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K00469 Summary:

BILL NOK00469
 
SAME ASNo Same As
 
SPONSORNiou
 
COSPNSR
 
MLTSPNSRAbbate, Abinanti, Barnwell, Barron, Bichotte, Blake, Brindisi, Bronson, Buchwald, Cahill, Colton, Cook, Crespo, Cusick, Davila, De La Rosa, DenDekker, Dickens, Dilan, Dinowitz, D'Urso, Englebright, Fahy, Fitzpatrick, Galef, Gjonaj, Glick, Gottfried, Gunther, Hevesi, Hooper, Hyndman, Jaffee, Jean-Pierre, Jenne, Jones, Joyner, Kavanagh, Kim, Lavine, Lentol, Lupardo, Mayer, McDonald, Morelle, Morinello, Mosley, O'Donnell, Ortiz, Perry, Pheffer Amato, Pretlow, Quart, Ramos, Richardson, Rivera, Rodriguez, Rosenthal L, Rozic, Ryan, Santabarbara, Seawright, Sepulveda, Simon, Simotas, Skartados, Skoufis, Solages, Steck, Thiele, Titone, Vanel, Walker, Wallace, Weinstein, Weprin, Williams, Wright
 
 
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K00469 Text:

 
Assembly Resolution No. 469
 
BY: M. of A. Niou
 
        MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim
        May  2017,  as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
        in the State of New York
 
  WHEREAS, Asian and Asian-Pacific Islander Americans have contributed
greatly to the wealth and cultural heritage of our great  State  of  New
York; and
 
  WHEREAS,  This  Legislative  Body  is  justly  proud  to memorialize
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim May 2017, as Asian Pacific American
Heritage Month in the  State  of  New  York,  in  conjunction  with  the
observance of National Asian Pacific American Heritage Month; and
 
  WHEREAS,  Asian Pacific Islander Americans comprise many ethnicities
and  languages,  and  their  myriad  achievements  embody  the  American
experience; and
 
  WHEREAS,   Asian   and  Pacific  Islander  Americans  have  fostered
enterprise to include many of our Nation's most successful  and  dynamic
businesses;  these men and women are leaders in every aspect of American
life such as government, industry,  science,  medicine,  the  arts,  our
Armed Forces, education and sports; and
 
  WHEREAS,  New  York received some of the first Asian arrivals in the
early 1800s; sailors and traders of the  China  trade  route  became  an
essential  part  of  the  port culture that formed in New York City, the
city of immigrants and the American Dream; and
 
  WHEREAS, New York is home to Asian and Asian Pacific Islanders  from
all  parts  of the Asian continent and Pacific Islands, including Japan,
China,  Taiwan,  Korea,  Thailand,  Vietnam,  Laos,   Burma   (Myanmar),
Cambodia,  Indonesia,  Malaysia,  the  Philippines,  Samoa,  Fiji, Guam,
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan; and
 
  WHEREAS, The United States Congress  passed  a  joint  Congressional
Resolution  in  1978,  to  commemorate  Asian and Asian Pacific American
Heritage Week during the first week of May; this date was chosen because
two important anniversaries occurred during this time:  the  arrival  of
the  first  Japanese  immigrants  in  America  on  May  7, 1843, and the
completion of the transcontinental railroad by Chinese laborers  on  May
10, 1869; and
 
  WHEREAS,  In  1990,  Congress  voted  to  expand it from a week to a
month-long celebration; in May 1992, the month of  May  was  permanently
designated as "Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month"; and
 
  WHEREAS,  According  to  the  2010  Census,  Asian and Asian Pacific
Islanders comprised 7.8% of the population of New York State and  12.7%,
and growing, of New York City; and
 
  WHEREAS,  New York is home to the second largest Asian population in
the country and Chinatown in Manhattan, Queens, and  Brooklyn  form  the
largest enclave of Chinese people in the Western hemisphere; and
 
 
  WHEREAS,  There  are  many  notable Asian and Asian Pacific Islander
Americans from New York, some of  whom  include:  Wataru  "Wat"  Misaka,
player  for  the  New York Knicks in the 1947-48 season; Yuri Kochiyama,
former World War II Internee and Nobel Peace  Prize  nominee;  Roger  Y.
Tsien,  awarded  the 2008 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his discovery and
development of the  green  fluorescent  protein  (GFP)  with  two  other
chemists:  Martin  Chalfie of Columbia University and Osamu Shimomura of
Boston University and Marine Biological Laboratory; Jip Chun, who worked
for Otis  Elevator  Co.  and  invented  a  fire  safety  switch  in  all
elevators;  Lucy  Liu,  Chinese  American actress from Woodside, Queens;
Hikaru  Utada,  Japanese  American  singer,  songwriter,  arranger,  and
producer;  Bill  Lann  Lee, Assistant United States Attorney General for
the United States Department of  Justice  Civil  Rights  Division  under
President Bill Clinton; Sheryl WuDunn, a SUNY Trustee and writer for The
New  York  Times and the first Asian American to win a Pulitzer Prize in
1990; Zubin Mehta, Conductor, New York Philharmonic  Orchestra;  Charles
Mingus, jazz double bassist, composer, band leader; Laura Chang, science
editor,  The  New  York  Times;  Michiko  Kakutani,  The  New York Times
literary critic and author;  Jennifer  Lee,  journalist,  The  New  York
Times;  John  Liu, the first Asian American elected to the New York City
Council (representing Flushing,  Queens)  in  2001  and  New  York  City
Comptroller;  Grace  Meng,  the first Asian American elected to the U.S.
Congress from New York; Benny Agbayani, former outfielder  for  the  New
York  Mets;  Yung Wing, the first Chinese person to graduate from a U.S.
college (Yale in 1854); and Jeremy Lin, player for the New  York  Knicks
in the 2011-2012 season, to name a few; and
 
  WHEREAS,  According  to  a newly released report, Asian Americans of
the Empire State: Growing Diversity and Common  Needs,  from  the  Asian
American Federation, the Asian population in New York State grew fastest
outside  of  New York City;the number of Asian American residents in the
suburban counties surrounding New York City grew by  approximately  50%,
marking the expansion of this community throughout our State; and
 
  WHEREAS,   With   the   population  growth  upstate  came  increased
diversity; Burmese Americans went from being too few to be  reported  to
the sixth largest Asian group in upstate counties in 2010; and
 
  WHEREAS,  By  recognizing  the  accomplishments and contributions of
Asian and Asian Pacific Americans, this great Empire State reaffirms our
commitment to diversity and equal opportunity for all, thereby  ensuring
a bright future for all New Yorkers and Americans; now, therefore, be it
 
  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to  proclaim  May  2017,  as  Asian
Pacific  American  Heritage  Month  in  the State of New York; and be it
further
 
  RESOLVED, That a copy of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted  to  The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of
New York.
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