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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING THE CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ASSYRIAN NEW YEAR
WHEREAS, the day of April 1 annually is celebrated as the Assyrian New Year, also known as Kha b'Nissan or Akitu. The Assyrian New Year is not only the first day of the new year, but also marks the start of spring and serves as a symbol of revival; and
WHEREAS, according to the Assyrian Policy Institute, more than 600,000 Assyrian Americans live in the United States. Illinois is home to more than 80,000 Assyrian Americans, the vast majority of whom live in Cook County; and
WHEREAS, Assyrians are a transnational ethnic group indigenous to parts of northern Iraq, northwestern Iran, southeastern Turkey, and northeast Syria. They form a distinctive community, united through ethnicity, language, and a culture that constitutes one of the oldest continuous traditions in the world. In their various countries of origin, the governing authorities historically infringed on the cultural and linguistic rights of Assyrians and prohibited public celebrations of the Assyrian New Year; and
WHEREAS, Assyrians began emigrating to Illinois in the late 1800s. The earliest immigrants settled in the River North area. Their population later moved north, first to Lincoln Park and Lake View and later to Uptown and Edgewater. Migration and resettlement of Assyrians from Iraq and Syria intensified in recent years due to the conflict and sectarian violence targeting Assyrians culminating with the rise of ISIS in 2014; and
WHEREAS, Assyrian Americans work for and contribute to Cook County in numerous ways. At Cook County we are proud to have Assyrian American public servants including Board of Commissioners Staff, Atour Sargon and Ted Mason and previous Bureau Chief John Yonan, and a growing number of local Assyrian American local elected officials across the state.
WHEREAS, Assyrians have also made important contributions to the social and cultural fabric of our communities. The ic...
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