3351593v1 - updated 005/16/2024
APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY
________________________
CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO. _______________ C.M.S.
INTRODUCED BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT NIKKI FORTUNATO BAS AND
COUNCILMEMBER JANANI RAMACHANDRAN
RESOLUTION IN CELEBRATION OF MAY 2024 AS ASIAN AMERICAN
AND PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH AND HONORING
ASIAN AMERICANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS WHOSE SERVICE
AND LEADERSHIP IN OAKLAND CONTRIBUTE TO A MORE
VIBRANT AND JUST CITY
WHEREAS, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans have made essential and enduring contributions to the history of Oakland, California, and the nation, helping to build, defend, and strengthen our nation – as farmworkers and railroad laborers, entrepreneurs and scientists, soldiers, public sector workers, health professionals, artists, community activists and leaders of government; and
WHEREAS, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans have endured hardships, including unjust working conditions, prejudice, and discrimination in some of the darkest times in our country’s history, including the Chinese Exclusion Act, naturalized citizenship ineligibility, the Alien Land Law, anti-miscegenation laws, and Japanese internment; and
WHEREAS, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans continue to cultivate and advance innovative knowledge, economic growth and unique cultural vitality in the fields of art, fashion, business, technology, medicine, science, education, government, law, humanities, sports, and entertainment; and
WHEREAS, Asian and Pacific Islanders Americans have led and joined a long legacy of activism and organizing in the United States in the movements for civil rights, immigrants’ rights, women’s rights, workers’ rights, LGBTQ rights, racial justice, and environmental justice, much of which took root in Oakland and the surrounding Bay Area during the 1960s and continues today; and
WHEREAS, Oakland is home to nearly 70,000 Asian and Pacific Islander Americans, and Asian and Pacific Islander Americans are one of the fastest growing ethnic populations in California and the United States; and
2 WHEREAS, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans comprise more than 17 percent of Oakland’s population and represent diverse ancestries that include, but are not limited to, Asian Indian, Bangladeshi, Bhutanese, Burmese, Cambodian, Chamorro, Chinese, Taiwanese, Filipino, Hmong, Indonesian, Iu-Mien, Iwo Jiman, Guamanian, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Malaysian, Maldivian, Mongolian, Nepalese, Native Hawaiian, Vietnamese, Okinawan, Pakistani, Samoan, Singaporean, Sri Lankan, Thai, Tongan, and other Pacific Islander; and
WHEREAS, there are many challenges that predominantly Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander members of the diverse Asian and Pacific Islander American community are facing, including higher rates of poverty, incarceration, health disparities, and limited English proficiency; and
WHEREAS, the federal government and the State of California officially designate May as “Asian Pacific American Heritage Month” and the theme for 2024 is “Advancing Leaders Through Innovation”; and
WHEREAS, the celebration of Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month offers Oakland residents an opportunity to recognize the achievements, contributions, challenges, and history of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans; and
WHEREAS, the Oakland City Council would like to collectively honor and celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander Americans throughout the month of May and encourage our community to enjoy art, dance, culture, film, discussions, festivals, and more throughout our city, including events at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, Oakland Museum of California, and supporting our local businesses corridors of Chinatown, Little Saigon, Koreatown and across all of Oakland; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That the Oakland City Council recognizes May 2024 as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and celebrates and honors the service and leadership of a multitude of individuals, organizations, and efforts contributing to a more vibrant and just Oakland.
IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,
PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES - FIFE, GALLO, JENKINS, KALB, KAPLAN, RAMACHANDRAN, REID, AND
PRESIDENT FORTUNATO BAS
NOES –
ABSENT –
ABSTENTION –
ATTEST:
ASHA REED
City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the
City of Oakland, Califor