Bill Text: IL HJR0074 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Declares May of 2019 as "Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month" and welcomes everyone to "Asian American Action Day" on May 15, 2019 at the Capitol.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-1)
Status: (Passed) 2019-05-31 - Adopted Both Houses [HJR0074 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2019-HJR0074-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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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