Asian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month
May is recognized as Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which commemorates the achievements and influence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.
The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.