Acknowledgement of May as National Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
SAN JOSE, CA – On Wednesday, May 6, 2020 Santa Clara County Board of Education unanimously approved and signed a resolution formally acknowledging the month of May as National Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
May was designated as National Asian Pacific American Heritage Month by the United States Congress in 1992. The month of May was chosen as the designated month of celebration to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, as well as the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869, where Chinese immigrants played a key role in laying track.
Santa Clara County is one of the first minority-majority counties in the nation. Asians have been the largest racial group since 2014, and currently make up nearly 38 percent of the county’s population.
As the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) values and celebrates diversity it has established a partnership with the Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute. The county office leaders participate in the Asian American Pacific Islander Educators Network Group which is facilitated by County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Mary Ann Dewan, and Dr. Yee Wan, SCCOE Director of Multilingual Education Services.
The SCCOE supports student diversity and narrowing of the opportunity gap. Its participation in the Asian American Pacific Islander Network Group encourages Asian American Pacific Islander educators to aim for leadership roles as it is a proven strategy that student outcomes are positively impacted when students see themselves reflected in leadership roles in our schools and communities. The Network Group in partnership with SCCOE has also made many contributions to the community, and is a premier leader in training socially-conscious and effective civic leaders.
The SCCOE’s affiliation with the Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute has supported initiatives for students, including “My Name, My Identity”. This initiative asks the school community to foster a welcoming atmosphere by pronouncing students’ names correctly, thereby honoring the individual student and creating a sense of belonging.
The Santa Clara County Office of Education is an institute of learning and is committed to serving, inspiring, and promoting student and public school success. SCCOE is also greatly committed to honoring and celebrating the diversity of others as well as ensuring that we learn from the heritage and culture of others.
For more information on the Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute, or how to support their efforts, please visit https://apali.org/ directly.
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About the Santa Clara County Office of Education
Working collaboratively with school and community partners, the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) is a regional service agency that provides instructional, business, and technology services to the 31 school districts of Santa Clara County. The County Office of Education directly serves students through special education programs, alternative schools, Head Start and State Preschool programs, migrant education, and Opportunity Youth Academy. The SCCOE also provides academic and fiscal oversight and monitoring to districts in addition to the 22 Santa Clara County Board of Education authorized charter schools.