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Official Korean American Day well on its way to designation in California

January 13, 2015

A bill, ACR3, calling for the day to be celebrated Jan. 13 and introduced by District 65 Assemblywoman Young Kim passes unanimously.

Assemblywoman Young Kim and Korean American organization members celebrate a unanimous committee vote for the Korean American Day bill Monday.

Assemblywoman Young Kim and Korean American organization members celebrate a unanimous committee vote for the Korean American Day bill Monday.

An official Korean American Day is well on its way to designation in California.

A bill, ACR3, calling for the day to be celebrated Jan. 13 and introduced by District 65 Assemblywoman Young Kim, was voted for adoption by a committee Monday.

Kim gathered the support of 69 assemblymembers for the bill, which was passed unanimously.

The bill, similar to one passed last year by New York City Council, would honor the anniversary of the first Korean immigrants’ arrival on United States soil in 1903, when the SS Gaelic, carrying 102 Koreans, landed in Honolulu.

“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,” the text of the bill reads. “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.

“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.”

About 50 Korean Americans from a handful of organizations including the Korean American Foundation USA and the Sacramento Korean American Community Association, greeted news of the bill passing through the committee.

An official permanent designation of Jan. 13 as Korean American Day is also in progress in Philadelphia.