The Washington State Senate unanimously passed a bill to designate January as Americans of Chinese Descent History Month, The Spokesman-Review reported.
Senate Bill 5000 aims to recognize the contributions of Americans of Chinese descent. The bill encourages public schools to participate in appropriate activities in commemoration of the month as well as “the lives, history, achievements, and contributions of Americans of Chinese descent.”
“(Students) can learn about this part of our history,” sponsor of the bill State Senator Keith Wagoner told The Spokesman-Review. “It means a lot to Americans of Chinese descent and their families, but it benefits us all because the history is factual, and the information is factual.”
The bill referenced the growth of the Chinese American community in Washington, stating that the state is home to the seventh-largest population of Americans of Chinese descent in the U.S. According to the 2020 American Community Survey, there was a growth of almost 80,000 in the population of people of Chinese descent since the 2010 census.
According to The Spokesman-Review, legislators chose the month of January due to its proximity to Lunar New Year.
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“It is long overdue to establish Americans of Chinese Descent History Month,” Washington Asians for Equity Linda Yang told The Spokesman-Review. “The designated month must be meaningful to Chinese Americans so that the community will embrace it every year. No other month fits better than January.”
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