1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 2nd Session of the 59th Legislature (2024)
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3 SENATE CONCURRENT
3 RESOLUTION 23 By: Floyd of the Senate
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4 and
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5 Pae of the House
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8 AS INTRODUCED
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9 A Concurrent Resolution recognizing May as
9 Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month; recognizing
10 the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in
10 Oklahoma; and celebrating the contributions of Asian
11 Americans and Pacific Islanders to the history of
11 Oklahoma and the United States.
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14 WHEREAS, May is recognized by the United States Congress as
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15 Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, honoring the contributions
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16 and paying tribute to generations of Asian Americans and Pacific
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17 Islanders (AAPI) who have made our state and nation their home; and
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18 WHEREAS, Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month is celebrated in
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19 May to commemorate the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to
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20 the United States in May of 1843; and
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21 WHEREAS, May also marks the anniversary of the completion of the
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22 transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of those
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23 who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants; and
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 1 WHEREAS, the Chinese were the first Asian group to settle in
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2 Oklahoma, living in the Guthrie Territory after the Land Run of
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3 1889; and
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4 WHEREAS, the Japanese population quickly grew in Oklahoma in the
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5 1920s and 1940s, and during World War II, several fought for the
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6 United States including four sons of Kutaro Nishimuta, a farmer in
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7 Payne County. His sons served in the U.S. Army 442nd Regimental
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8 Unit, an all-Japanese outfit and one of the most decorated units in
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9 the war; and
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10 WHEREAS, nearly three percent of all Oklahomans identify as
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11 Asian American or Pacific Islander, citing origins in Cambodia,
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12 China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines,
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13 Thailand, Vietnam, Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands;
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14 and
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15 WHEREAS, Oklahoma City is home to an Asian District made up of
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16 the state's largest population of Asian descendants, predominately
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17 Vietnamese. Visitors flock to the district each year to experience
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18 the international cuisine, culture, and shopping; and
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19 WHEREAS, Asian American and Pacific Islander citizens have made
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20 a tremendous impact on our state and nation, serving in vital roles
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21 as state and national leaders, starting businesses, making
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22 breakthroughs in science and technology, serving in our military,
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23 excelling in sports, arts, education, and more.
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 1 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE 2ND SESSION
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2 OF THE 59th OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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3 CONCURRING THERIN:
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4 THAT the month of May is recognized by the Oklahoma State
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5 Legislature as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.
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6 THAT the Oklahoma State Legislature recognizes the contributions
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7 of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to the history of Oklahoma
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8 and the United States.
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10 59-2-3761 MB 4/17/2024 2:06:42 PM
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