Assembly Resolution No. 405

BY: M. of A. Niou

        MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim
        May  2019,  as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
        in the State of New York

  WHEREAS, Asian and Asian-Pacific Islander Americans have contributed
greatly to the wealth and cultural heritage of our great  State  of  New
York; and

  WHEREAS,  This  Legislative  Body  is  justly  proud  to memorialize
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim May 2019, as Asian Pacific American
Heritage Month in the  State  of  New  York,  in  conjunction  with  the
observance of National Asian Pacific American Heritage Month; and

  WHEREAS,  Asian  and  Asian-Pacific Islander Americans comprise many
ethnicities and languages, and  their  myriad  achievements  embody  the
American experience; and

  WHEREAS,  Asian  and  Asian-Pacific Islander Americans have fostered
enterprises to include many of our nation's most successful and  dynamic
businesses;  these men and women are leaders in every aspect of American
life such as government, industry,  science,  medicine,  the  arts,  our
Armed Forces, education and sports; and

  WHEREAS,  New  York  received  some  of  the  first  Asian immigrant
arrivals in the early 1800s; sailors and  traders  of  the  China  trade
route became an essential part of the port culture that blossomed in New
York City, a city of immigrants and the American Dream; and

  WHEREAS,  New York is home to Asian and Asian-Pacific Islanders from
all parts of the Asian continent and Pacific Islands,  including  Japan,
China,   Taiwan,   Korea,  Thailand,  Vietnam,  Laos,  Burma  (Myanmar),
Cambodia, Indonesia,  Malaysia,  the  Philippines,  Samoa,  Fiji,  Guam,
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan; and

  WHEREAS,  The  United  States  Congress passed a joint Congressional
Resolution in 1978  to  commemorate  Asian  and  Asian-Pacific  American
Heritage Week during the first week of May; this date was chosen because
two  important  anniversaries  occurred during this time: the arrival of
the first Japanese immigrants  in  America  on  May  7,  1843,  and  the
completion  of  the transcontinental railroad by Chinese laborers on May
10, 1869; and

  WHEREAS, In 1990, Congress voted to expand  it  from  a  week  to  a
month-long  celebration;  in  May 1992, the month of May was permanently
designated as "Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month"; and

  WHEREAS, According to the  2010  Census,  Asian  and  Asian  Pacific
Islanders  comprised 7.8% of the population of New York State and 12.7%,
and growing, of New York City; and

  WHEREAS, New York is home to the second largest Asian population  in
the country and Chinatown in Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn form one of
the largest enclaves of Chinese people in the Western hemisphere; and


  WHEREAS,  There  are  many  notable Asian and Asian-Pacific Islander
Americans from New York, some of  whom  include:  Wataru  "Wat"  Misaka,
player  for  the  New York Knicks in the 1947-48 season; Yuri Kochiyama,
former World War II Internee and Nobel Peace  Prize  nominee;  Roger  Y.
Tsien,  awarded  the 2008 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his discovery and
development of the  green  fluorescent  protein  (GFP)  with  two  other
chemists:  Martin  Chalfie of Columbia University and Osamu Shimomura of
Boston University and Marine Biological Laboratory; Jip Chun, who worked
for Otis  Elevator  Co.  and  invented  a  fire  safety  switch  in  all
elevators;  Lucy  Liu,  Chinese  American actress from Woodside, Queens;
Hikaru  Utada,  Japanese  American  singer,  songwriter,  arranger,  and
producer;  Bill  Lann  Lee, Assistant United States Attorney General for
the United States Department of  Justice  Civil  Rights  Division  under
President Bill Clinton; Sheryl WuDunn, a SUNY Trustee and writer for The
New  York  Times and the first Asian American to win a Pulitzer Prize in
1990; Zubin Mehta, Conductor, New York Philharmonic  Orchestra;  Charles
Mingus, jazz double bassist, composer, band leader; Laura Chang, science
editor,  The  New  York  Times;  Michiko  Kakutani,  The  New York Times
literary critic and author;  Jennifer  Lee,  journalist,  The  New  York
Times; Grace Meng, the first Asian American elected to the U.S. Congress
from  New York; Benny Agbayani, former outfielder for the New York Mets;
Yung Wing, the first Chinese person to  graduate  from  a  U.S.  college
(Yale  in  1854);  Jeremy  Lin,  player  for  the New York Knicks in the
2011-2012 season; Mindy Kaling, actress,  comedian  and  writer;  Dwayne
"The  Rock"  Johnson,  former World Wrestling Entertainment Champion and
actor; Viet Thanh Nguyen, winner of the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction;
Shuji Nakamura, recipient of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics; Carol Lim,
in partnership with Humberto Leon, founders of Opening  Ceremony;  Hines
Ward,  activist and former NFL player; Alexander Wang, fashion designer;
M. Night Shyamalan, film director and screenwriter; and  Satya  Nadella,
CEO of Microsoft, to name a few; and

  WHEREAS,  According  to  a newly released report, Asian Americans of
the Empire State: Growing Diversity and Common  Needs,  from  the  Asian
American Federation, the Asian population in New York State grew fastest
outside  of New York City; the number of Asian American residents in the
suburban counties surrounding New York City grew by  approximately  50%,
marking the expansion of this community throughout our State; and

  WHEREAS,   With   the   population  growth  upstate  came  increased
diversity; Burmese Americans went from being too few to be  reported  to
the sixth largest Asian group in upstate counties in 2010; and

  WHEREAS,  By  recognizing  the  accomplishments and contributions of
Asian and Asian-Pacific Americans, this great Empire State reaffirms our
commitment to diversity and equal opportunity for all, thereby  ensuring
a bright future for all New Yorkers and Americans; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to  proclaim  May  2019,  as  Asian
Pacific  American  Heritage  Month  in  the State of New York; and be it
further

  RESOLVED, That a copy of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted  to  The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of
New York.