Home to a large population of Korean American immigrants, New York City officially names January 13th as Korean American Day.
City Councilman Peter Koo of New York along with the City Council announced that they have collectively agreed to name January 13th as Korean American Day. This date was chosen due to a historical point of when the first Koreans stepped foot into the United States on the SS Gaelic to Hawaii in 1903. The ship carried about 100 men, women, and children to the new land.
The President of the Korean American Association of the Greater Sung Min stated, “For the past three decades, the hard work and good nature of Korean-Americans have contributed greatly to the quality of life for residents of New York whether they have realized it or not.”
The Korean population in the city reached an all time high as the numbers recently jumped 11% between 2008 to 2011, totaling over 103,000 Korean Americans in New York alone. This small advancement was believed to make a large impact for the future of Korean American citizens. Sung Min added, “Today marks an important step that will enable our community to join the mainstream and move forward together.”
Ron Kim, the first Korean American elected to the state Legislature, also hopes that Asian Americans will be recognized for their cultures and celebrations. He stated, “I hope they will join me in advocating for the institutional recognition of important Asian American holidays like Lunar New Year. Too many students in New York City are being punished for celebrating their cultures.”
Source: New York Times
