Quote:
Originally posted by Marie
I could be wrong, but I'm not sure that the months were selected based upon significant festivals that pertain to that culture.
I know that Februrary was selected in deference to Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln who were both born in that month.
From what I've read May was selected for Asian Heritage Month for the following reason: to "commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants."
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But that really has nothing to do with many immigrants (especially Chinese immigrants) who came AFTER the railroads were built. Maybe that's why it isn't as recognized as individual ethnic festivals such as the Lunar New Year.
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