Saturday marks the start of Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM).
The APAHM was first created in 1977 when Reps. Frank Horton (R-NY) and Norman Mineta (D-CA) proposed establishing the first 10 days of May as Asian-Pacific Heritage Week. It was later expanded onto a whole month in 1990 when former President George H.W. Bush signed a bill expanding the celebration.
May was chosen for two reasons. First, because according to U.S. records, the first immigrant from Japan arrived on May 7, 1843. Second, because on May 10, 1869, the first transcontinental railroad in the U.S. was completed with significant contributions from Chinese pioneers.
Brutal assault on female Filipino immigrant captured on security camera in New York City
On Monday, a 65-year-old female Filipino immigrant who has lived in the US for decades was attacked and brutally beaten near Times Square in Manhattan in broad daylight.
Family members reported that Vilma Kari was in the hospital recovering from a fractured pelvis and contusions on her body and forehead after she was kicked in the chest to the ground and repeatedly stomped in the head by a man who shouted an obscenity and then said, “You don’t belong here,” according to New York City police.