May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. It’s an opportunity to honor this group of Americans for their countless contributions to our country, and to the labor movement. Many leaders in the community have worked successfully to improve labor conditions, increase wages, and advance worker rights. As a result of their heroic efforts, substantial change has been made.
Learn about three important labor actions that were led by members of the AANHPI community and meet some of the community’s notable trailblazers.
The origins of this celebration date back to 1977, when Representatives Frank Horton (R-NY) and Norman Y. Mineta (D-CA) introduced a resolution to proclaim the first ten days of May as Asian-Pacific Heritage Week. A similar bill was introduced in the Senate by Senators Daniel Inouye (D-HI) and Spark Matsunaga (D-HI).
The month of May was chosen to commemorate two significant milestones: the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the U.S. on May 7, 1843, and the contributions of Chinese workers to the construction of the transcontinental railroad, which was completed on May 10, 1869.
President Jimmy Carter signed a joint resolution for the celebration in 1978, and President George H.W. Bush signed a bill to extend the celebration to the entire month of May in 1990.
To greater support these members , the UFCW has established an AANHPI constituency group to help our union grow, evolve, and remain relevant to the workers we serve.
In that spirit of unity and collective strength, we invite staff and members who are interested in joining, supporting, or learning more about the UFCW AANHPI constituency group to connect with us. If you or someone you know would like to be involved, please contact LaQuita Honeysucker, the director of the Civil Rights and Community Action Department, at lhoneysucker@ufcw.org so we can ensure this group reflects the full diversity and strength of our union.
And if your local has a member who’d be interested in being profiled for OnPoint for AANHPI Heritage Month, please contact Laura Goertzel at lgoertzel@ufcw.org.