PROCLAMATION CONGRATULATING THE HERCULES CHINESE ASSOCIATION ON THEIR 45TH ANNIVERSARY AND DECLARING FEBRUARY 25, 2024 AS CHINESE HERITAGE DAY IN THE CITY OF HERCULES WHEREAS, the Chinese Association of Hercules was established in 1979 as a non-profit mutual benefit corporation organized to be primarily social in nature, with non-political, non-sectarian, and non-discrimination values; and WHEREAS, the Association’s purpose is to promote friendship and cooperation among its members and community, to foster pride in the City, to promote traditional Chinese culture and to provide a strong voice for the Chinese in the Hercules community; and WHEREAS, the Association consists of more than 250 members from Hercules and surrounding communities, who participate in and support many city-sponsored events, such as community cleanup day, cultural festival, July 4th parade, and tree lighting ceremony; and WHEREAS, the Association successfully raised funds for the Hercules Library and the Earthquake relief effort in China, has organized free health and safety seminars for its members and has initiated free classes at the Hercules Senior Center, including Tai Chi and Yuen Ji Chinese Dance; and WHEREAS, in 1990, the Association established the Academic Achievement Awards Program to recognize Association members, Grades 3-12, encouraging students to attend college and to promote community involvement. Since the program’s inception, awards have been presented to more than 300 scholar recipients; and WHEREAS, in 2008, the Chinese Association, in partnership with the Hercules Historical Society, installed a memorial plaque at Frog Pad Park dedicated to the memory of the Chinese workers who toiled under treacherous conditions at Hercules Powder Works, many of whom perished in explosions; and WHEREAS, the year 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the departure of the once indispensable immigrant and California-born Chinese workforce from the powder works plant.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED that I, Dan Romero, Mayor of the City of Hercules, on behalf of the entire City Council and the Hercules community, do hereby recognize and congratulate the Hercules Chinese Association on their 45th anniversary and do hereby proclaim February 25, 2024 as Chinese Heritage Day in the City of Hercules.
I further call upon all citizens of Hercules to celebrate the contributions made by Chinese residents past and present and to recognize the valuable role played by the Chinese Association in Hercules.
In witness whereof, I hereunto set my hand and cause the Seal of the City of Hercules to be affixed this 13th day of February 2024.
Dan Romero, Mayor