[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 18 (Monday, May 8, 2000)]
[Pages 958-959]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

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Proclamation 7299--Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, 2000

 April 29, 2000

 By the President of the United States

 of America

 A Proclamation

    Over the last two centuries, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders 
have contributed immeasurably to the richness of our dynamic, 
multicultural society. Whether recent immigrants or descendants of 
families who have been here for generations, Asian Americans and Pacific 
Islanders embody many of our Nation's core values, including devotion to 
family, commitment to hard work, and pride in their heritage.
    The people of this diverse and rapidly growing community have 
contributed to every aspect of our national life--from engineering and 
computer science to government, the arts, and sports. For example, Vinod 
Dahm helped to revolutionize computer technology through the invention 
of the pentium chip. Governors Benjamin Cayetano of Hawaii and Gary 
Locke of Washington have devoted their lives to public service. The 
talents of novelist Amy Tan have delighted readers across our Nation, 
while architect and sculptor Maya Lin's stirring memorials to the 
Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement have uplifted and inspired all 
who have experienced them. And diver Greg Louganis and football star 
Junior Seau have thrilled sports fans everywhere with their skill and 
athleticism.
    While many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders today are thriving, 
others are still struggling to overcome obstacles. Because of oppression 
in their countries of origin, some new immigrants have arrived without 
having completed their education; once here, some have encountered 
language and cultural barriers and discrimination. Pacific Islanders, 
too, must overcome barriers to opportunity caused by their geographic 
isolation and the consequences of Western influences on their unique 
culture. For these and other reasons, too many Asian Americans and 
Pacific Islanders face low-paying jobs, inadequate health care, and lack 
of educational opportunity.
    To assist this community in meeting these challenges, last June I 
signed an Executive order establishing the White House Initiative on 
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The Initiative's goal is to 
improve the quality of life for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders by 
increasing their participation in Federal programs--including health, 
human services, education, housing, labor, transportation, economic, and 
community development programs--which may not have served them in the 
past.
    My Administration remains dedicated to building an America that 
celebrates and draws strength from its diversity. Let us use this month 
to reflect on the many gifts Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have 
brought to our nation and embrace the contributions that Americans of 
all backgrounds make to our increasingly multicultural society.
    To honor the accomplishments of Asian Americans and Pacific 
Islanders and to recognize their many contributions to our Nation, the 
Congress, by Public Law 102-450, has designated the month of May as 
``Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.''
     Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton,  President of the United 
States of America, do hereby proclaim May 2000 as Asian/Pacific American 
Heritage Month. I call upon the people of the United States to observe 
this occasion with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
     In Witness Whereof,  I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth 
day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the 
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
fourth.
                                            William J. Clinton

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., May 2, 2000]

 Note:  This proclamation was released by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on May 1, and it was published in the Federal Register on May 
3.

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