To: Board of Supervisors
From: John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Report Title: Adopt resolution recognizing the month of OCTOBER as AANHPI Autumn Harvest Festival Cultural Celebration and Remembrance
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Adopt Resolution recognizing the month of OCTOBER as AANHPI Autumn Harvest Festival Cultural Celebration and Remembrance
FISCAL IMPACT:
None
BACKGROUND:
See Resolution
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
N/A
The Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa County, California
body
IN THE MATTER OF recognizing the month of OCTOBER as AANHPI Autumn Harvest Festival Cultural Celebration and Remembrance
WHEREAS, today, more than 25 million Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) live in the United States and, through their actions, make the United States of America a more vibrant, prosperous, and secure Nation; and
WHEREAS, Peoples of Chinese heritage first arrived to the United States of America in the early 1800s, constituting approximately 225years of valuable contributions to the nation; peoples of Japanese and Korean heritages first arrived to the United States of America in the 1880s , constituting approximately 145 years of valuable contributions to the nation; peoples of South Asia heritage first arrived to the United States of America as early as the 1700s, and in large numbers in the late 1800s, constituting approximately 325 years of valuable contributions to the nation; and peoples of Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander heritages first arrived to the United States of America in the 1960s constituting approximately 70 years of valuable contributions to the nation; and
WHEREAS, The few select AANHPI populations mentioned above alone constitute decades of investment, labor, love, and sacrifices on and for USA soil - from West Coast, East Coast, Midwest, Northern and Southern United States, Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico; and AANHPI individuals and communities (current and past) have contributed greatly to the economy, labor, government, military, technology, cuisine, education, entertainment, agriculture, and cultural fabric of this nation; and
WHEREAS, The Autumn months of August through October mark a diverse array of Eastern celebrations and festivals honoring past ancestors, harvest, festivities, reflection, remembrance, and the Moon. Lunar symbolism occupies an important role in Eastern traditions with practices, adaptions, and variance in accordance with the unique population and culture. Vietnamese “Tết Trung Thu” and Chinese “Zhongqiu Jie (中秋)” celebrate end of the year bounty and the full moon with lanterns making moon cakes and sweets, , and family reunions. Indians and South Asians celebrate “Diwali”, the Festival of Lights, between October and November as a triumph of light over darkness on the night of the new moon with lighting lamps, sharing food, and celebrating with family and friends; and
WHEREAS, Chuseok(추석) “Korean Thanksgiving” is celebrated with ancestor veneration and feasts from the successful harvest, Japanese Tsukimi (月見) celebrates the end of year harvest with Dango (団子) rice dumplings, poetry, art, rituals, moon viewing with reverence and gratitude for health, abundance, and prosperity; and
Americans of Japanese ancestry leading various community-basedorganizations such as The Contra Costa Japanese American Citizens League (Richmond, CA), have established themselves as foundational, valuable, and irreplaceable communities in the enduring richness,abundance, and beautification of Contra Costa County; and
WHEREAS, it is our duty and responsibility to stand against cultural erasure, to honor unseen struggles, sacrifices, and the unbreakable nature of the human spirit.
WHEREAS, AANHPI communities continue to honor the AutumnHarvest Festival and reflect upon the rhythm of the moon cycle as a time of renewal: after the luminous moon passes through the sky, the brilliant sun rises over the Golden Coast of California.
NOW, THEREFORE, The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, do hereby proclaim October 2025 as “AANHPI Autumn Harvest Festival Cultural Celebration and Remembrance Month” and are dedicated to a Contra Costa County where all can thrive in wealth, health, prosperity and the shared abundance of communal harvest.