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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING MAY AS ASIAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
WHEREAS, there were approximately 409,000 Asian Americans in Cook County representing 7.7% of the County's population in 2020. Asian Americans experienced a 28.2% population increase, the highest minority population growth rate in Cook County, between 2010 and 2020;; and
WHEREAS, Asian Americans come from over 40 countries and the Asian diaspora speaking 2,300 languages and dialects, and a myriad of religions; and
WHEREAS, the American story would not be possible without the strength, contributions, and legacies of Asian Americans who have helped build and unite this country in each successive generation from building the railroads connecting the East to the West, farming fields, starting businesses, caring for our loved ones and honorably serving our Nation in uniform; and
WHEREAS, May was chosen for two reasons. First, to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States, a young fisherman named Manjiro, who arrived May 7, 1843 and the majority of workers on the transcontinental railroad were Chinese immigrants, who laid the tracks and were responsible for most of the dangerous and heavy manual labor tasks; and
WHEREAS, anti-Asian policies, from exclusionary immigration policies to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, have been prevalent throughout the history of this country including the recent rise in anti-Asian hate has caused great pain, fear and loss; and
WHEREAS, Asian American representation in elected office across Illinois has grown exponentially in the last decade, bringing greater participation and visibility for Asian Americans in government; and
WHEREAS, the Illinois General Assembly, led by the Asian American Caucus, passed the Teaching Asian American Community History (TEAACH) Act in 2021, making Illinois the first state in the nation to require a unit of Asian American history in all public schools; and
WHEREAS, the Cook ...
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