    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 128, 113th Congress, 2nd Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    PROCLAMATION 9108--APR. 30, 2014

    Proclamation 9108 of April 30, 2014

    Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, 2014

    By the President of the United States of America

    A Proclamation

    During Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, we
    celebrate the accomplishments of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and
    Pacific Islanders, and we reflect on the many ways they have enriched
    our Nation. Like America itself, the AAPI community draws strength from
    the diversity of its many distinct cultures--each with vibrant histories
    and unique perspectives to bring to our national life. Asian Americans,
    Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders have helped build, defend, and
    strengthen our Nation--as farm workers and railroad laborers; as
    entrepreneurs and scientists; as artists, activists, and leaders of
    government. They have gone beyond, embodying the soaring aspirations of
    the American spirit.
    This month marks 145 years since the final spike was hammered into the
    transcontinental railroad, an achievement made possible by Chinese
    laborers, who did the majority of this backbreaking and dangerous work.
    This May, they will receive long-overdue recognition as they are
    inducted into the Labor Hall of Honor. Generations of Asian Americans,
    Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders have helped make this country
    what it is today. Yet they have also faced a long history of injustice--
    from the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii and its devastating impact
    on the history, language, and culture of Native Hawaiians; to
    opportunity-limiting laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the
    Immigration Act of 1924; to the internment of Japanese Americans during
    World War II. Even today, South Asian Americans, especially those who
    are Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh, are targets of suspicion and violence.
    With courage, grit, and an abiding belief in American ideals, Asian
    Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders have challenged our
    Nation to be better, and my Administration remains committed to doing
    its part. Nearly 5 years ago, I re-established the White House Ini

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    tiative on AAPIs. The Initiative addresses disparities in health care,
    education, and economic opportunity by ensuring Asian Americans and
    Pacific Islanders receive equal access to government programs and
    services.
    We are also determined to pass comprehensive immigration reform that
    would modernize our legal immigration system, create a pathway to earned
    citizenship for undocumented immigrants, hold employers accountable, and
    strengthen our border security. These commonsense measures would bring
    relief to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have experienced
    this broken system firsthand, and they would allow our country to
    welcome more highly skilled workers eager to contribute to America's
    success.
    This month, as we recall our hard-fought progress, let us resolve to
    continue moving forward. Together, let us ensure the laws respect
    everyone, civil rights apply to everyone, and everyone who works hard
    and plays by the rules has a chance to get ahead.
    NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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 2014 as Asian
    American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. I call upon all Americans
    to visit www.WhiteHouse.gov/AAPI to learn more about the history of
    Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and to observe this month with
    appropriate programs and activities.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of
    April, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the
    Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
    eighth.
    BARACK OBAMA