May Cultural Awareness and Recognitions: Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Haitian Heritage Month, Jewish American Heritage Month, Speech and Hearing Awareness Month

In the Snohomish School District and community, we honor and recognize our diversity. Please join us this May as we acknowledge Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Haitian Heritage Month, Jewish American Heritage Month, and Speech and Hearing Awareness Month. As a reminder, though these months may be designated as times for specific recognition, we encourage honor and recognition of our culture and diversity throughout the year.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month was first nationally recognized in 1992. In June of 1978, a resolution was proposed to proclaim a week including the 7th and 10th of May as Asian/Pacific Heritage Week. The timeframe was selected to honor the first Japanese immigration to the United States on May 7, 1843 and the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. Most of the railroad tracks were laid by Chinese immigrants. 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).

Haitian Heritage Month is an opportunity for individuals to celebrate the culture and learn the traditions of Haiti and its people. The celebration is an expansion of the Haitian Flag Day on May 18, a major patriotic day celebration in Haiti and the Diaspora created to encourage patriotism.

Jewish American Heritage Month has been celebrated since 2006 after an initial proclamation from President George W. Bush. The announcement was the crowning achievement in an effort by the Jewish Museum of Florida and South Florida Jewish community leaders that resulted in resolutions introduced by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida and Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania urging the president to proclaim a month that would recognize the more than 350-year history of Jewish contributions to American culture.

Speech and Hearing Awareness Month was founded in 1927 by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the annual event serves to raise awareness about hearing problems and communication disorders. The theme for 2022 is “Connecting People."

For more information on recognitions throughout the year please check out this link from pta.org.