Story at a glance
- Lunar New Year was on Feb. 1, 2022, marking the year of the Tiger for Asian Americans.
- One congresswoman is pushing to have the celebration added to the list of federally recognized holidays.
- Lunar New Year comes as there’s been a significant rise in anti-Asian hate crimes reported across the country.
Lunar New Year is a holiday celebrated by millions of Asian Americans and now lawmakers are pushing to have the celebration recognized as a federal holiday.
Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY) introduced legislation that would make Lunar New Year the 12th federally recognized holiday and included 44 cosponsors. Just last year President Biden established June 19 as Juneteenth National Independence Day, commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S.
In a statement, Meng explained that Lunar New Year is considered the “most significant time of year” for Asian Americans and that it’s celebrated not only in the U.S. but across the world. It’s a holiday that’s been observed for thousands of years, with 2022 marking the beginning of the year of the Tiger, which symbolizes a competitive nature, courage and ambition.
“My bill, coupled with my resolution, would demonstrate that the holiday celebrated by millions is also valued by their government. I look forward to shepherding these measures through the House, and I am excited to wish everyone celebrating a very happy Lunar New Year!” said Meng in a statement.
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The Census Bureau predicts that Asian Americans are the fastest growing demographic in the country, projected to have a 101 percent population increase from 2016 to 2060, totaling about 18 million.
Meng also noted that in New York City, Lunar New year is already recognized as a school holiday, with the school district of Philadelphia also adding the celebration as an official holiday to its calendar.
The push to recognize Lunar New Year as a federal holiday comes as anti-Asian hate crimes have risen across the country, like in San Francisco where the local police department released preliminary data that showed a 567 percent increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in 2021.
Congress has also recognized the unprecedented level of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans, creating the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, also introduced by Meng, which directs the Attorney General to appoint an officer at the Department of Justice to review hate crime reports while also establishing online reporting of hate crimes, collection of hate crime data and an expanded public education campaign to raise awareness of hate crimes and their victims.
President Biden signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law in May 2021.
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