Bill Text: CA ACR9 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Chaptered

California Assembly Concurrent Resolution 9 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Korean-American Day.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 49-29)

Status: (Passed) 2009-03-27 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Res. Chapter 7, Statutes of 2009. [ACR9 Detail]

Download: California-2009-ACR9-Chaptered.html

BILL NUMBER: ACR 9	CHAPTERED
	BILL TEXT

	RESOLUTION CHAPTER  7
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE  MARCH 27, 2009
	ADOPTED IN SENATE  MARCH 23, 2009
	ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY  JANUARY 26, 2009
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JANUARY 26, 2009

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Hayashi
   (Coauthors: Assembly Members Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula,
Bass, Beall, Bill Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block,
Blumenfield, Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter,
Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon, DeVore,
Duvall, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Fuller,
Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick, Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Harkey,
Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Krekorian,
Lieu, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava,
Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, John A. Perez, V. Manuel Perez,
Portantino, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Audra
Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran, Villines, and
Yamada)

                        JANUARY 7, 2009

   Relative to Korean-American Day.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   ACR 9, Hayashi. Korean-American Day.
   This measure would proclaim January 13, 2009, 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 Oregon, Washington, Montana, and
Utah; 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 to make other
important contributions to mainstream American society; and
   WHEREAS, The Federal Immigration Act of 1965 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, but by 1970, that number increased to 69,130. By 1980, the
number of people of Korean ancestry living in the United States had
increased over fivefold to 354,593, and by 1990, that number more
than doubled, increasing to 798,849. In 2007, it was estimated that
1,555,293 people with some Korean ancestry lived in the United
States, representing more than a sixtyfold 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 of the State of California
hereby proclaims January 13, 2009, 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.