Salt Lake City

Mayor's Office of Equity & Inclusion

May 2022 declared as Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in SLC

WHEREAS, Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is celebrated nationally during the month of May; and

WHEREAS, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month originated as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week in 1987 and was expanded to a month-long celebration in 1990. Since its renaming in 2009, the month of May is observed as AAPI Heritage Month; and

WHEREAS, this month is a time to honor, commemorate, and celebrate the innumerable contributions and accomplishments made by members of AAPI communities across the country and in Salt Lake City since 1868, from the arrival of Chinese railroad workers to the first Hawaiian immigrants that settled Warm Springs in the late 1800s. The AAPI community has and continues to attribute and make our city a better place for the past 150 years.; and

WHEREAS, additionally, this month is a time to learn about the history and rich diversity of AAPI communities, which encompasses individuals of East Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Melanesian, Micronesian, and Polynesian Pacific Islander descent; and

WHEREAS, during this month we must also shed light on the systemic inequities that adversely affect our AAPI communities, such as anti-API racial violence and discrimination, which became more apparent throughout the pandemic; and

WHEREAS, in our efforts to make Salt Lake City a more welcoming and inclusive city, we will continue to foster intentional connections with our local AAPI communities and organizations, including the Asian Association of Utah (1977), National Tongan American Society (1994), OCA Asian Pacific Islander American Advocates Utah (1998), Utah Asian Chamber of Commerce (2005), and Pacific Islander Knowledge 2 Action Resources (2015) through dialogue, education, and advocacy.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Erin Mendenhall, Mayor of Salt Lake City, proclaim May 2022, as:

Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in Salt Lake City

To view an electronic copy of the signed proclamation, click here.

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