Utah Is Celebrating Pacific Island Heritage Month

The month of August

Pacific Islanders hail from the beautiful lush islands of the Pacific.

People may wonder why anyone would ever want to leave the beauty and grandeur of the Pacific Islands to come to the mainland of the United States, but many Pacific Islanders have settled in Utah. Some have lived in the state for several generations.

This is Pacific Island Heritage Month in Utah. Pacific Islanders in the state are holding their Ninth Annual Pacific Island Heritage Month celebration with various events.

The month of May has been designated in the United States as Asian Pacific Islander American Heritage Month in the United States. Although Pacific Islanders are included in that broad spectrum of the population, Utah has a separate month to celebrate Pacific Island Heritage.

Former Governor Gary R. Herbert declared in 2012 that August would be Utah Pacific Island Heritage Month. The annual celebration features various activities throughout the state. These include art exhibits, live music, luncheons, meetings, and food festivals.

This is from the website [email protected]:

Utah Pacific Island Heritage Month provides a platform for Pacific Island businesses, entrepreneurs, and community organizations to educate our own, and wider community, about our cultural assets, services, and programs to counter negative stereotypes of Pacific Islanders, instill positive self-identity in our youth, to preserve and promote Pacific Island cultural heritage and traditions, acknowledge the similarities and embracing the differences among our cultures, and to honor our way finders and trailblazers across the Pacific Islands.

The website also includes the official declaration by Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox, regarding the month of August 2021 for this special designation:

For generations, Pacific Islanders have forged a proud legacy that reflects the spirit of the state of Utah. We recognize the 50,000 Pacific Islanders who call Utah home. Pacific Islanders have long been an integral part of Utah’s ever-growing diversity since the first wave of Pacific Islanders emigrated from Hawai’i and established a settlement known as Iosepa in Toole County. We recognize the achievements of Pacific Islanders in the arts, cuisine, government, business, sports, and other cultural elements that enrich, strengthen, and define Utah’s history. We honor the perseverance of those past and present who courageously reached for their hopes and dreams in a new land and we celebrate the impact the Pacific Island community has made on Utah.

There are a number of events being held throughout the month of August 2021 by various Pacific Islander groups in Utah. These are people very important to the State of Utah.