SACRAMENTO - Governor Gavin Newsom today issued a proclamation declaring May 2024, as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

The text of the proclamation and a copy can be found below:

With more than 6 million Californians of Asian or Pacific Islander descent, California is home to dynamic AAPI communities that are an invaluable part of our state and nation. During Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we celebrate California’s incredibly diverse heritage and all the ways that AAPI Californians enrich and strengthen our society.

Since our state’s founding, AAPIs have been instrumental in writing the California story and building our state as we know it. We are proud of the immeasurable contributions that generations of AAPIs from varied backgrounds have made as educators, service men and women, entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, community builders and activists, and leaders shaping all facets of our society, culture, and daily life.

We must also recognize that throughout our history, AAPI communities have been the target of violence, disenfranchisement, efforts to restrict immigration, and other xenophobic policies at the federal, state, and local level. The echoes of this dark history are evident today in the shameful Anti-Asian hate acts seen across the country. It is imperative that we confront past and present racism and fight for the safety and inclusion of our AAPI friends and neighbors.

During Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, California pays tribute to the irreplaceable legacy of our AAPI communities, their incredible strength and resilience, and their essential role in driving our state and nation forward. This month and every month, let us stand up for all members of our California family and work together to achieve the promise of a California for all.

NOW THEREFORE I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim May 2024, as “Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.”

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 29th day of April 2024.

GAVIN NEWSOM
Governor of California

ATTEST:
SHIRLEY N. WEBER, Ph.D.
Secretary of State

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