
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population, while about 1.5 million Americans trace their origins |
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to Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands; among U.S. |
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states, Texas has the third-largest Asian American population and |
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the fourth-largest Pacific Islander population; and |
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WHEREAS, In 2017, the Pew Research Center released a factual |
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analysis highlighting the growth and progress of the Asian American |
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community; the study established Asian Americans as the |
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fastest-growing of all the major racial or ethnic groups in the |
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United States in recent years, with a population increase of 72 |
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percent between 2000 and 2015; the Pew analysis further noted that |
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the Asian American population as a whole had higher than average |
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levels of economic well-being and that more than half of Asian |
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Americans age 25 and older held at least a bachelor's degree; and |
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WHEREAS, The Lone Star State is home to generations of |
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Americans who take great pride in their family roots in Asia and the |
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Pacific Islands, and this annual observance provides a welcome |
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opportunity to celebrate their significant contributions to the |
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prosperity and cultural vibrancy of our nation; now, therefore, be |
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it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize May 2021 as Asian American and Pacific |
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Islander Heritage Month. |