2012 Theme:Striving for Excellence in

Leadership, Diversity & Inclusion

Presidential Proclamation -- Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, 2012

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/05/01/presidential-proclamation-asian-american-and-pacific-islander-heritage-m

DiversityAsian Americans have emerged as the Nation’s fastest growing racial group. Asian and Pacific Islanders represent more than thirty different nationalities and ethnic groups. In terms of their various languages, cultures, and histories the diversity of Asian Americans is remarkable. Even beyond the nationalities the diversity continues. A single nationality can have significant differences in regional dialect, religion, class background, educational level, and political perspective as well as distinctions based on generation, gender, and lifestyle orientation. Additional factors that contribute to the diversity of Asian Americans are the different ways they have entered the United States such as refugees, immigrants and the large number of Asian children that are adopted into both Asian and non-Asian families.

The Many Countries of Asia

The Pacific Islands

InclusionThe fusion of Asian

culture and influence into mainstream America

continues to grow and become more wide

spread. There are many examples of Asian

influences including zen-style spas, shiatsu massage, eastern

medicine, architectural design, noodle house

restaurants, and anime and manga comics.

Asian Influence on Mainstream AmericaKung Fu

Panda2008

Box office hit!

Dragonball Z Hit anima TV series Both in Japan and

The US

Hit hip hop dance group Jabbawockeez

7 out of 10 team members are of

Asian decent

Yu-Gi_Uh!PopularTradingCard game

Asian Influence on Mainstream America

Tai Chi

Originated in China. It is a type of internal Chinese martial arts and is practiced for its defense training and health benefits. It is commonly associated with the Chinese Yin-Yang.

Yoga

Originated in ancient India. It is a physical, mental and spiritual discipline. It originated in the Hindu religion with the goal of achieving a state of perfect insight or tranquility while meditating on the Hindu concept of divinity.

Acupuncture

An alternative medicine methodology originating in ancient China that treats patients by manipulating thin, solid needles that have been inserted into acupuncture points in the skin.

Daniel K. InouyeOn September 7, 1924, Senator Daniel K. Inouye was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. On December 7, 1941, the fateful day of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 17-year-old Dan Inouye was one of the first Americans to handle civilian casualties in the Pacific war. He had taken medical aid training and was pressed into service as head of a first-aid litter team. He saw a "lot of blood" and did not go home for a week.

In March 1943, 18-year-old Dan Inouye, then a freshman in pre-medical studies at the University of Hawaii, enlisted in the U.S. Army's 442nd Regimental Combat Team. In the fall of 1944, Inouye's unit was shifted to the French Vosges Mountains and spent two of the bloodiest weeks of the war rescuing a Texas Battalion surrounded by German forces. Inouye lost ten pounds, became a platoon leader and won the Bronze Star and a battlefield commission as a Second Lieutenant. Back in Italy, the 442nd was assaulting a heavily defended hill in the closing months of the war when Lieutenant Inouye was hit in his abdomen by a bullet which came out his back, barely missing his spine. He continued to lead the platoon and advanced alone against a machine gun nest which had his men pinned down. He tossed two hand grenades with devastating effect before his right arm was shattered by a German rifle grenade at close range. Inouye threw his last grenade with his left hand, attacked with a submachine gun and was finally knocked down the hill by a bullet in the leg.

Dan Inouye spent 20 months in Army hospitals after losing his right arm. On May 27, 1947, he was honorably discharged and returned home as a Captain with a Distinguished Service Cross (the second highest award for military valor), Bronze Star, Purple Heart with cluster and 12 other medals and citations. His Distinguished Service Cross was recently upgraded to a Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for military valor. He received that medal from the President of the United States on June 21, 2000.

When Hawaii became a state on August 21, 1959, Daniel Inouye won election to the United States House of Representatives as the new state's first Congressman. He was reelected to a full term in 1960. Elected to the United States Senate in 1962 and is now serving his ninth consecutive term.

Dr. Sammy LeeBorn in Fresno in 1920 to Korean immigrants who worked on a Hawaiian plantation, Dr. Lee was the first Asian American to win an Olympic gold medal. He was awarded the gold medal for the 10-meter platform at the 1948 Olympic games in London. Four years later, he went on to win the gold in the 10-meter and the bronze in the 3-meter springboard in the Helsinki Olympics.

His accomplishments were not limited to the athletic field. Dr. Lee was a student-athlete at the University of Southern California School of Medicine, where he received his M.D. in 1947. He went on to serve in the U.S. Army Medical Corps in Korea from 1943-45, where he specialized in the diseases of the ear.

In 1968 Dr. Lee was elected to the International Swimming Hall of Fame, followed by his induction into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1990. His many other achievements include: serving as a member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports from 1971-80 and coaching the U.S. diving team for the 1960 and '64 Olympics. During the 1976 Montreal Olympics, he coached Greg Louganis, who won a silver medal in the 10-meter platform.

Sarah ChangSarah Chang debuted as a violinist at the age of 8 with the New York Philharmonic. She is recognized as one of the world's great violinists. She tours extensively both in the US and globally. She has exclusively recoded for EMI classics record label for the past 20 years, and has recorded 20 albums under the label.In 2006, she was honored as one of 20 Top Women in Newsweek Magazine’s “Women and Leadership, 20 Powerful Women Take Charge” issue. In March 2008, Ms. Chang was honoree a s a Young Global Leader for 2008 by the World Economic Forum for her professional achievements, commitment to society and potential in shaping the future of the world.

Dr. Chi HuangDr. Chi Huang earned an undergraduate degree in biology from Texas A&M University and graduated cum laude in 1998 from Harvard Medical School. He is an assistant professor in pediatrics, medical director of inpatient pediatrics, director of the pediatric global health initiative, and internal medicine hospitalist attending at Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine. He has spent the last 15 years advocating for the lives of street children in developing countries including spending 3 months a year working with the children personally. He was influential in cofounding Casa Bernabe, a home for Bolivian street children, in 2001; and is the founder of Kaya Children International, a nonprofit organization. Dr. Huang has received numerous awards and recognition for his work. He wrote about his experiences with the street children in La Paz, Bolivia in his book “When Invisible Children Sing.”

Angela OhAngela E. Oh is an attorney, teacher, and public lecturer. Her law firm, Oh & Barrera, LLP is based in Los Angeles. The firm offers representation in state and federal criminal matters and civil rights.

In June 1997, she was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the President’s Initiative on Race. She served as part of a seven-member Advisory Board to the President in an effort directed at examining how race, racism, and racial differences have affected the United States.

Between 1998 and 2002, Ms. Oh left the full-time practice of law to study, teach, and write. Her speeches and writings reflect the opportunities and challenges that diversity presents. Ms. Oh’s lectures have taken her into both national and international arenas, including China, Korea, the Middle East, Northern Ireland, and the United Kingdom. In 2000, Ms. Oh was appointed Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of California, Irvine where she continues to teach a course on Race and American Law and Leadership for the 21st Century. In 2002, she finished a collection of essays entitled Open: One Woman’s Journey, published by UCLA’s Asian American Studies Department.

She is a graduate of University of California, Los Angeles, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts and Masters in Public Health degrees. Her Juris Doctorate is from King Hall, the University of California, Davis School of Law. Ms. Oh is also an ordained Priest, Zen Buddhist-Rinzai Sect.

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