Apology for the Chinese Exclusion Act Passed

Below is an excerpt from a press release from Honorable Betty Tom Chu, Honorable Dr. Sophie C. Wong, John Wong, and John Gee.

Senate Joint Resolution 23, as amended, and Senate Concurrent Resolution 122, was passed unanimously by the California State Senate on June 5, 2014.

The Apology for the Chinese Exclusion Act Committee, a grassroots organization formed by Hon. Betty Tom Chu, former Mayor of City of Monterey Park; Hon. Dr. Sophie C. Wong, former President/Board of Education, Alhambra Unified School District; John Wong, founder of Chinese-American Citizens

Alliance/Greater San Gabriel Valley Lodge, Immediate Past CACA Grand Vice-President (National); and John Gee, CACA Grand Representative (National) and Immediate Past President, are working to obtain formal apologies to be issued to Chinese Americans for the enactment of the Chinese

Exclusion Act of 1882 and similar laws. That Act was the only time U.S.federal law was passed to exclude immigration rights based solely on race. The results tore many Chinese-American families apart. The affects of the Chinese Exclusion Act prohibited voting, naturalization, and served as a national narrative tone for discrimination against the Chinese. Senator Bob Huff (R-29th Dist) introduced SJR 23 on April 10, 2014,

following the request from the Chinese-American Citizens Alliance/Greater

San Gabriel Valley Lodge (CACA/GSGVL) in Monterey Park.

SJR 23, as amended, is a request by the California Legislature to the U.S. Congress for the adoption of resolutions of apology to the Chinese-American community for enactment of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and other similar Chinese Exclusion Laws. The apology of the California State Legislature for the enactment of past discriminatory laws and constitutional provisions that resulted in the persecution of Chinese living in California, in SJR 23 as introduced, is now separated into SCR 122.

Previous efforts to attain an official apology from the U.S. Congress resulted in the passage of a Resolution of Regret in 2012. But as Senator Huff explained, "An expression of 'regret' is different from an actual

apology. Regret is ambiguous and may or may not imply guilt. An apology is clear, expressing both regret and responsibility." Indeed, this was the cornerstone of rationale taken by the Apology for the Chinese Exclusion Act Committee.