Bill Text: CA ACR110 | 2015-2016 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Korean American Day.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 57-33-1)
Status: (Passed) 2016-03-10 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Res. Chapter 11, Statutes of 2016. [ACR110 Detail]
Download: California-2015-ACR110-Chaptered.html
BILL NUMBER: ACR 110 CHAPTERED
BILL TEXT
RESOLUTION CHAPTER 11
FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE MARCH 10, 2016
ADOPTED IN SENATE FEBRUARY 25, 2016
ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 3, 2016
AMENDED IN SENATE FEBRUARY 23, 2016
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JANUARY 11, 2016
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Members Wilk and Kim
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Bonta, Chau, Williams, Achadjian,
Alejo, Atkins, Baker, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonilla, Brough, Brown, Burke,
Calderon, Campos, Chang, Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh,
Dahle, Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia,
Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Grove,
Hadley, Harper, Roger Hernández, Holden, Irwin, Jones, Jones-Sawyer,
Lackey, Levine, Linder, Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes,
McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell,
Olsen, Patterson, Quirk, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas,
Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Wagner, Waldron,
Weber, and Wood)
(Coauthors: Senators Anderson, Bates, Cannella, Fuller, Hall,
Huff, Leno, Liu, Morrell, Nguyen, Nielsen, Pan, Vidak, and
Wieckowski)
JANUARY 4, 2016
Relative to Korean American Day.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 110, Wilk. Korean American Day.
This measure would proclaim January 13, 2016, as Korean American
Day.
WHEREAS, On January 13, 1903, the history of Korean immigration to
America began when 102 courageous Korean men, women, and children
landed in Hawaii after venturing across the vast Pacific Ocean aboard
the S.S. Gaelic; and
WHEREAS, The hopes of these Korean immigrants for America, the
land of opportunity, were quickly hindered by social, economic, and
language barriers of unforeseen magnitude; and
WHEREAS, These Korean immigrants did not falter in their pursuit
of the American dream. Through tenacious effort and sacrifice, they
established a new home in a new land and educated their Korean
American children; and
WHEREAS, Between 1904 and 1907, approximately 1,000 Korean
Americans entered the United States mainland from Hawaii through San
Francisco, where the first Korean American political organizations
and Korean-language publications were established; and
WHEREAS, Many Korean Americans left San Francisco, primarily to
become farmworkers. Some Korean Americans combined their money and
resources to lease farmland near the towns of Dinuba and Reedley in
the San Joaquin Valley and in the Sacramento Valley. Dozens of other
Korean Americans served as wage laborers for mining companies and as
section hands on the railroads in Montana, Oregon, Utah, and
Washington; and
WHEREAS, The Japanese occupation of Korea prevented further Korean
immigration into the United States. However, many Korean Americans
desired to establish families in the United States, despite the new
limitations on immigration. As a result, a picture bride system was
established, which delivered approximately 1,000 new Korean
immigrants to Hawaii, and 100 more to the Pacific Coast of the United
States mainland, before 1924; and
WHEREAS, San Francisco remained the center of the Korean American
community during this period, but there was a gradual migration of
Korean Americans from San Francisco and the surrounding rural areas
to southern California. As more employment opportunities opened up, a
new, burgeoning community of Korean Americans began to thrive in the
Los Angeles area; and
WHEREAS, While the first Korean immigrants to the United States
fought and sacrificed to establish themselves, their children grew up
to be patriotic citizens, many of whom went on to serve in the Armed
Forces of the United States during World War II and make other
important contributions to mainstream American society; and
WHEREAS, The 1965 amendments to the federal Immigration and
Nationality Act (Public Law 89-236) opened the door for a new wave of
Korean immigrants to enter the United States. Since its enactment,
Korean Americans have become one of the fastest growing groups of
Asian Americans in the United States. In 1960, approximately 25,000
people of Korean ancestry lived in the United States, and by 1970,
that number increased to 69,130. By 1980, the number of people of
Korean ancestry living in the United States increased over fivefold
to 354,593, and by 1990, that number more than doubled, increasing to
798,849. In 2010, it was estimated that 1,706,822 people with some
Korean ancestry lived in the United States, representing more than a
sixty-sevenfold increase since 1960; and
WHEREAS, With diligence, fortitude, and an enduring belief in the
American dream, Korean immigrants have helped to turn emergent areas
within the State of California into thriving and respectable
communities, while raising their children to be productive Korean
Americans; and
WHEREAS, Korean Americans have become an integral part of
mainstream American society and have made important contributions as
Californians in the fields of finance, technology, law, medicine,
education, sports, media, the arts, the military, and government, as
well as other areas; and
WHEREAS, As the Korean American community prepares for a new era
and creates new history, Korean Americans must instill in younger
generations the proper appreciation for the courage and values of
their forefathers, a deep sense of their roots, and pride in their
own cultural heritage so that they may better contribute to the great
State of California, rich with ethnic and cultural diversity; now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby proclaims January 13,
2016, as Korean American Day; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
