[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 87 (Friday, May 3, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 36651-36653]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-09808]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 87 / Friday, May 3, 2024 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 36651]]

                Proclamation 10735 of April 30, 2024

                
Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific 
                Islander Heritage Month, 2024

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                This month, we celebrate the Asian American, Native 
                Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) 
                communities, whose ingenuity, grit, and perseverance 
                have pushed our great American experiment forward.

                From Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders whose 
                ancestors have called their lands home for hundreds of 
                years to Asian immigrants who have newly arrived and 
                those whose families have been here for generations--AA 
                and NHPI heritage has long been a part of the history 
                of our great country and a defining force in the soul 
                of our Nation. As artists and journalists, doctors and 
                engineers, business and community leaders, and so much 
                more, AA and NHPI peoples have shaped the very fabric 
                of our Nation and opened up new possibilities for all 
                of us. I am proud that they serve at the highest levels 
                of my Administration, including Vice President Kamala 
                Harris, Ambassador Katherine Tai, Acting Secretary of 
                Labor Julie Su, and Director of the White House Office 
                of Science and Technology Policy Arati Prabhakar, who 
                make this country a better place each and every day. 
                This year, we are also celebrating the 25th anniversary 
                of the White House Initiative and President's Advisory 
                Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and 
                Pacific Islanders, who work across government to 
                advance equity, opportunity, and justice for AA and 
                NHPI communities.

                I have always believed that diversity is our Nation's 
                greatest strength. That is why I launched the first-
                ever National Strategy to Advance Equity, Justice, and 
                Opportunity for AA and NHPI Communities. This strategy 
                works to harness the full potential of these 
                communities--from combating anti-Asian hate to making 
                government services accessible in more languages. To 
                ensure the legacies of AA and NHPI peoples are properly 
                honored in the story of America, I signed historic 
                legislation that will bring us closer to a National 
                Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture. I 
                also issued a Presidential Memorandum to consider 
                expanding protections for the Pacific Remote Islands to 
                conserve this unique area's significant natural and 
                cultural resources and honor the traditional practices 
                and ancestral pathways of Pacific Island voyagers, and 
                I signed the Amache National Historic Site Act to 
                establish a memorial honoring the 10,000 Japanese 
                Americans who were unjustly incarcerated there during 
                World War II. Throughout my time in office, the First 
                Lady and I have hosted celebrations at the White House 
                that highlight the incredible diversity of AA and NHPI 
                communities, like Diwali and the first-ever White House 
                Lunar New Year celebration. This year, to ensure that 
                the full diversity of AA and NHPI communities is seen 
                and valued as new policy is being made, we updated the 
                Federal Government's standards for collecting data on 
                race and ethnicity for the first time in over 25 years.

[[Page 36652]]

                Meanwhile, we are creating new opportunities for AA and 
                NHPI communities by building an economy that works for 
                everyone, including investing in AA and NHPI small 
                businesses and entrepreneurs. Since I took office, the 
                Small Business Administration provided over $22 billion 
                in loans to AA and NHPI entrepreneurs. We have seen the 
                results: During my Administration, we achieved the 
                highest Asian American employment and entrepreneurship 
                rates in over a decade.

                Last year, the First Lady and I witnessed the absolute 
                courage of the Native Hawaiian people and Hawaii's 
                Asian American and Pacific Islander communities when we 
                visited Maui in the wake of the devastating fires. The 
                destruction upended so many lives, and yet the 
                community showed up ready to help rebuild stronger than 
                before. My Administration has their backs--we are 
                committed to making sure Maui has everything the 
                Federal Government can offer to heal and build back 
                better and as fast as possible. Throughout these 
                efforts, we remain focused on rebuilding the way the 
                people of Maui want to build by respecting sacred 
                lands, cultures, and traditions.

                Racism, harassment, and hate crimes against people of 
                AA and NHPI heritage also persist--a tragic reminder 
                that hate never goes away; it only hides. Hate must 
                have no safe harbor in America--that is why I signed 
                the bipartisan COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which makes it 
                easier for Americans to report hate crimes, and I also 
                hosted the first-ever White House summit against hate-
                fueled violence. We are also working to address the 
                scourge of gun violence, which takes the lives of too 
                many AA and NHPI loved ones. I signed the most 
                significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years. My 
                Administration has taken actions to expand background 
                checks and fund efforts to strengthen red flag laws to 
                keep Americans out of harm's way. There is still so 
                much to do, and I continue to urge the Congress to ban 
                assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

                Our Nation was founded on the idea that we are all 
                created equal and deserve to be treated equally 
                throughout our lives. We have never fully realized this 
                promise, but we have never fully walked away from it 
                either. As we celebrate the historic accomplishments of 
                AA and NHPIs across our Nation, we promise we will 
                never stop working to form a more perfect Union.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2024 as 
                Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander 
                Heritage Month. I call upon all Americans to learn more 
                about the histories of the AA and NHPI community and to 
                observe this month with appropriate programs and 
                activities.

[[Page 36653]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                eighth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2024-09808
Filed 5-2-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P