Fiscal Note
No fiscal impact.
Title
Recognizing May 2023 as Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Heritage Month in the City of Madison
Body
WHEREAS, Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month is a time to honor the important contributions of Asians, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders and Desi Americans to the history of the United States; and,
WHEREAS, the month of May was selected for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month because the first Japanese immigrants arrived in the United States on May 7, 1843, and the first transcontinental railroad was completed on May 10, 1869, with substantial contributions from Chinese immigrants; and,
WHEREAS, the people of Wisconsin join together each May to pay tribute to the contributions of generations of Asians, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders and Desi Americans who have enriched the history of the United States; and,
WHEREAS, the history of Asians, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders and Desi Americans in Wisconsin is inextricably tied to the story of Wisconsin; and,
WHEREAS, there are approximately 22 million U.S. residents who identify as Asian and approximately 1.6 million U.S. residents who identify as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, comprising nearly 7 percent of the total population; and,
WHEREAS, Wisconsin's APIDA population totaled 194,173 in 2020 and has increased 82 percent since the 2000 Census; and,
WHEREAS, the APIDA community is an inherently diverse population, composed of more than 45 distinct ethnicities and more than 100 language dialects; and,
WHEREAS, the immigration of Hmong refugees from Laos to Wisconsin from 1975 through the 1990s enriched the state immeasurably as Wisconsin has the third largest Hmong population in the U.S.; and,
WHEREAS, Asian, Pacific Islander and Desi Americans represent at least 9.1% of the population of Madison; and,
WHEREAS, Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Heritage Month ...
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