141
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                H.R. NO.           
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                     HOUSE 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, that the Governor is urged to issue a proclamation
35 officially declaring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to be
36 hereinafter known as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Civil
37 Rights Day); and

 
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                                     H.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:______________________________