Full Text of HJR0074 101st General Assembly
HJ0074 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, It is right and appropriate to celebrate a | 3 | | diversity of cultures and heritages;
this celebration serves as | 4 | | a reminder that despite our differing backgrounds, everyone in | 5 | | Illinois is
bound by a common hope for a better and more | 6 | | inclusive future for our children; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are among | 8 | | the fastest growing ethnic
groups in Illinois; Asian Americans | 9 | | and Pacific Islanders make up more than 5% of the population
of | 10 | | the State; the community grew by over 40% between 2000 and | 11 | | 2010; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, The Asian American and Pacific Islander community | 13 | | has a long and integral
history in the United States; in | 14 | | recognition and celebration of that history, the United States | 15 | | Congress established
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week in | 16 | | 1978; that week was extended to the full month of
May in 1990; | 17 | | and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, May is an appropriate month for the observation of | 19 | | Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage, since May 7, 1843 | 20 | | marked the arrival date of the first Japanese immigrant to
the | 21 | | United States; May 10, 1869 is the date that America was united | 22 | | coast to coast by
the Transcontinental Railroad with the |
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| 1 | | placement of the "Golden Spike"; the railroad was made
possible | 2 | | by the herculean efforts of the mostly Chinese immigrant | 3 | | workers; May 6, 1882 marks the passage of the Chinese Exclusion | 4 | | Act, which shaped the course of Asian immigration for almost a | 5 | | century to come; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, The Asian American community played a heroic role | 7 | | in the Second World
War; the 442nd Infantry regiment, comprised | 8 | | mostly of Japanese Americans, fought for the United
States | 9 | | while their families at home were facing harsh discrimination | 10 | | and internment; the 442nd
became one of the most decorated | 11 | | units for its size, earning almost 10,000 Purple Hearts; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Despite the contributions of Asian Americans and | 13 | | immigrants,
the Asian American community has faced challenges | 14 | | and discrimination in the United States; many of the Chinese | 15 | | laborers were treated extremely poorly during the construction | 16 | | of the
Transcontinental Railroad, and none of the Chinese | 17 | | Americans were allowed in the famous
picture of the "Golden | 18 | | Spike"; Asian immigrants faced xenophobia and outright | 19 | | violence
throughout periods of the 19th and 20th centuries; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, Despite this inequity, brilliant leaders from | 21 | | different Asian American communities have contributed to the | 22 | | history of our country; Dalip Singh Saund was the first Asian | 23 | | American elected to Congress; Fred T. Korematsu was a
champion |
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| 1 | | of civil liberties and of the Japanese Americans interned | 2 | | during the Second World War; Larry
Dulay Itliong was a hero for | 3 | | the labor movement; Grace Lee Boggs and Patsy Mink were both a | 4 | | transformative
force for Title IX; whether as
soldiers, | 5 | | laborers, business owners, advocates, or community leaders, | 6 | | those in the Asian
American and Pacific Islander community | 7 | | continue to rise to the challenges they face and
serve as a | 8 | | force for good in the State of Illinois and the United States; | 9 | | and | 10 | | WHEREAS, Illinoisans and Americans of all walks of life are | 11 | | encouraged to learn about the deep history of Asian and Pacific | 12 | | Islander Americans and their contributions to our State and | 13 | | country; therefore, be it | 14 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 15 | | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | 16 | | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we declare May of 2019 as Asian | 17 | | American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the State of | 18 | | Illinois in honor of the people in these communities in the | 19 | | State and the nation; and be it further
| 20 | | RESOLVED, That we welcome everyone to Asian American Action | 21 | | Day on May 15, 2019, where community organizations and people | 22 | | of all creeds across Illinois advocate in the Capitol for | 23 | | legislation that is more inclusive of Asian and Pacific |
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| 1 | | Islander Americans.
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