ME HP1323

Maine's 132nd Legislature recognizes May 2025 as Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Month to honor contributions of these communities to the state and nation

The AANHPI community comprises more than 45 distinct ethnicities and over 100 language dialects

Chinese families were the first Asian communities to settle in Maine in the late 1850s, followed by Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese families in the 1970s-1980s fleeing war and genocide

Maine's Asian population doubled from 1990 to 2000, grew 33% from 2000-2009, and increased 23.8% (Asian alone) and 82.2% (multiracial including Asian) from 2010-2020

The resolution acknowledges historical injustices including the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, Japanese American incarceration during WWII, and a 167% increase in anti-Asian hate crimes from 2020 to 2021