Full Text of HR0233 103rd General Assembly
HR0233 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, On April 30, 1975, Saigon, the capital of the | 3 | | Republic of Vietnam, popularly known as South Vietnam, was | 4 | | overthrown by the North Vietnamese army, and the Republic of | 5 | | Vietnam was dissolved; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Vietnamese and Americans worked together to | 7 | | organize the largest helicopter evacuation in history from the | 8 | | United States Embassy in Saigon, helping over 7,000 people, | 9 | | including 5,500 Vietnamese, leave within 24 hours; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Further operations supported by Americans that | 11 | | spring, summer, and autumn helped approximately 125,000 | 12 | | Vietnamese refugees leave their country, and the eventual | 13 | | creation of a refugee program with the assistance of the | 14 | | United Nations helped over 500,000 Vietnamese people immigrate | 15 | | to the United States; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, Vietnamese American communities annually | 17 | | commemorate the Fall of Saigon, known as "Black April", in | 18 | | order to recognize the sacrifices of those in their | 19 | | communities who fought in defense of the ideals of democracy, | 20 | | freedom, and human rights; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, Over the past half century, hundreds of thousands |
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| 1 | | of Vietnamese people have settled in the United States and | 2 | | have worked to build vibrant communities that contribute to | 3 | | the rich diversity of the United States; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Illinois has its own vibrant community of | 5 | | Vietnamese and Vietnamese Americans, including refugees who | 6 | | helped establish a "Little Saigon" neighborhood in a corridor | 7 | | along Argyle Street in Chicago's Uptown area, building | 8 | | businesses and social service organizations; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois community of Vietnamese and | 10 | | Vietnamese Americans has grown over the past half century from | 11 | | just hundreds of people to between 30,000 and 40,000 today; | 12 | | therefore, be it
| 13 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 14 | | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 15 | | we honor the contributions of Vietnamese and Vietnamese | 16 | | Americans to the United States and their values of upholding | 17 | | human rights, freedom, and democracy and recognize the | 18 | | sacrifices made in order to support these values, including | 19 | | losses of family, home, and life; and be it further | 20 | | RESOLVED, That we honor the courage, dignity, strength, | 21 | | and resilience of Vietnamese refugees who were forced to flee | 22 | | their home to escape persecution and rebuild their lives and |
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| 1 | | recognize the need to build empathy and understanding for the | 2 | | plight of refugees; and be it further
| 3 | | RESOLVED, That we urge all Illinoisans to take time to | 4 | | learn about the history and contributions of Vietnamese and | 5 | | Vietnamese American people to Illinois and the United States.
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