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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING MAY AS ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
WHEREAS, the month of May commemorates the rich and diverse culture of Asian American Pacific Islanders, who have enriched America's history and were instrumental in its future success; and
WHEREAS, on October 5, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed a joint resolution designating the annual celebration of Asian/Pacific Heritage Week during the first 10 days of May; in May 1990, the holiday was further expanded when Congress designated May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month; and
WHEREAS, the more than 300,000 Asian American residents of Cook County have contributed significantly to the development of our neighborhoods and cities; and
WHEREAS, Asian, along with Irish immigrants and African Americans among others, constructed and operated the transcontinental railroads that passed through Cook County and provided the basis for our county's economic strength as a transportation center; and
WHEREAS, Cook County is home to Asian American veterans who fought heroically for our nation through many of her conflicts in the 20th century, including Filipinos who, alongside soldiers from Maywood Illinois, survived the Bataan Death March in the Philippines during World War II, and Japanese Americans of the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Teams who served our nation with the highest military honors despite being designated for internment in American concentration camps on the west coast; and
WHEREAS, This year's commemoration of Asian Pacific American heritage comes at a fraught and vexing moment in which people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent have experienced a resurgence of racism, prejudice, and physical violence spurred by hate; and
WHEREAS, Across 16 of America's largest cities and counties, there was a 164% increase in anti-Asian hate crime reports to police in the first quarter of 2021; and
WHEREAS, Despite these attacks, both historic and c...
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