WHEREAS, On January 13, 1903, 102 trailblazing Korean women, men, and child immigrants arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii, on the S.S. Gaelic, to become the first members of a now thriving community of approximately 2 million in the United States; and

WHEREAS, these first Korean immigrants came in search of a better life, and despite facing blatant racial discrimination and substantial inequities, pressed forward to work hard, raise their families, and integrate as valued members of the communities; and

WHEREAS, today, the business, academic, and religious communities where Korean Americans reside invigorates all of society; and

WHEREAS, contributions and accomplishments, by Asian American women specifically, include: the first woman from an ethnic minority group to be elected to the United States Congress (1964); election of the first Korean American woman, Young Kim, to United States Congress (2020); the first woman to be president of the American Physical Society (1975), a nonprofit organization working to advance the knowledge of physics; the founding of Gidra, a revolutionary monthly newspaper, pivotal to the Asian American Civil Rights Movement (1969-1974); and myriad of achievements in engineering, architecture, medicine, and the arts; and

WHEREAS, Korean American women’s community participation and interaction with local government has increased substantially over recent years, coinciding greatly with growing diversity in the city.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Erin Mendenhall, Mayor of Salt Lake City, proclaim July 31, 2021 as:

Korean American Women’s Day in Salt Lake City

To view an electronic copy of the signed resolution, click here.