克利夫兰及周边地区消息

浦瑛開講:Chao Anh, Chi, Em (in Vietnamese, that means greetings to all of you.) We welcome all to this Asian Heritage and Pacific Islander Festival.

My name is Gia Hoa Ryan. I am Vietnamese. I have served the longest time on the Mayor’s Community Relations Board since before 2000.    Tonight in May we celebrate the achievements of our Asian American and?Pacific?Islanders groups.    We especially welcome: Mayor Justin Bibb the 58 th Mayor of Cleveland, We welcome the New Director of the Community Relations Department Director Angela Shute-Woodson. We welcome Reverend Dr. Charles Lucas, Chair of Mayor Bibb’s Community Relations Board,and the following Board members. ( Give names of any present and acknowledge each)    May is a special time when All Americans can experience and praise our various Asian peoples. Also these peoples applaud this opportunity to honor their First Motherlands. They show pride for where they came from.    Do you know how many Asian Americans there are? 24 million! This is a growth 7 million people since 2010. It is a 35% increase. We are represented in all businesses and professions as well as colleges and universities. Currently we have five military generals who came to the US as refugee children after the Viet Nam war. We have many other officers and NCO’s. Here is another statistic: There are 600,000 Asian-American businesses. We are active in civil rights, winning Olympic medals, and women’s golf. We note that our Vice President Kamala Harris, boasts both an African and South Asian heritage. How did we establish May as Asian heritage month?    In 1978, Congress established Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. May was chosen to match two important milestones in our history. First was the arrival in the USA of the first Japanese immigrants in 1843.    Second was the contributions of Chinese workers to the building of the transcontinental railroad. This was completed on May 10, 1869. In 1992, Congress expanded our observance to a month-long celebration.    This is now known as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. How did Asians come to Cleveland?.    The first Asian community to arrive in Ohio was primarily made up of Chinese workers. They initially came to California. But anti-immigrant feelings and a recession in the 1870s prompted many Chinese Americans to move east. They came to Ohio. They landed in the northeast portion of Ohio. They founded businesses such as laundries, restaurants, groceries, and clothing stores. This was along Lakeside and St. Clair avenues. In the 1940s, more Chinese arrived.    They sought refuge from the Chinese Civil War. By the 1990s, Cleveland’s Chinatown became AsiaTown because other Asians had come there. They expanded the neighborhoods from East 18th to East 40th streets. This included Japanese Americans who were forcibly removed from their West Coast homes during World War II; and Korean and Vietnamese refugees caused by the Cold War. Today the highest Asian subgroup?is Indians, with the first wave coming in 1960.Many Engineers, and medical and business professionals came who are in demand in Cuyahoga County. What are some of our goals?    First. We want to complete the Vietnamese Cultural Garden.This is one of 40 community gardens including the Indian and Chinese gardens located on Dr Martin Luther King Blvd.    Second, We seek to end discrimination and violent attacks upon our Asian communities    Third, We want to improve our immigration system so all peoples are equally welcome    Fourth, We oppose all oppressive quotas against Asian students Fifth, we seek a nation where all can thrive, raise their families, and ensure America is a society where everyone can contribute to enriching America    So we say welcome to all our Asian American and Pacific Islander groups. We say welcome to all our friends and invite all to enjoy tonight’s celebration Thank you. “Cảm ơn bạn rất nhiều” which means a big Thank you to all our friends.