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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
21-9
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
March 3, 2015
To recognize the Chinese community in the District of Columbia for its generous and valued contributions to the social, cultural, and political life of the city, to honor the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association for its sponsorship of the parade to celebrate the Year of the Sheep, and to declare February 22, 2015, as “Chinese Lunar New Year 4713, Year of the Sheep Day” in the District of Columbia. .
WHEREAS, Chinese people have lived in the District of Columbia as a community since 1884, when nearly 100 immigrants settled near 3rd Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., and remained until 1935, when the settlement area moved to its current location along H Street, N.W., which is commonly known as “Chinatown”;
WHEREAS, today there are more than 40 Chinese businesses and some 1,000 Chinese residents in Chinatown, which serves as the center of health care, dining, and shopping for the 40,000 Chinese residents in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area;
WHEREAS, Chinatown is a unique cultural and social center for the District, providing visitors with a taste of Chinese culture;
WHEREAS, the District of Columbia’s commitment to the Chinese community continues as the government strives to improve services for the Chinese community through the establishment of the Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs, the Metropolitan Police Department’s Asian Liaison Unit in Chinatown, and the Chinatown Community Cultural Center, which we salute;
WHEREAS, thousands of District of Columbia residents will gather along H and 7th Streets, N.W., on Sunday, February 22, 2015, to enjoy the dragon-led parade and celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year;
WHEREAS, the annual anniversary celebration and parade for the Chinese Lunar New Year, sponsored by the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, is nationally known as one of the finest celebrations of color, art, and pageantry; and
WHEREAS, the Chinese community welcomes our neighbors, the Verizon Center, Convention Center, Gallery Place, and many others whose partnerships promote and enhance the economic, social, and cultural opportunities for the residents of Washington, D.C., to achieve the vision and objectives set forth in the Downtown Comprehensive Plan for a living downtown.
IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that the Council of the District of Columbia salutes the Chinese community of the District of Columbia and the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association for its many contributions to the social, economic, cultural, and political life of the city, honors the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association for its sponsorship of the parade to celebrate the Chinese New Year, and declares February 22, 2015, as “Chinese Lunar New Year 4713, Year of the Sheep Day” in the District of Columbia.
Sec. 2. This resolution may be cited as the "Chinese Lunar New Year 4713, Year of the Sheep Recognition Resolution of 2015”.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of publication in the District of Columbia Register.
