HCR 1012 Summary

• Recognizes May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month by the Oklahoma State Legislature, honoring generations of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have contributed to Oklahoma and the United States.

• Commemorates the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States in May 1843 and the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869, built primarily by Chinese immigrants.

• Highlights historical Asian American presence in Oklahoma, including Chinese settlement in Guthrie Territory after the 1889 Land Run and Japanese population growth in the 1920s-1940s, noting four sons of Payne County farmer Kutaro Nishimuta who served in the U.S. Army 442nd Regimental Unit during World War II.

• Notes that nearly three percent of Oklahoma's population identifies as Asian American or Pacific Islander, with origins from Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, and other Pacific Islands.

• Acknowledges Oklahoma City's "Little Saigon" Asian District as the state's largest population of Asian descendants, predominantly Vietnamese, and recognizes Asian American and Pacific Islander contributions to leadership, business, science, technology, military service, sports, arts, and education.