Sen. Menendez Celebrated Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with 2nd Annual Celebration at Fort Lee High School

WASHINGTON, D.C. - As Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month comes to an end, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) reflects on his Second Annual Celebration hosted at Fort Lee High School earlier this month. Through the commemoration of the cultural, economic, and social contributions and achievements of the AAPI community in New Jersey and the nation, Mayor of Bergenfield, Arvin Amatorio, the Asian American Youth Council, and the Philippine Nurses Association of NJ were honored with awards of recognition.

Created last year to celebrate and honor New Jersey's diverse AAPI community, the event recognizes the AAPI community's many contributions to the fabric of America and reaffirms that Asian American history is American history by telling the stories of the AAPI journalists, entrepreneurs, elected leaders, teachers, doctors, and hard-working families all across the Garden State.

"It was great to host the 2^nd Annual Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration at Fort Lee High School in celebration of the immense contributions they have made to New Jersey and the nation," said Sen. Menendez. "With more than 22 million individuals in America tracing their roots to more than 20 countries, the AAPI community is an integral part of our nation's tapestry. Asian-American history and culture is American history and culture, and each of us, in every neighborhood and community, has a role to play in learning history, in shopping locally, and in providing supportive spaces that celebrate AAPI Americans every single day."

Mayor of Bergenfield, Arvin Amatorio, served as the event's keynote speaker and received the Excellence in Public Service Award for blazing his own trail in his commitment to create spaces that highlight the history, culture and impact of the AAPI community in the United States, and for inspiring the North Jersey community to raise their voices in advocacy.

The Asian American Youth Council was presented with the Youth Award for its hard work in raising awareness about political rights, nurturing influential leaders, and uniquely blending their talent and passion to enrich America's society and history through their civic and educational action. The Philippine Nurses Association of New Jersey was presented with the Community Service Award for their leadership in the nursing field and mission of service to give back to the Filipino community through humanitarian and socioeconomic projects.

Ernabel Demillo, an Emmy-award winning broadcaster, journalism educator and host of Asian American Life, served as the event's Master of Ceremonies. Aya Ishida, Japan-born jazz vocalist and composer, performed the National Anthem, and the event featured cultural performances by the Filipino School of N.Y. and N.J., K-MZ, a K-pop music group, and Kulture Kool, an Indian performing arts group.

Last year's honorees included Assemblywoman Ellen Park, who received the Excellence in Public Service Award; Balpreet Grewal-Virk, who received the Community Service Award; Amber Reed of AAPI Montclair, who received the Volunteer Award; and Livingston AAPI Youth Alliance, who received the Youth Award.

Click HERE to access photos from the event.

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