美国庆祝2011年亚太裔传统月
2012-05-11 10:28阅读：
明尼阿波利斯的一支美国印度裔舞蹈团将现代观念纳入印度艺术传统。图为演出剧照 。
美国国务院国际信息局（IIP)《美国参考》从华盛顿报道，“生活在美国和越南这两种文化中，我感到十分幸运。这两种体验并没有使我的认同感被分割成两半，反而大大开阔了我对周围世界的理解、领会和欣赏。”
越南出生的C.N.黎（C.N. Le)在自己的“亚洲国”（Asian
Nation）网站上写下这些话。他还说，他把每年5月美国庆祝亚太裔传统月视为“分享在我之前来到美国的所有亚裔的成就”。黎是位于阿默斯特的马萨诸塞州立大学（University
of Massachusetts）的社会学教授。
黎说，美国亚裔包括著名演员李小龙（Bruce Lee）、二战时期的第442步兵团成员、作家汤亭亭（Maxine Hong
Kingston)，以及那些虽名不见经传但他们的成就同样令人感动、令人振奋的人，其中有参加横贯美洲大铁路建设的华工，二战期间被囚禁的美国日裔和一个个普通的亚裔移民家庭，他们为改善自己的生活和子女的未来孜孜不倦辛勤劳作。
奥巴马总统赞扬了亚裔在美国生活方方面面所取得的成就，并列举了范围广泛的群体，包括运动员和公务员、企业家和艺术家，还有美国武装部队引以为豪的成员。
奥巴马总统在2011年4月29日的公告中说，从美国建国之初开始，“来自亚太地区的男女勇士就横渡太平洋，与美国和其他国家结下了历久不衰的纽带。在当今全球化的世界里，这些纽带继续具有十分关键的作用，并让美国不忘我们与生机勃勃的亚太地区之间丰富的共同历史与相互融合的未来。”
奥巴马总统表示，“让我们赞颂千百万亚太裔，他
们的才智和贡献加强了我们的经济、保护了我们的安全、每天给我国带来生机。为此，我，美利坚合众国总统巴拉克∙奥巴马，以美国宪法和法律赋予我的权力，特此宣布2011年5月为亚太裔传统月。我号召美国人民访问www.AsianPacificHeritage.gov网站，进一步了解亚太裔历史，并以适当的项目和活动庆祝亚太裔传统月。”
2008年，乔治·W·布什总统在一次活动中专门表彰了作为来宾的第442军团的退伍军人代表。442军团是一支被隔离的陆军部队，主要由从美国在二战期间的拘留营中招募来的志愿人员组成。布什说，“他们在欧洲八大战役中为美国浴血奋战”，成为“在美国军事史上被授勋最多的部队之一”。（有关这些士兵的经历见
美国国会图书馆退伍军人历史项目。）
据美国人口普查局（Census
Bureau）的统计，亚裔为美国第三大少数族群，其人口增长速度名列第二。该局预测，到2050年，亚裔人口将由目前占全美人口的5%增加到9%。
美国华裔在纽约曼哈顿街头举行庆祝中国新年的联欢大游行。图为游行队伍中的舞狮表 演。
加利福尼亚州的亚裔人口为560万，是亚裔人口最多的州，其次为纽约州、德克萨斯州和夏威夷州。
华裔为美国亚裔族群的最大群体，其后依次为菲律宾裔、印度裔、越南裔、韩裔和日裔。
美国政府除宣布设立专门的族裔传统月外，还通过颁发“美国杰出移民” (Outstanding Americans by
Choice)奖来展现美国的多样性。自2006年以来，美国入籍及移民服务局（U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services）通过颁发这一奖项表彰归化的美国公民的专业成就及其公民参与精神。
迄今已有十几位美国亚裔被授予“美国杰出移民”称号。荣获该奖的约60位归化公民几乎来自世界每个大洲。在获奖者中有出生于印度的百事公司（PepsiCo）总裁兼首席执行长印德拉·努伊（Indra
Nooyi）和休斯敦大学（University of Houston）系统的校长雷努·卡托尔(Renu
Khator)、出生于越南的美国国土安全部边境与海上安全司（Borders and Maritime Security
Division）司长杨英(Anh Duong) ，以及退休将领傅履仁（John L.
Fugh)少将(已故)。傅履仁出生于中国北京，曾任美国陆军军法处总监(judge advocate
general)，负责陆军的法律事务。
有两位美国亚裔受到埃利斯岛基金会(Ellis Island Foundation)的特别嘉奖，获“美国移民精神奖”(Peopling
of America
Award)。设立这个奖项是为了表彰为美国社会做出重大贡献的移民。2004年，第一位接受这个奖项的移民是中国出生的建筑师贝聿铭（I.
M. Pei），他于1935年来到美国，在美国及国外共设计了60多项建筑工程。 2007年这个奖被授予乔西·纳托里(Josie
Natori)，她出生于菲律宾，于1964年来到美国。她原为美林证券公司(Merrill Lynch)投资银行的第一位女性副总裁
，后来又进入时装行业，创办了纳托里时装公司（Natori Company）。
美国亚裔的贡献正式得到承认是在1978年，当时美国国会两院共同通过了一份决议，宣布设立美国亚太裔传统周。乔治·布什总统(George
H.W.
Bush)于1990年决定将美国亚太裔传统周扩展为传统月，两年后美国国会通过法律予以正式认可，确定5月为美国亚太裔传统月。
据美国国会图书馆(Library of
Congress)的说明，选择5月为亚太裔传统月的原因是第一批日裔移民于1843年5月7日抵达美国；5月也是1869年美洲大铁路建成通车的月份，参加铺轨的大多数工人是华人移民。全美各地均举办美国亚太裔传统月活动，包括社区庆祝活动、传统食品展示、游行及文化表演等。许多学校和政府部门还举办教育和文化活动。
Read more:
http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/chinese/article/2011/05/20110505121208x0.9730603.html#ixzz1uWZGqpUl
Celebrating Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders
By Louise Fenner and Lauren Monsen | Staff Writers
| 04 May 2011
Members
of Ragamala, a Minneapolis-based dance troupe, perform onstage.
These Indian-American dancers fuse India's artistic traditions with
contemporary ideas.
Washington — “I feel very fortunate to have two sets of cultures to
enjoy — American and Vietnamese. Rather than divide my identity in
half, these two sets of experience double my understanding,
appreciation and enjoyment of the world around me.”
Writing these words on his website, which he has titled “Asian
Nation,” Vietnamese-born C.N. Le adds that he sees Asian American
and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which is celebrated in the
United States every May, as an opportunity “to share in the
accomplishments of all Asian Americans before me.” Le is a
professor of sociology at the University of Massachusetts,
Amherst.
Asian Americans include the well-known, such as actor Bruce Lee,
the infantrymen of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team who fought in
World War II and author Maxine Hong Kingston, Le says, as well as
those who are not famous “but whose accomplishments are no less
impressive and inspiring.” He cites the Chinese workers on the
transcontinental railroad, the Japanese Americans interned during
World War II and “everyday Asian immigrant families who work
tirelessly to improve their lives and build a future for their
children.”
President Obama praised the achievements of Asian Americans “in all
facets of American life,” citing a wide-ranging group that includes
“athletes and public servants, entrepreneurs and artists” and also
“proud members of the United States Armed Forces.”
“From our earliest days, intrepid men and women from the
Asia-Pacific region have forged enduring links between America and
other nations as they moved across the Pacific,” Obama said in an
April 29, 2011, proclamation. “In today’s globalized world, these
bonds remain critical, reminding the United States of our rich
shared history and integrated future with the dynamic Asia-Pacific
region.”
In recognition of “the millions of Asian Americans and Pacific
Islanders whose talents and contributions strengthen our economy,
protect our security, and enliven our country every day,” the
president said, “I call upon all Americans to visit
www.AsianPacificHeritage.gov
to learn more about the history of Asian Americans and Pacific
Islanders and to observe this month with appropriate programs and
activities.”
In 2008, President George W. Bush singled out the veterans of the
442nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated Army unit that was
composed mostly of volunteers recruited from U.S. internment camps
during World War II. Despite the racial and cultural prejudice they
faced, these soldiers “served America with distinction in eight
battle campaigns in Europe,” Bush said, adding that the unit was
“one of the most highly decorated in U.S. military history.” (See
soldiers’ stories from the
Library of Congress Veterans History
Project.)
Asians are the third-largest minority group — and the
second-fastest-growing group — in the United States, according to
the Census Bureau, which predicts that Asians will increase from 5
percent to 9 percent of the population by 2050.
Chinese-American men carry a large dragon through the streets of
Manhattan during New York City's annual Chinese New Year parade and
festival.
The largest population of Asians is in California, with 5.6
million, followed by New York, Texas and Hawaii. More Asian
Americans claim Chinese heritage than any other background,
followed by Filipinos, Indians, Vietnamese, Koreans and
Japanese.
In addition to proclaiming special heritage months, the U.S.
government celebrates America’s diversity through the “Outstanding
Americans by Choice” awards, which have been presented since 2006
by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to recognize the
professional accomplishments and civic participation of naturalized
U.S. citizens.
About a dozen Asian Americans have been named Outstanding Americans
by Choice. The award has been presented to about 60 naturalized
citizens from virtually every continent. Among honorees are Indra
Nooyi, chairman and chief executive of PepsiCo, and Renu Khator,
chancellor of the University of Houston system, both born in India;
Vietnamese-born Anh Duong, head of the Borders and Maritime
Security Division in the Department of Homeland Security; and
retired Major General John L. Fugh (now deceased), who was born in
Beijing and went on to become judge advocate general of the U.S.
Army, responsible for legal affairs.
Two Asian Americans have been recognized by the Ellis Island
Foundation with the Peopling of America Award, which honors
immigrants who have made a major contribution to the American
experience. In 2004, the first such award went to Chinese-born
architect I.M. Pei, who came to America in 1935. He has designed
more than 60 projects in the United States and abroad. In 2007, the
award went to Josie Natori, who was born in the Philippines and
came to America in 1964. She became the first female vice president
of investment banking at Merrill Lynch and then entered the field
of fashion, founding the Natori Company.
The contributions of Asian Americans were recognized officially in
1978, when a joint congressional resolution established
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. President George H.W. Bush
expanded it to a month in 1990, and two years later Congress made
it official with a law designating May as Asian/Pacific American
Heritage Month.
The Library of Congress states that the month of May was chosen
because the first Japanese immigrants arrived in the United States
on May 7, 1843; May also marks the anniversary of the completion of
the transcontinental railroad in 1869. The majority of the workers
who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants. Throughout the United
States, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is
celebrated with community festivals, traditional foods, parades and
cultural performances. Many schools and government offices hold
educational and cultural events.
More information is available from the U.S. Census Bureau’s
Facts for Features page on Asian/Pacific American Heritage
Month.
Read more:
http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/article/2011/05/20110504104908esiuol0.9260218.html#ixzz1uWZMuxkd
