Cultural Heritage Months

UT Dallas recognizes the rich cultural heritage present in our community and invites Comets to honor, commemorate and celebrate the cultural contributions that different groups have made to the United States and beyond.

These celebrations provide opportunities to appreciate and learn from others’ traditions and culture, and shape our history, present and future.

Our calendar of Cultural Heritage Months is a reference point and is not meant to be interpreted as an exhaustive list. We invite the campus community to share other cultural heritage months/celebrations for consideration. Email us now.  

  • Cultural Heritage Month: May

    In the month of May, we honor Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Jewish American Heritage Month, and Haitian Heritage Month. We recognize and celebrate the contributions, achievements and historical impact of each of these cultural groups, and how they have shaped our history and worldview. 

    Photo by Fujifilm North America from Pexels | Photo by JESHOOTS.com from Pexels | Photo by Intercultural Programs

    Asian Pacific American Heritage Month was officially proclaimed by President Jimmy Carter in 1979 as a week-long celebration through a joint congressional resolution (PDF) that was signed on October 5, 1978, which was later extended to a month-long observance through a proclamation by President George H. W. Bush in 1990. The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese immigrant to the United States in May 1843, as well as the completion of the transcontinental railroad in May 1869, where majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.

    Similarly, Jewish American Heritage Month was officially proclaimed by President George W. Bush in April 2006 to recognize and celebrate contributions of individuals with Jewish heritage to the American society. The month of May was selected due to the highly successful celebration of the 350th Anniversary of American Jewish History in May 2004, which was organized by the Commission for Commemorating 350 Years of American Jewish History.

    The month of May is widely observed as Haitian American Heritage Month by grassroots movements and state and local celebrations recognizing the history, culture, and rich traditions of Haiti and its people, including Haitian Flag Day on May 18. Prominent Haitians that have contributed to American history are Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, one of the founders of Chicago, Illinois, and Rudolphe Lucien Desdunes, prominent Haitian editor, author, and civil rights activist from New Orleans, Louisiana.

    Learn More:

    According to the 2024 U.S. Census, 21.77 million people in the United States identified as Asian while approximately 1.02 million identified as Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. Pew Research Center Survey from 2020 indicates that 7.5 million people in the United States identified as Jewish. Based on the 2020 U.S. Census, an estimated 1.2 million of people of Haitian origin resided in the United Sates.

    Traditionally, students, faculty, and staff from these communities have been culturally impacting our UT Dallas community.

    We invite you to celebrate these cultures through events and programs offered by UT Dallas organizations in partnership with Intercultural Programs and through off campus cultural festivals during the month of May.  

    Be Globally Engaged!

Events

Upcoming Cultural Heritage Months

June

Caribbean American Heritage Month

July

French American Heritage Month, South Asian Heritage Month (July 17 – August 18)