Whereas the people of the United States join together each May to pay tribute to the contributions of generations of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders who have enriched the history of the United States; Whereas the history of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in the United States is inextricably tied to the story of the United States; Whereas the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community is an inherently diverse population, composed of more than 70 distinct ethnicities and speaking more than 100 language dialects; Whereas, according to the Bureau of the Census, the Asian American population grew faster than any other racial or ethnic group over the last decade, growing by nearly 55.5 percent between 2010 and 2020, and during that same time period, the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander population grew by 30.8 percent; Whereas there are more than 24,000,000 residents of the United States who identify as Asian and approximately 1,600,000 residents of the United States who identify as Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, making up more than 7 percent of the total population of the United States; Whereas the month of May was selected for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month because the first Japanese immigrants arrived in the United States on May 7, 1843, and the first transcontinental railroad was completed on May 10, 1869, with substantial contributions from Chinese immigrants; Whereas section 102 of title 36, United States Code, officially designates May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month and requests the President to issue an annual proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe the month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities