161
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                H.C.R. NO.         
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                     HOUSE CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

   REQUESTING THAT THE GOVERNOR ISSUE A PROCLAMATION RENAMING
   THE THIRD MONDAY IN JANUARY AS DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
   DAY (CIVIL RIGHTS DAY)IN THE STATE OF HAWAII.



 1      WHEREAS, the purpose of this Resolution is to broaden the
 2 significance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in Hawaii to
 3 commemorate and appreciate the civil rights of all Americans by
 4 observing the anniversary of Executive Order 9066 on January 19,
 5 1942 which ordered the internment of 120,000 people of Japanese
 6 ancestry at the onset of World War II; and
 7 
 8      WHEREAS, just as it is important to remember Dr. King's
 9 fight against the discrimination of African-Americans, the
10 internment of Japanese Americans was also an ugly mark upon
11 American history; and 
12 
13      WHEREAS, these events symbolized the importance and
14 fragility of our civil rights; and
15 
16      WHEREAS, there is a common interest among all Americans,
17 regardless of race, color, or creed, to protect our rights and
18 liberties; and
19 
20      WHEREAS, an annual observance would serve to educate and
21 remind us of this ongoing human struggle; and
22 
23      WHEREAS, people of Italian and German ancestry were detained
24 at a Sand Island camp, and over 1500 people of Japanese ancestry
25 were imprisoned in an internment camp in Honouliuli; and
26 
27      WHEREAS, in Hawaii, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day should
28 be a day to remember that civil liberties are dear to all
29 Americans and must be guarded and preserved by its citizens; now,
30 therefore,
31 
32      BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
33 Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of
34 2000, the Senate concurring, that the Governor is urged to issue
35 a proclamation officially declaring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
36 Day to be hereinafter known as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
37 (Civil Rights Day); and

 
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                                     H.C.R. NO.         
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1      BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
 2 Resolution be transmitted to the Governor of the State of Hawaii,
 3 the Chair of the Hawaii Japanese American Citizens League, the
 4 American Civil Liberties Union and the Hawaii Civil Rights 
 5 Commission.
 6 
 7 
 8 
 9 
10                         OFFERED BY:______________________________