Bill Text: NY K00584 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim October 2023, as Polish American Heritage Month in the State of New York

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Passed) 2023-05-31 - adopted [K00584 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-K00584-Introduced.html

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Assembly Resolution No. 584

BY: M. of A. Zebrowski

        MEMORIALIZING  Governor  Kathy  Hochul to proclaim
        October 2023, as Polish American Heritage  Month  in
        the State of New York

  WHEREAS,  It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize and
pay just tribute to the cultural heritage of  the  ethnic  groups  which
comprise and contribute to the richness and diversity of the communities
of the State of New York; and

  WHEREAS,  Attendant  to  such  concern,  and  in  keeping  with  its
time-honored traditions, it is the sense of  this  Legislative  Body  to
memorialize  The  Honorable  Kathy  Hochul  to proclaim October 2023, as
Polish American Heritage Month in the State of New York; and

  WHEREAS, Polish Americans were among the  first  immigrants  in  the
country  with  roots  tracing  back  to  a 1608 immigration to Virginia;
today, there are approximately nine million Polish Americans  living  in
the United States; and

  WHEREAS,  New  York City is home to the largest Polish population in
the United States; Sloan, New York, is comprised of  nearly  50  percent
Polish residents; and

  WHEREAS,  Polish  Americans  have  made significant contributions to
American society as war heroes,  doctors,  politicians,  musicians,  and
athletes; and

  WHEREAS,  Pulaski, New York, is named after General Casimir Pulaski,
a Polish American war hero of the American Revolution who most  famously
led  an  impromptu  charge  in  the  Battle of Brandywine to protect the
retreat of George Washington and the Continental  Army;  in  October  of
1779, he gave the ultimate sacrifice and died in battle; and

  WHEREAS, Polish American and prominent political scientist, Zbigniew
Brzezinski,  served  as  a  counselor to President Lyndon B. Johnson, as
well as United States  National  Security  Advisor  to  President  Jimmy
Carter;  today,  he serves as the Robert E. Osgood Professor of American
Foreign  Policy  at  Johns  Hopkins  University's  School  of   Advanced
International Studies; and

  WHEREAS,  Edmund Muskie, a former Governor of Maine, a United States
Senator, and Secretary of State,  has  held  the  highest  office  among
Polish  Americans,  and was the only Polish American to be nominated for
Vice President by a major party; and

  WHEREAS, Another  famed  Polish  American  Revolutionary  War  Hero,
Tadeusz  Kosciuszko,  died  in  October;  he  was  the chief engineer in
improving defenses at West Point, designing fortifications of  the  West
Point garrison at a time when George Washington claimed West Point to be
the most important military post in America; and

  WHEREAS,  Tadeusz  Kosciuszko,  a  champion  of equality, was also a
friend of Thomas Jefferson; although ultimately unfulfilled, he left his

estate to the abolition of slavery, and education of slaves in his will;
and

  WHEREAS,   Polish   American,  Wladimir  Krzyzanowski,  organized  a
volunteer unit of Polish and German Americans from New York in the Civil
War, officially titled the 58th New York  Infantry  Regiment,  but  more
commonly known as the Polish Legion; and

  WHEREAS, Polish American immigrant from Germany, Dr. Marie Elizabeth
Zakrzewska,  together  with  Dr.  Elizabeth Bennett, opened the New York
Infirmary for Women and Children in 1857, the first hospital focusing on
pediatric and women's health; and

  WHEREAS, Musician and Polish American, Ray Manzarek, was a  founding
member  of  the  classic  rock  band  The  Doors,  and John Rzeznik is a
founding member and current front man of  the  rock  band  the  Goo  Goo
Dolls; and

  WHEREAS, Major League Baseball Hall of Famer and Triple Crown Winner
Carl  Yastrzemski,  and  Duke  University  Men's  Basketball  Coach Mike
Krzyzewski are both of Polish decent; in addition, Coach  Krzyzewski  is
the  winningest  coach  in NCAA Division I Men's Basketball history, and
reached 1,000 wins in January of 2015, at Madison Square Garden  in  New
York City; and

  WHEREAS,  Polish  American Heritage Month is a time to celebrate the
aspirations and values that have been  shared  with  Polish  people  for
generations,  and  to recognize the countless contributions of Americans
and New Yorkers of Polish descent  to  every  aspect  of  society;  now,
therefore, be it

  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize The Honorable Kathy Hochul  to  proclaim  October  2023,  as
Polish  American  Heritage  Month  in  the  State of New York; and be it
further

  RESOLVED, That a copy of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted  to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York.