Newark, NJ: "When I first came to the United States, I wanted to return to India . . . but I am so glad that I stayed and so grateful for the opportunity to serve my adopted homeland,” said Ratepayer Advocate Seema M. Singh, who is the most senior level Asian-Indian in New Jersey state government. Singh was speaking at a celebration commemorating the national Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

It was in 1978, that the first Asian Pacific American Heritage Week was observed during May 4 - May 10, following a declaration signed by the White House. In 1990, the federal government expanded the celebration to include the entire month of May. In 1992, Congress designated May of each year as National Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. May was chosen to coincide with the month the transcontinental railroad was finished in 1869, which had relied heavily on indentured Chinese workers as well as a recognition of the first Japanese diplomatic mission to the U.S. in May, 1860.

In her address at the celebration hosted by the Division of the Ratepayer Advocate, Singh who grew up in an extended family home in the Indian town of Asansol in West Bengal,India, confessed she had a difficult time adjusting to being cut off from her family and friends when she first arrived in the U.S. in 1984. She reminisced that she missed her beloved faces of India. But as time went on, she said she fell in love with the faces of America.

“As I stand before you, I see the faces of America. I see the faces of a diverse, multicultural people, who are from different faiths, ethnicities and nationalities. I see the diverse faces of America that are united in their desire for the United States to continue to emerge as a society in which all its members have the opportunity to preserve their unique identities, while becoming part of the multicultural fabric of America,” Singh noted in her opening address.

The Division of the Ratepayer Advocate’s celebration captured sights and sounds of Asian and Pacific cultures. The Ratepayer Advocate community and invited guests were treated to a colorful display of artifacts and musical instruments. While a recorded musical rendition of the sitar, santoor and the flute set the mood of the event, the celebration ended with Mahi Veh, a peppy number from the film capital of the world, Bollywood, located in India’s financial capital, Bombay. The celebration honored the traditions and cultures of an estimated 3 billion people --- half the world’s population. The fastest immigrant community in the U.S., Asian and Pacific Americans number more than 13.5 million in the U.S. New Jersey is home to an estimated 500,000.

Seema M. Singh described the presentations by the guest speakers as “inspiring stories of the triumph of the human spirit.” She said celebrations such as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month are an affirmation of America’s multicultural heritage. “The opportunity to learn about each other’s cultures, traditions and history, is an important part of our journey towards understanding, tolerance and appreciation of multiculturism.”

Release Source: www.c2b2bnews.com