Celebrations take note of Asian-Pacific contributions

May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, a federally proclaimed celebration of the contributions of immigrants and American-born residents from Asia and the Pacific Islands and the important role they play in our history, culture and economy.

The idea for an Asian-Pacific American Heritage recognition originated in 1977 with a bill co-sponsored by a bi-costal partnership - Rep. Frank Horton from New York and Rep. Norman Mineta from California.  In 1992 the designation was extended to include the entire month.

May is significant for several reasons.  First, May 10, 1869 is the date a fourteen year old fisherman, Manjiro Nakanohama, arrived in New Bedford, Massachusetts on a whaling boat.  The trip was not intentional.  Manjiro’s fishing boat was caught in a violent storm off of Japan’s coast. 

The crew including Manjiro was rescued from a deserted island 300 miles off Japan’s coast by a whaling boat captained by William Whitfield.   Captain Whitfield adopted the young fisherman and invited him along on their journey.  Today, Manjiro is celebrated in Japan for his influence ending Japan’s centuries of isolation.

May 10, 1869 is also the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad.  Lack of manpower was a huge problem for the Central Pacific Railroad’s big four - Huntington, Stanford, Crocker and Hopkins - who assumed the responsible for laying the tracks from the Pacific to Promontory Summit. 

It was Charles Crocker who convinced work boss James Strobridge to hire Chinese labors.  At first Strobridge was reluctant, believing that they were too slight in stature to undertake the difficult work.  After hiring 50 labors for a trial period, he had to admit the Chinese were “conscientious, sober and hard workers.”   Within three years 80 percent of the Pacific Central work force was Chinese.

In 2013 the estimated number of U.S. residents who are Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islanders was estimated at 20.8 million.  The largest Asian population, 6.1 million, is in California followed by New York at 1.8 million.  The largest Pacific Island population is found in Hawaii, followed by California with almost 366,500.

According to the Minority Business Development Agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, over 1.5 million U.S. businesses are owned by Asian or Pacific Island residents.  Together they represent spending power in excess of $508.6 billion and have generated 2.8 million jobs.

California has the largest percentage of these businesses with receipts close to $200 billion. Within California, Los Angeles County is home to an estimated 35+ percent of the state’s Asian and Pacific Island businesses with a significant proportion of those located in the San Gabriel Valley.

Sometimes it takes a proclamation like Heritage Month to help us realize that whether as explorers, investors, laborers, or entrepreneurs, the contributions of Asians and Pacific Islanders are invaluable for our state, county, and our communities.  Remember those contributions to California next time you visit a locally owned Asian or Pacific Island business.