Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 92

Introduced by Senator Pan

January 7, 2016

Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 92—Relative to Korean-American Day.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SCR 92, as introduced, Pan. Korean-American Day.

This measure would proclaim January 13, 2016, as Korean-American Day.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, On January 13, 1903, the history of Korean
immigration to America began, when 102 courageous Korean men,
women, and children landed in Hawaii after venturing across the
vast Pacific Ocean aboard the S.S. Gaelic; and

WHEREAS, The hopes of these Korean immigrants for America,
the land of opportunity, were quickly hindered by social, economic,
and language barriers of unforeseen magnitude; and

WHEREAS, These Korean immigrants did not falter in their
pursuit of the American dream. Through tenacious effort and
sacrifice, they established a new home in a new land and educated
their Korean-American children; and

WHEREAS, Between 1904 and 1907, approximately 1,000
Korean Americans entered the United States mainland from Hawaii
through San Francisco, where the first Korean-American political
organizations and Korean-language publications were established;
and

WHEREAS, Many Korean Americans left San Francisco,
primarily to become farmworkers. Some Korean Americans
combined their money and resources to lease farmland near the
towns of Dinuba and Reedley in the San Joaquin Valley and in the
Sacramento Valley. Dozens of other Korean Americans served as
wage laborers for mining companies and as section hands on the
railroads in Montana, Oregon, Utah, and Washington; and

WHEREAS, The Japanese occupation of Korea prevented
further Korean immigration into the United States. However, many
Korean Americans desired to establish families in the United States,
despite the new limitations on immigration. As a result, a picture
bride system was established, which delivered approximately 1,000
new Korean immigrants to Hawaii, and 100 more to the Pacific
Coast of the United States mainland, before 1924; and

WHEREAS, San Francisco remained the center of the
Korean-American community during this period, but there was a
gradual migration of Korean Americans from San Francisco and
the surrounding rural areas to southern California. As more
employment opportunities opened up, a new, burgeoning
community of Korean Americans began to thrive in the Los
Angeles area; and

WHEREAS, While the first Korean immigrants to the United
States fought and sacrificed to establish themselves, their children
grew up to be patriotic citizens, many of whom went on to serve
in the Armed Forces of the United States during World War II and
to make other important contributions to mainstream American
society; and

WHEREAS, The Federal Immigration Act of 1965 opened the
door for a new wave of Korean immigrants to enter the United
States. Since its enactment, Korean Americans have become one
of the fastest growing groups of Asian Americans in the United
States. In 1960, approximately 25,000 people of Korean ancestry
lived in the United States, but by 1970, that number increased to
69,130. By 1980, the number of people of Korean ancestry living
in the United States had increased over fivefold to 354,593, and
by 1990, that number more than doubled, increasing to 798,849.
In 2007, it was estimated that 1,555,293 people with some Korean
ancestry lived in the United States, representing more than a
sixtyfold increase since 1960; and

WHEREAS, With diligence, fortitude, and an enduring belief
in the American dream, Korean immigrants have helped to turn
emergent areas within the State of California into thriving and
respectable communities, while raising their children to be
productive Korean Americans; and

WHEREAS, Korean Americans have become an integral part
of mainstream American society and have made important
contributions as Californians in the fields of finance, technology,
law, medicine, education, sports, media, the arts, the military, and
government, as well as other areas; and

WHEREAS, As the Korean-American community prepares for
a new era and creates new history, Korean Americans must instill
in younger generations the proper appreciation for the courage and
values of their forefathers, a deep sense of their roots, and pride
in their own cultural heritage so that they may better contribute to
the great State of California, rich with ethnic and cultural diversity;
now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature of the State of California
hereby proclaims January 13, 2016, as Korean-American Day; and
be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.