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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/Pacific Americans, 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, 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, Despite these attacks, both historic and contemporary, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have shown resilience, demonstrated by the vibrant communities they have built and the myriad contributions they have made throughout American society; and
WHEREAS, Asian American Heritage Month provides Cook County the opportunity to restate its firm stand against any and all discrimination on the basis of race, creed, or national origin of Cook County; and
WHEREAS, The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers laid the tracks were Chinese imm...
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