Korean American Day To Be Officially Recognized
The Montgomery County Council will propose legislation to codify 22 days of special commemoration.
Montgomery County residents may enjoy a 28th day of special commemoration around this time next January.
The Montgomery County Council on Tuesday introduced a bill to officially add Korean American Day to the county's list of designated days of religious, ethnic and cultural significance. The day is already recognized by the county executive office, but has not been officially added to county law.
About 30,000 Montgomery County residents are Korean Americans, making up about 3 percent of the county's population, according to county records. Korean American day is celebrated on Jan. 13 to recognize the first group of immigrants to the U.S. from Korea, who arrived Jan. 13, 1903.
Councilmember Valerie Ervin (D-Dist 5) of Silver Spring proposed the bill.
"I was approached by leaders of the Korean American community who desperately wanted their day to be codified in law," Ervin said. With all nine council members signed on as cosponsors, Ervin believes the bill will be passed without contest.
The county's days of commemoration were enacted in 2006 at the request of multiple community groups, said Councilmember George Leventhal (D-At Large) of Takoma Park.
"It was the council's judgment then that identifying this list was a nice way to educate county employees and the public about culturally significant days," he said. "It can help all of us understand each other better."
The law officially recognized five days of commemoration, but also allowed for the county executive's chief administrative officer to designate other holidays. Officially recognized days include Martin Luther King Day and Ash Wednesday.
In addition to Ervin's bill, Leventhal has indicated that he will propose a second bill that will codify all of the CAO's additional 22 days of commemoration, including Korean American day, Christmas and Passover. The approval of these days will not necessarily grant county employees days off, or other wise change county schedules unless specified in law.
Sharon Adams
8:35 pm on Sunday, January 22, 2012
Let's see (from my memory of Federal employment).... We celebrated during my employment Black History Day AND Month, American (Indian) Heritage Month, Hispanic Heritage Day, a National holiday for Martin Luther King (but rarely a boo when the anniversary dates of President John Kennedy's or Robert Kennedy's assassinations let alone a national holiday) etc. Now we will commemorate Korean American Day. When will there be an Irish Heritage Day or will there be some rude & crude joke (profiling) that the Irish have St Patrick's Day & 'everyday' in Irish pubs? Hummm! I am being facetious, believe me. But come on now, Folks (Astute Council Members), don't we have more important bills to endorse and enact! Rhetorical! How can diversity 'unit' us as a country when through law you basically separate/segregate an entire populace by singling one out!
Corbin Dallas Multipass
12:03 am on Monday, January 23, 2012
"When will there be an Irish Heritage Day"
"I was approached by leaders of the Korean American community who desperately wanted their day to be codified in law,"
Perhaps when leaders of the Irish American community who desperately want their day to be codified in law approach the council.
Fortune McLemore
9:10 am on Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Your comment angers me greatly. The man I love is Korean American, and we live in Montgomery County. I'm very proud of his heritage, and I for one welcome a celebration of it. The Asian community is a very important part of life in this area, and in the country in general. If you don't like cultural diversity, you need to get out of the DC area, because there's probably too much of it here for you.
Corbin Dallas Multipass
11:39 pm on Sunday, January 22, 2012
For those interested the listing of all Montgomery County "Commemoration" days is here: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgtmpl.asp?url=/content/exec/commemoration/index.asp
jnrentz1
9:38 am on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Will the County Council ever designate and recognize a European-American Heritage Day?
Corbin Dallas Multipass
10:08 am on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
"Will the County Council ever designate and recognize a European-American Heritage Day?"
"I was approached by leaders of the Korean American community who desperately wanted their day to be codified in law,"
Perhaps when leaders of the European-American community who desperately want their day to be codified in law approach the council.
AntonFisher
10:37 am on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
What about an Arab-American day, Jewish-American day, Russian-American Day, Iraqi-American day, Palestinian American day, whatever Heritage- American dat etc????????
Sharon Adams
10:12 am on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Had to laugh @ response to jnrentz1. Are you on instant 'recorded replay' whenever this question is asked by 'anybody', Corbin!!!???
Corbin Dallas Multipass
10:47 am on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
It was just too easy.
I think DCGUY was being funny, but if I responded to him I would have 6 more responses. Sigh.
Here, I'll summarize for finality: Perhaps when Leaders of [Insert Ethnicity] Community who desperately want their day to be codified in law approach the council, that [Insert Ethnicity] Community will get their day designated and recognized.
It's just such a silly question to ask when it is literally right there in the article.
AntonFisher
1:41 pm on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
I think rather than celebrating our subcultural differences and having them recognized by the County based on the level of organization the subgroup may have, we are better celebrating out unity and our Americanism.
Jeff Hawkins
1:52 pm on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
DCGUY:
I like your notion.....
I'd like to think we have that already with our Fourth of July celebration. I guess that is just not good enough though.....
Sharon Adams
2:59 pm on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
To both DCGuy & Jeff Hawkins.... That was my point in my first comment on this thread...that creating 'law or bill' to recognize individual ethnic groups tends to divide rather than unite. We three are definitely on the same page. And this designating 'special days' is comically absurd! Hey, guess it looks good come time when elections and reelections come around again. Hummm! LOL!
Jeff Hawkins
3:28 pm on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Sharon:
You did make a valid point and thank you. I imagine someday all 365 days of the year will be designated for some ethnic group. It's not the most terrible thing in the world, but as you say it can lead to "hard feelings" from the groups NOT recognized as yet.
I'm hoping for a English-Scotch-Irish-Welsh-French-German-Finnish-Native American day specifically, then I can feel better about myself!
Now as for the political aspect of this, think of it as one big "baby-kissing" event.
jnrentz1
4:29 pm on Wednesday, March 7, 2012
I concur with Mr. Parker, well said indeed.