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Hutchins Library News Blog

05/04/2020
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May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month – a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. A rather broad term, Asian/Pacific encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island).

Like most commemorative months, Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month originated with Congress. In 1977 Reps. Frank Horton of New York introduced House Joint Resolution 540 to proclaim the first ten days in May as Pacific/Asian American Heritage Week. In the same year, Senator Daniel Inouye introduced a similar resolution, Senate Joint Resolution 72. Neither of these resolutions passed, so in June 1978, Rep. Horton introduced House Joint Resolution 1007. This resolution proposed that the President should “proclaim a week, which is to include the seventh and tenth of the month, during the first ten days in May of 1979 as ‘Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week.’” This joint resolution was passed by the House and then the Senate and was signed by President Jimmy Carter on October 5, 1978 to become Public Law 95-419 (PDF, 158kb). This law amended the original language of the bill and directed the President to issue a proclamation for the “7 day period beginning on May 4, 1979 as ‘Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week.’” During the next decade, presidents passed annual proclamations for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week until 1990 when Congress passed Public Law 101-283 (PDF, 166kb) which expanded the observance to a month for 1990. Then in 1992, Congress passed Public Law 102-450 (PDF, 285kb) which annually designated May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.

Description from:

Congress, T. L. of, Administration, N. A. and R., Humanities, N. E. for the, Art, N. G. of, Service, N. P., Institution, U. S., & Museum, U. H. M. (n.d.). Asian Pacific American Heritage Month [webpage]. Retrieved May 22, 2019, from //asianpacificheritage.gov/about/

Cover Art Shattered by Jeff Yang (Editor); Parry Shen (Editor); Keith Chow (Editor); Jerry Ma (Editor)

ISBN: 9781595588241
Publication Date: 2012-11-06
08/06/2019
Unknown Unknown

Berea College’s health and wellness program referred to as ‘Thrive!’ defines wellness through eight dimensions. It includes emotional, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, spiritual, and sustainable wellness. Mechanisms to improve some of the dimensions of wellness in our daily lives include exercising, eating a healthy diet, practicing gratitude, and improving communication skills.  Blumenthal, Smith, and Hoffman found that aerobic exercise has been correlated with alleviating symptoms of mild to moderate depression and encourage patients to include exercise in their daily lives (Blumenthal, Smith, & Hoffman, 2012). We all know that eating healthily improves one’s physical wellness, however what does it really mean? According to a “meta-analysis of more than 1.5 million healthy adults, it was demonstrated that following a Mediterranean diet was associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular mortality as well as overall mortality" (Cesari et al., 2008).One aspect of spiritual wellness is gratitude. According to positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness, so remember to practice gratitude more often (Witvliet et al., 2019). Lastly, according to Brene Brown, research professor at the University of Houston, some phrases that improve communication and thereby social wellness include: “the story I make up”, “I am curious about”, “Tell me more”, and “That is not my experience” (Brown, 2012). Incorporate at least one of these wellness boosts as a new habit this August and change a life time. 


Works Cited:

Blumenthal, J. A., Smith, P. J., & Hoffman, B. M. (2012). Is Exercise a Viable Treatment for Depression?. ACSM's health & fitness journal, 16(4), 14–21.

Sofi, F., Cesari, F., Abbate, R., Gensini, G. F., & Casini, A. (2008). Adherence to Mediterranean diet and health status: meta-analysis. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 337, a1344.

Witvliet, C. V., Richie, F. J., Root Luna, L. M., & Van Tongeren, D. R. (2019). Gratitude predicts hope and happiness: A two-study assessment of traits and states. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 14(3), 271-282.

Brown, Brené. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. New York: Gotham Books, 2012. Brown, Brené.


For more information about wellness, check out the titles below:

Cover Art Health and Wellness by Gordon Edlin; Eric Golanty
ISBN: 0763748196
Publication Date: 2004-01-01