Asian Pacific American Heritage Month — an annual celebration of the nation’s 22.9 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders — begins May 1.
More than 53,000 Postal Service employees identify as being Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. This represents approximately 8.3 percent of the USPS workforce.
The organization celebrates the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders through its stamp program. Recent offerings include Year of the Tiger, the third entry in its latest Lunar New Year series.
“Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made important contributions to our nation and to the Postal Service. We are proud to honor those contributions in May and throughout the year,” said Jeryl Wilson, diversity, equity and inclusion director.
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is held in May primarily for two reasons: The nation’s first Japanese immigrants arrived May 7, 1843, and the transcontinental railroad was completed May 10, 1869. Most of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.
The Library of Congress’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month website has more information.