SAINT PAUL, MN – Today, Rep. Fue Lee (DFL – Minneapolis) honored the many Asian/Pacific Minnesotans who contribute greatly to Minnesota’s economy and culture with a resolution on the floor of the Minnesota House of Representatives commemorating Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.
“As a Hmong American and a refugee, I am honored to represent my community and all Asian/Pacific communities with this resolution on the House floor," said Rep. Lee. "Asian/Pacific immigrants have brought so many gifts to the culture, economy and life of Minnesota, and so many have embraced Minnesota as their new home. We are proud to be Minnesotans and grateful for the opportunities we have found here in this state.”
May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month – a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. Broadly, Asian/Pacific encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island).
The month of May was chosen 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.
You can learn more about Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month here [MN Dept. of Human Rights] and here [Library of Congress].
Rep. Lee encourages constituents to contact him with any questions, comments, concerns, or ideas on any legislative topic. Rep. Lee can be reached by phone at 651-296-4262 or by email at rep.fue.lee@house.mn .
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