2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
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2023 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 44
May 15, 2023 - Introduced by Senators AGARD, CARPENTER, HESSELBEIN, JAMES, L.
JOHNSON, LARSON, ROYS, SMITH and SPREITZER, cosponsored by
Representatives HONG, SHANKLAND, J. ANDERSON, C. ANDERSON, BARE,
CABRERA, CLANCY, CONLEY, CONSIDINE, EMERSON, GOYKE, JACOBSON, JOERS,
KITCHENS, MADISON, MOORE OMOKUNDE, MYERS, NEUBAUER, OHNSTAD,
ORTIZ-VELEZ, PALMERI, RATCLIFF, SINICKI, SHELTON, SNODGRASS, SNYDER,
STUBBS, SUBECK, VINING and TUSLER. Referred to Committee on Senate
Organization.
1 Relating to: recognizing Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
2 (AANHPI) Heritage Month as a time to honor the important contributions of
3 Asians, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders to the
4 history of the United States.
5 Whereas, the people of Wisconsin join together each May to pay tribute to the
6 generations of AANHPI who have enriched the history of the United States; and
7 Whereas, the history of AANHPI in Wisconsin is inextricably tied to the story
8 of Wisconsin; and
9 Whereas, there are approximately 24 million U.S. residents who identify as
10 Asian and approximately 1.6 million U.S. residents who identify as Native Hawaiian
11 or other Pacific Islander, comprising about 7 percent of the total population; and
12 Whereas, Wisconsin's AANHPI population totaled 194,173 in 2020 and has
13 increased 82 percent since the 2000 Census; and
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1 Whereas, the AANHPI community is an inherently diverse population,
2 composed of more than 45 distinct ethnicities and more than 100 language dialects;
3 and
4 Whereas, the immigration of Hmong refugees from Laos to Wisconsin from
5 1975 through the 1990s enriched the state immeasurably as Wisconsin has the third
6 largest Hmong population in the U.S.; and
7 Whereas, the month of May was selected for Asian/Pacific American Heritage
8 Month because the first Japanese immigrants arrived in the United States on May
9 7, 1843, and the first transcontinental railroad was completed on May 10, 1869, with
10 substantial contributions from Chinese immigrants; and
11 Whereas, AANHPI Heritage Month provides the people of Wisconsin with an
12 opportunity to recognize and celebrate the achievements, contributions, and history
13 of AANHPI communities and understand the challenges they face; now, therefore,
14 be it
15 Resolved by the senate, the assembly concurring, That the Wisconsin
16 State Legislature recognizes AANHPI Heritage Month as an important time to
17 celebrate the significant contributions of Asians, Asian Americans, Native
18 Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders to the history of Wisconsin, and recognizes that
19 Asian, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities
20 strengthen and enhance the rich diversity of Wisconsin.
21 (END)