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President Jimmy Carter designatedthe annual celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Week, in October1978. Twelve years later, President George H. W. Bush signed an extension designating May 1990 as the first AAPI HeritageMonth, May 7, 1990, changingthe observance from a week to a month. - President Jimmy Carter designated the annual celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Week, in October 1978. Twelve years later, President George H. W. Bush signed an extension designating May 1990 as the first AAPI Heritage Month, May 7, 1990, changing the observance from a week to a month.