POPVOX User Comments Supporting a Resolution
“Expressing regret for laws that adversely affected the Chinese in the US including the Chinese Exclusion Act”
PopVox is a web-based medium that tracks pending legislation in Congress. It allows citizens to express their opinion for or against proposed legislation. In the final weekend before the House vote on the House Resolution to condemn the 1882 Act and laws of exclusion, PopVox recorded the following user comments. Except when included in the body of message, indicators of the person’s name and address were removed and replaced with the first initial of their email address.
H.Res. 683
H.Res. 282
A in North Carolina’s 12th District (Jun 18)
Through grade-school, I was never taught much history of Asians in America. Countless times, my teachers have told me that “it was not relevant” or “it was not my specialty” — both excuses excluded me from learning the common history of my peoples. History is said to be the discipline of progress – knowing where we have come from, acknowledging patterns of political human behaviors, and hypothesizing what will come next so our nation’s leaders can react appropriately. My parents instilled my appreciation of my Asian heritage (Chinese and Filipino), and my involvements during college helped me foster my passion for Asian American activism and political issues. At the bottom line, I am a proud and patriotic American. I seek a better life for myself and those around me. Excluding the true nature oft he Chinese Exclusion Acts is a considerable slight against ALL Americans – robbing us all of the historic truth History is supposed to be written by the victors. We must honor our history with truth, not illusion. Justin Hua Davidson ’11
d in Texas’s 7th District (Jun 20)
I support H.Res. 683 because…it has been 130 years since the Chinese Exclusion Act was first enacted. Please support passage of this resolution. My Congress representatives are Senator John Cornyn and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson. Dorothy Chow Houston, TX
A in California’s 8th District (Jun 19)
I support H.Res. 683 expressing regret for the Chinese Exclusion Act because this is a grave injustice to the Chinese people that contributed so much to our community. It’s long overdue.
h in California’s 17th District (Jun 18)
Safeguarding the civil rights of all the people requires constant vigilance. It must be taught to each succeeding generation! Today’s youth need to know the struggles we and our parents had to contend with–restrictive housing covenants and racial immigration quotas among them.
W in California’s 12th District (Jun 18)
Our country needs to take responsibility for racist actions in the past, in order to not repeat them. Currently, people who desire to immigrate to the U.S. are treated as criminals when it is our own system and exclusionary laws that have failed. Sincerely, Wei Ming Dariotis.
L in California’s 12th District (Jun 18)
If it wasn’t for the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion laws during the 1940s and the lifting of the racial quotas in the 1960s, my own parents would not have been able to immigrate to the United States. Both of them me teach other in the US, earned higher degrees of education, and worked to earn a comfortable living for themselves and their family. I can’t imagine what my life would be like if they hadn’t made their life changing decision to leave their home country. It’s important for our country to acknowledge that targeting a specific group of people from coming to the United States and having equal status is wrong. The fact that this law was passed before is a stain on our country’s record towards human rights. We must be willing to be honest and own up to this past mistake in order to move forward as a free society. As a proud citizen of the United States, I look to the Congress to vote yes on this resolution. Thank You! Sincerely, Amy Lam, California CD-12
H in California’s 2nd District (Jun 18)
My family have been discriminated since we came over in 1851 to Monterey, California. We never expected much but as equal citizens in America. I was born the year that the Chinese Exclusion Act was finally repelled. The history of California is a bright and golden one; but never how the Chinese settled throughout our state. I am a fifth generation Chinese that is proud of the red, white, and blue. Please give us the credit how we help build this great Nation.
T in California’s 14th District (Jun 18)
This approval is long overdue to the Chinese American. This will also be served as a warning sign for the future generation that the discrimination to any race is shameful and unlawful. Everyone should be treated equally regardless of race or gentle.
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R in California’s 10th District (Jun18)
It’s time for America to own up to its racist past, make amends, and move forward.
C in California’s 8th District (Jun 18)
I support H.Res. 683 expressing regret for the Chinese Exclusion Act because part of the backlash from this act resulted in my father spending time at the Angel Island Immigration Station when he came to the U.S. in 1936 as a young boy. He would never talk about what he experienced while held there…but stories told by others left much to the imagination of what he was put through. To his dying day, he never mentioned that episode in his life. With the passage of H. Res. 683, perhaps he can now really rest in peace
E in California’s 12th District (Jun 18)
I support H.Res. 683 because of the hardships my Grandfather and my Father suffered during their time in America especially being separated from their wives. My Grandfather only spent 2 years with his wife in China and died in America, alone, never seeing his wife again. I had experienced the prejudices towards my parents when I was growing up and it was a horrible feeling to know you were not liked. My parents lived in fear for most of their lives. You can see it in their eyes. Both oh my parents died old and I was closed to 40 years because my mother was allowed to come to America after WWII and my dad was 40 when he had me. They never lived to meet my third child. With this said, please help to pass this bill because it is the right thing to do. Thank you for your help. This is greatly appreciated.
j in Arizona’s 6th District (Jun 18)
I support H.Res. 683 because this was an unfortunate part of the US history that we can all learn from. Congress should stand up and do the right thing and show the world that the US leads the way in recognizing wrongs that were done in the past and is not afraid to acknowledge it and learn from it. Thanks.
A in Virginia’s 11th District (Jun18)
I support H.Res. 683 because my family was a victim of the Chinese Exclusion Act. My family was denied entrance to the U.S. even though my father was American Citizen.
u in California’s 14th District (Jun 18)
It is time to apologize to Chinese Americans about the discriminatory actions of the past by US.
a in New Mexico’s 1st District (Jun 18)
The past discrimination against Chinese and other people from Asia harmed a group of citizens who have contributed selflessly to this country. My parents who emigrated in 1952 felt the effects of this discrimination when they lived in Clovis, NM, and this resolution will provide reassurance that Congress can recognized its mistakes and rectify wrongs. We look forward to your leadership and support of this resolution.
G in California’s 13th District (Jun 18)
My ancestors who arrived from China by Chinese sailing junk (boat) to America in 1851 to the Monterey Peninsula, California area were affected by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. My great grandmother Quock Mui is the first documented Chinese female born in the Monterey Bay Area. My ancestor’s Chinese fishing village in Pacific Grove burned down mysteriously in 1906. It was this anti-Chinese climate of the time that pushed for the passing in1882 of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Please support U.S. Congress: H. Res. 683, Expressing the regret of the House of Representatives for the passage of laws that adversely affected the Chinese in the United States, including the Chinese Exclusion Act. Google “Gerry Low-Sabado” or “Geraldine Low-Sabado” for more information about Gerry and her ancestors.
a in California’s 14th District (Jun 18)
I support H.Res.683 – and urge you to make history by putting a closure to these Chinese Exclusion Laws. Thank you!
d in Texas’s 7th District (Jun 18)
It has been 130 years since the Chinese Exclusion Act was first enacted. It is time to put it behind us and move on. My Congress representatives are Senator John Cornyn and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson. Daniel Chow Houston, TX.
1 in California’s 6th District (Jun 18)
I personally have family members who were prevented from immigrating to this country solely because they were Chinese. The United States has never denied entry to any other nation except the Chinese, despite the notion that “all men are created equal. The mental anguish of being separated from family directly affected my grandfather’s psychic deterioration and my father’s as well.
A in Oregon’s 5th District (Jun18)
My family was separated for years, with my father studying and then working for the science community in the U.S., while his family in Taiwan (Republic of China) was prevented from joining him in the U.S. due to the Immigration Quota Laws. My family in Taiwan was finally able to join my father in the U.S. in 1961, after President Kennedy signed an Executive Order allowing my family (and other families in similar situations) to wait for our Immigration Quota in the U.S. My family suffered hardship from being separated for many years.
A in Virginia’s 2nd District (Jun 17)
I support H.Res. 683 because it separated members of my family beginning with my great grandfather and then my grandfather, who each came to the U.S. for better economic opportunities but could not bring their wives. My grandfather brought my father as a youth to this country in 1925 and my father ended up on his own. He stayed to make a life for himself here, but faced significant limitations under the Chinese Exclusion Act. It wasn’t until 1943when my father was drafted into the U.S. army that citizenship was finally offered to Chinese immigrants. The Act discriminated against Chinese emerged from long-standing anti-Chinese sentiment, and justified other discriminatory actions against Chinese in America. Public recognition of the injustice of this act is important as is the promise that no group in the U.S. will ever be the target of such discriminatory legislation in the future.
A in California’s 8th District (Jun 17)
Healing cannot began without acknowledgement and recognition of the discriminatory immigration policy which singled out laborers from China. The policy had a profound effect on families, delaying the acculturation process and acceptance of Chinese in America. There are ripple effects in families even today. Regret seems too small a world for the recognition, but there must be a sincere effort to square this unjust chapter in American immigration history. Felicia Lowe
A in Maryland’s 8th District(Jun 17)
This has been an issue that has long simmered with resentment and regret and nobody has opposed this bill to make things better for all of us. It will have absolutely no negative impacts on you, other Members, or anybody in the nation. It will mean a lot to the millions of Americans who have suffered from old laws, and your contribution to passing this simple bill will renew and strengthen our faith in our Nation. Please support it and vote for it with vigor and enthusiasm! Jim and Gale in Bethesda.
A in New York’s 8th District(Jun 17)
Though I was born in the US many years after the Chinese Exclusion act was repealed, it still has a very personal impact on me – 130 years after the passing of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Please see the following link where I share a story of the personal impact of the ChineseExclusionAct.http://blogmoca.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/apersonal-story-of-the-impact-of-the-chineseexclusion-act-of-1882/
S in Texas’s 7th District (Jun 17)
It will not cost a single penny from the Federal government and is the right thing to do.
C in New York’s 3rd District (Jun 17)
Many in my family, relatives, and Chinese community suffered the adverse consequences of these laws which led to discriminatory behaviors that undermined the very humanity and integrity of all of us as people. Jean Lau Chin
M in Washington’s 7thDistrict (Jun 17)
It’s the right thing to do after passing laws that were unconstitutional & adversely affected the Chinese in this country.
j in Virginia’s 11th District (Jun 17)
These laws represent a shameful part of our American history that Congress must repudiate. The Chinese came here more than a century ago in search of a better life. However, they faced harsh conditions and Congress passed numerous discriminatory laws that barred the Chinese from accessing basic rights afforded to other immigrants. These laws resulted in hatred, bigotry, and prejudice towards the Chinese. Many were brutally murdered, abused, harassed, and detained. Please support passage of H. Res. 683.
B in Washington’s 7th District (Jun17)
I am 70 years old – I never grew up with grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins or any relative from my father’s village in China. When my mother was able to come to Seattle with my oldest brother in 1931, they never got to return to see their family members in China again. They never were able to bring family members to reunite in USA. My oldest brother is Wing Luke. There is a Pan-Asian American museum named after him in Seattle because he helped make huge gains I social justice, historic and cultural preservation and ethical politics. The museum has become world renowned, is a Smithsonian Affiliate and the only Pan-Asian American museum in the nation and the world. How many other “Wing Lukes” were prevented from coming to USA by the unconstitutional 1882Chinese Exclusion Laws that existed for 60 years? Many lost opportunities to make this country a better place. The Exclusion Laws still strike echoes of loss in my heart today.
B in California’s 14th District (Jun17)
I support H.Res. 683 because going through Angel Island Museum is still a shock to Chinese today.
A in New York’s 11th District (Jun 16)
The country should take responsibility for wrongs of the past and show the Chinese community of today that it is a valued part of the citizenry. Congress should take a strong stand against discrimination of any kind.
R iin New York’s 17th District (Jun 16)
I support H.Res. 282, a formal apology from Congress for the Chinese Exclusion Act, which discriminated against Chinese trying to immigrate
to the United States. Chinese were THE ONLYNATIONALITY SPECIFICALLY EXCLUDED from immigrating to this country. The first step to eliminating racism must always be admitting it exists. My two adopted Chinese daughters will thank you.
C in New Mexico’s 1st District (Jun 16)
There were residual effects on Americans of Chinese descent well into the 1960’s.The first in my family to graduate from college, I could not apply for a teaching certificate and had to move to another state to provide the benefits of my education to students. My mother, an American citizen, did not vote because of intimidation at the polls, In order to vote, I had to pass a written exam on the Constitution of the United States. I vowed to help make changes in our society. State laws enabled discrimination of Chinese and other minorities, limiting housing, educational, and job opportunities. Despite these injustices, resourceful, resilient Chinese worked hard in small business enterprises, raising their children as loyal Americans embracing and serving their communities and nation. Passage of H. Res. 683 one day after Father’s Day honors our forebears for their sacrifices and their contributions. We must pledge to vigilantly avoid making the same mistakes in our shared future. This is a proud moment for all Americans who treasure justice and equality!
T in New Mexico’s 1st District (Jun 16)
I am Chinese-American, and I am 80 this year. I remember how those laws, not repealed until 1943, affected my family. How we could not own land, how we were only able to live in certain areas of cities, not because we didn’t have the monetary means, but because of our race. When I moved to New Mexico in 1958, the Alien Land Law, adopted into the State’s Constitution in 1921, was still on the books, this law prohibited Chinese and Americans of Chinese Descent from owning land in New Mexico. After the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1943 this rendered the New Mexico Law dead. However, this dead law was not removed until 2006, with the help of State Senator Cisco McSorley, and an informative Op-Ed by Dr. David Hsi, then President of the Albuquerque Chapter of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance. This Expression of Regret goes a long way to heal the wounds caused by these racist laws, conducted by the Congress of the past institutional racism has no place in the modern world. This is a great companion to Senate Res 201.
S in New Mexico’s 1st District (Jun16)
It was/is wrong to discriminate individuals based on one’s race, national origin, or other personal traits and thus there should be a Congressional expression of regrets for the discriminatory laws, including the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, against Chinese immigrants in the 20th century.
p in California’s 13th District (Jun 16)
As a Chinese American, I believe the past unfair treatment to Chinese should be officially recognized by US government. It’s humanity. Thank you.
3 in Virginia’s 11th District (Jun 16)
While not the apology that it should be, H.Res. 683 is an historic act by Congress that brings attention to its role in the shameful Chinese Exclusion Laws. The resolution ensures that this history is not forgotten. This awareness then forces us to ask for ourselves and children how did these laws, with all its violent consequences to countless individuals and families and to American
Principles, get passed. The laws were not a single act explainable by an attack or calamity. They were a series of laws deliberately passed and enacted in increasing harshness over almost a century, by democratically elected and empowered officials. This resolution challenges us to understand how our democratic country got it so wrong. But, it also allows us to reaffirm our faith in a government that can evaluate its past against renewed commitments to our founding and constitutional principles, and admit wrong. This then strengthens the United States going forward, and it honors those people (Chinese or others) who suffered and struggled for the United States because they deemed this nation worth it despite exclusion laws.
J in Tennessee’s 3rd District (Jun15)
I am an ethnic Chinese who strongly feels that the US government owe an apology to the mistreatment of ethnic Chinese in the past.
R in New Mexico’s 1st District (Jun 14)
There does need to be acknowledgement from both houses of congress that their predecessors did in fact do something exceptionally wrong by singling out the Chinese and Chinese Americans for unequal treatment. The Senate has passed 201 last year, and the House needs to pass its own version to correct this wrong. So Chinese Americans can point to this and say, “this deserves more than just a paragraph in the History Books we teach our children. Even the contemporary Congress says what their predecessors did was wrong.” To be against this bill, is to be on the wrong side of history. It is to be in the same, antiquated side as separate but equal, slavery, and internment.
A in California’s 17th District (Jun 13)
My father came to America when he was very young and passed through Angel Island in San Francisco. He came to the Salinas Valley and met my mother. Although you cannot change the past, you can acknowledge the wrong this government has done as you have with the Japanese Americans.
C in Wisconsin’s 4th District (Jun 12)
This will give needed closure to another ugly chapter in America’s history. American laws invoked blatant and blind racism against Chinese immigrants like my grandfather and parents. Unquestionably, forgiveness and expressing regret are overdue. Please actively support, and help pass H.Res. 683.
d in New York’s 14th District (Jun 12)
It would bring closure on a disgraceful part of this country’s history.
r in Oregon’s 1st District (Jun 12)
It’s vitally important to honor those who came before us by affirming that everyone in the USA is entitled to his/her civil rights and civil liberties.
A in Texas’s 18th District (Jun12)
I was born in Greenville, MS on June 3, 1939. We couldn’t go to school with the whites until 1948. I could not join the YMCA because of being Chinese. I volunteered for the USAF in 1957 and served our country proudly .After honorably discharged I graduated from Miss State Univ (without any GI Bill) and worked for Delta Air Lines for 28 years as Reservations Supervisor. I participated in early Viet Nam operations and a life member of VFW Post 8790and past commander of American Legion Post 590in Houston, TX. I am on the Veterans Cemetery Council of Greater Houston and help the vets whenever I can. I love the USA and Vote regularly. The Asians have overcome many prejudices and have become great US citizens and are due the support of H Res. 683. We are not asking for any compensation, just an apology. Thank you for your time and hope your support for this passage of H Res 683.Sincerely, Jefferson Hong
A in Oregon’s 1st District (Jun12)
Personally, my family was impacted by those laws. My siblings and I never got to know our grandfather, a direct result of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and a series of laws that were passed and enacted since that time. My grandfather immigrated to the United States in the late 1800’s. He was unable to bring his wife to be with him and instead, he made trips to China as often as possible. Those trips resulted in three sons of whom my father was the youngest. In essence, those laws separated our family from each other for years. Moreover, a visit to an underground museum in Pendleton, Oregon shows the adversity that the Chinese community suffered due to discrimination supported by those laws. As an American citizen and your constituent, I beseech you to support House Resolution 683. For more information on the resolution, please contact Allison Rose in Representative Chu’s office and Brian Looser in Representative Judy Biggert’s office. Thank you for considering this request.
A in Arizona’s 5th District(Jun 12)
This law is the only one passed by Congress that expressly singles out and discriminates against an ethnic group. Chinese people have contributed greatly to America in the arts, science, and culture. After more than a hundred years it is time to erase this black mark on America’s history.
A in Virginia’s 10th District(Jun 12)
It was the only US legislation that explicitly discriminated against a people in this land of the free. The US has no moral standing to speak or stand on as a world leader of justice and human rights if it is not corrected. The Chinese Exclusion Act and related laws were wrong and shameful as a part of this great nation. Take a look at the census data from1860 to 1960 and understand how devastating these laws were to the Chinese, Asians, and America. Expressing regret is the minimal action that the Congress can take. Please act now and support and pass this resolution!
N in California’s 14th District
This is long overdue. Chinese were specifically singled out for discrimination in the Exclusion laws. My great-grandfather came to the US to work on the transcontinental railroad in the 1880’s at great personal peril, yet I don’t think that he ever felt accepted in this country. All of his children were born in China because my great grandmother was never allowed to immigrate as aresult of the Exclusion laws. His children nevertheless made their way to the US, and I believe that his grandchildren and descendants have contributed much to the American fabric – not the least of which was in the armed services. More important than an apology for the actions of the past leaders of this nation, is a recognition that this type of action should never be allowed to happen again. Thank you for your vote to support H.Res. 683.
E in Texas’s 7th District (Jun 12)
The passage of the Chinese Exclusion Acts perpetrated a gross injustice to the many Chinese and Chinese Americans who lived in this country during those years without the basic civil rights an access to citizenship that robbed many of their dreams. The harm has been witnessed and now documented in many journals of Chinese Americans experiences.
A in New York’s 1st District (May 5)
As an American of Chinese descent and a professor of Diversity at Stony Brook University, I support H.Res. 282.
A in Texas’s 21st District (May3)
The suffering of those people needs to be acknowledged.
A in California’s 12th District (May 2)
Dear Congressperson and Senators of the US Congress. I support H.Res. 282 because it is not only a gross injustice leftover from a bygone era, but it is something my children needs to see has been changed so they can grow up in an America where they can pursue their dreams and achieve their full potential without fear of racism or separatism. The US needs to show the world that as the beacon of freedom and respect for individual rights, we recognize past mistakes and are willing to admit and rectify them, and to provide no cause for other countries to pass or preserve similar antiquated and irrelevant legislation. Thank you so much for your service to the country and rectifying this hateful and divisive language in our global family.
A in California’s 14th District (May 2)
I support H.Res. 282 because the US government excluded Chinese in the past, and by this action alone, we telegraphed to all Americans that it is acceptable to discriminate again people of Chinese ethnic heritage. This is not acceptable. By apologizing now, the US govt has the opportunity to tell all Americans that it is very, very important to treat people from all ethnic heritages with respect. Larry Chang President, Ascend Leadership.
A in New Jersey’s 7th District (May 1)
I support H.Res. 282 because at no time in America’s history has a group been so isolated and ostracized without reproach. Additionally, this same group has been responsible for numerous contributions to this great country including the railroads, countless innovations and inventions – in technology, the medical fields, and numerous others. This resolution is key to ensure transparency and also send a message for go forward diversity and leadership….as this country has been built on the ideals and diversity of its people.
A in Missouri’s 9th District( May 1)
I support H.Res. 282 because it is a moral obligation to right the wrong.
A in New Jersey’s 8th District (May1)
As author of “Closing the Gate: Race, Politics, and the Chinese Exclusion Act,” I fully support passage of H.Res. 282, expressing regret for passage of this racist law against Chinese immigrants. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred practically all Chinese from American shores, was the first federal law that banned a group of immigrants solely on the basis of race or nationality. By changing America’s traditional policy of open immigration, this landmark legislation set a precedent for future restrictions against Asian immigrants in the early 1900s and against Europeans in the 1920s. Few laws have had more serious and tragic consequences in American history.
A in Mississippi’s 2nd District (Apr 29)
I grew up in a town that was prejudiced against the Asians. During the 1940’s I had to attend a one-room school house. A Caucasian teacher was assigned to teach 30 students. She had to make her rounds with each grade level. With the help of the Caucasian minister and some leaders in my town my people were allowed to attend the public schools. There are other incidents where my people were looked down on at that time. I won’t go into this matter. Please give your support to the House Resolution 282. The Asians are asking only for an apology that this incident happened. I appreciate your time and your support.
A in Virginia’s 8th District (Apr 29)
Discrimination continues to this day. An important step in ending this discrimination is by enacting laws that demonstrate our government’s commitment to democracy for all. The federal government has addressed the wrongs of the Japanese internment camps during WWII. The federal government has addressed the wrongs done to the African Americans. Now it’s time to address the wrongs done to the Chinese Americans. One of the things that makes America great is that America recognizes its mistakes and tries to correct them. Don’t make the same mistake twice by ignoring the passage of resolution 282. I am a 3rd generation American born Chinese. My parents experienced, first hand, the devastating affect this discriminatory act had on countless individuals and families for generations. My own life has been scarred by overt & subtle racism since childhood, and I know my experience is not unique among other Chinese Americans. Mr. Moran, you have the power to cast an uncontroversial vote that will improve the future of society. Vote yes to 282
A in Maryland’s 8th District (Apr 28)
I support H.Res. 282 because most Americans are unaware of how the U.S. historically has treated people who came from China.
A in New Jersey’s 5th District (Apr28)
I support H.Res. 282 (“Expressing the regret of the House of Representatives for the passage of discriminatory laws against”) because…It is illegal to have such law under US constitution.
A in Oregon’s 3rd District (Apr27)
I support H.Res. 282 because it is long overdue. The Chinese community has been instrumental in shaping U.S. history but not given the due credit and recognition in the history books.
A in California’s 10th District (Apr 26)
I support H.Res. 282 because we should not have any race discrimination.
A in Oregon’s 5th District (Apr26)
My great-grandfather who immigrated in the 1800’s to Portland and was a Chinese merchant in the original Chinatown south of Burnside…my grandfather who brought my grandmother and father here from southern China in 1931…they all suffered the brunt of America’s anti-Chinese laws and racial discrimination. This is a step in the right direction towards the healing of a nation. I respectfully request that you lend your support the passage of H.Res.282. I sincerely thank you for your time.
A in New Jersey’s 4th District(Apr 26)
As an American-born citizen of Chinese descent, I have a “basic right” in accordance with the principles upon which America was founded to make a “simple” non-partisan request “to right a wrong”. Why is it so difficult in today’s society and times for Congress to pass this bill? My parents are no longer alive butt hey as well as my entire family would be proud and happy that Congress can finally face up to the facts regarding the passage of the unjust discriminatory laws and express its regrets to an important part of its constituencies. This is especially important to me personally because I am currently the President of the New Jersey Chapter of OCA (Organization of Chinese Americans). OCA is a national 501(c)(3) advocacy organization headquartered in Washington, DC.
A in California’s 3rd District (Apr 26)
I support H.Res. 282 because it’s unconstitutional.
j in Minnesota’s 5th District (Apr 26)
These past laws have left an immediate legacy in present-day issues of race and immigration. Our history of exclusion reminds us that the United States has only in recent decades moved closer to its promise of being a truly free and equal society. As the daughter of immigrants from China, I am well aware that my identity as an American would have been questioned (not just culturally, but legally) atone point in time; as an American, I feel that it is only by acknowledging the true history that we can make progress as a nation. I do hope you will givet his resolution your full support.
A in Maryland’s 8th District (Apr 26)
I support H.Res. 282 because it’s time (actually long passed) to right things wrong.
A in California’s 9th District
Not only did this Exclusion Act discriminate against Chinese, but subsequently the law included Japanese.
A in Virginia’s 2nd District (Apr 25)
The exclusion laws against Chinese immigrants sentenced at least a whole generation of these people to a life of limited economic, educational, and social opportunities and marginal legal status. For decades these laws prevented Chinese from owning property and becoming citizens. With the U.S. government’s ‘”lawful” unequal treatment of Chinese immigrants, this immigrant group became easy targets of discrimination and violence from many sources, and had little recourse. Three generations of my father’s family came to America from China for better opportunities, but only my father stayed—enduring the law’s restrictions for 18 years before being drafted into the U.S. Army. Only then in 1943 were drafted immigrants allowed to become citizens, which made sense if they were expected to fight for America. Chinese immigrants have contributed to America’s success in many ways over the last two centuries, and it is time for the government to acknowledge that these exclusion acts were unjust and discriminatory against the Chinese.
A in Illinois’s 10th District (Apr 25)
It will right the wrong this country did more than hundred years ago. More important, it will educate all the people and learnt the history. That will strengthen the relationship among all the races of US citizens. Your action on this will be appreciated.
A in California’s 17thDistrict (Apr 25)
I believe America should own up to its mistakes and apologize for the wrongs that were committed against Chinese immigrants because of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Saying “sorry” is just the beginning. Funds should be allocated to inform and educate Americans about the contributions of immigrants to this nation and the negative impact of unfair immigration policies on individuals, families, communities, and this nation so that we can move forward and not repeat mistakes of the past. As President Obama put it in his major address on immigration reform, America is a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. I urge you to support H.Res. 282 and comprehensive immigration reform.
A in Oregon’s 3rd District (Apr25)
I support H.Res. 282 because it failed to recognize the great contribution of early Chinese laborers & immigrants in building the West.
A in Maryland’s 8th District (Apr 25)
The time has come for our country and congress to express regrets for past discriminatory actions and embrace a new multicultural society that is working hard to make this great nation achieve even higher goals of national integration.
A in Maryland’s 8th District (Apr 25)
It is important to me that our country rights past wrongs and always continues to uphold liberty and freedom for all.
A in Maryland’s 8th District (Apr 25)
The injustice done to the Chinese American community needed to be recognized by the larger American community.
A in Colorado’s 3rd District (Apr 25)
I am a member of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance and my family was directly impacted by these unjust set of laws collectively known as the Chinese Exclusion Act.
A in California’s 6th District (Apr 21)
These laws created great suffering and hardship for my Chinese ancestors just because of their race.
J in California’s 40th District (Apr 19)
The Chinese Exclusion Act was grossly unfair and caused profound and long lasting harm to the Chinese population in the U. S. I have relatives, including my parents, and numerous acquaintances who made positive contributions to their communities but suffered the fear of deportation for decades. An apology from the U.S. government cannot undo all the harm, but it is still an important, and one of no financial cost, gesture of good will that would help the Chinese communities feel that a long overdue reconciliation effort is being made.
a in Virginia’s 8th District (Apr 19)
My grandparents came over from mainland China in the 1920’s and settled in Baltimore, MD and my grandparents were subjected to this act. I am the vice president of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance D.C. Lodge. I have lived in Arlington, VA since 1996.Alex Lee
A in Texas’s 18th District (Apr15)
I was born in Greenville, MS Jun 1939. Was not able to attend a white or mixed race school until 1947.Motherwas born in Rosedale, MS in 1916 and was part of the law suit filed by my great aunt in 923,LumGong verses Rice for my Aunt’s daughters to attend a white school. Case lost in the MS state and Federal Supreme courts. I am a USAF veteran and served in 1957-61 as well as another brother in USAF and baby brother in USMC in Vietnam. Please pass H.Res.282 with no exceptions, I am a past commander of American Legion Lifetime member of VFW post 8790 and on officer on the VA Cemetery Council of Greater Houston. We all are Loyal and law abiding citizens of this great country. And all my family are regular voters. Thanks for your vote.
A in California’s 40th District (Apr 14)
I grew up in the MS Delta and was not able to attend public school until the 3th grade due to being Chinese. My father and a number of other Chinese families started a Baptist Mission school for teaching English and Math to Chinese students until the mid-forties when the school in my home town finally allowed my brothers and I to attend public school. Due to the 1882 Exclusion Act, my father and mother was not allowed to become US Citizens until the 1950s although they had worked in the United States from 1917 and paid taxes running a small Mom and Pop grocery store.
M in Arizona’s 7th District (Apr 10)
Because it corrects a seriously wrongful act, because such a rectification is a healing step for our Nation, because it is not an act fostering monetary claims against the treasury, because my parents were only able to reunite and have our family of four here in Arizona because Father was an Army Air Force veteran of WWII so I might not be here today had error persisted.
e in Texas’s 1st District (Mar 29)
I have witnessed the pride and patriotism of Good and Loyal American Citizens of Chinese descent.
t in California’s 35th District (Mar25)
As a Chinese American, I live in a society that still discriminates against Americans with Chinese heritage. Though I was brought up as an American, I am still viewed by many as too Asian because of my Chinese heritage. I believe that an apology is the first step to healing and ease of tensions between Congress and the Chinese American community. If the Japanese American community was given an official apology by United States Executive Order 9066 to all persons of Japanese ancestry, the Chinese Americans should be given the same because of the 1882 Chinese exclusion Act. I recommend this to show that healing has begun.
A in Texas’s 21st District (Mar21)
It took twenty years for me to learn about the wrong that our glorious country had once done to the people of my ethnicity. However, it’s unfortunate that I had to enroll into an Asian American History course at The University of Texas to learn about the oppression, discrimination, miscegenation, and segregation laws that were enacted by congress in the early 1900’s because Caucasians felt threatened by Asian immigration into this country.) Although the people of my Vietnamese race didn’t immigrate into the US until 1975 and did not have to endure through these racist regulations like other Asian Americans before us, it was the laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act during late 1800’s that set precedent for the same discrimination that was brought towards the Japanese, Koreans, and Punjabi’s that immigrated into the US during the early 1900’s up until World War 2. Their stories and struggles are a part of our history because these early immigrants contributed so much to the early growth of THIS nation because of their labor, yet an apology for their mistreatment has not been made even after a CENTURY. There needs to be more awareness, and it starts with this resolution in congress!
A in Texas’s 25th District (Mar19)
Passage of H.Res. 282 would promote greater awareness and understanding of America’s troubled history of immigration restriction. Much of the problems we currently experience in deciding whose entry is restricted and how, and who has rights to permanent settlement, as well as the difficulties in enforcing these preferences, stem from the initial efforts to legislate and to implement the Chinese exclusion laws. This legislation targeted Chinese as a race, which de facto cast doubt on the presence of all Chinese present in the US as undocumented individuals. In part, Chinese broke they laws because they regarded them as unfair, and unrecognizing of the ambition and drive of Chinese immigrants to work hard to their own benefit but also for that of the US. This troubled history can inform and help Americans make decisions about immigration restriction and enforcement that will produce more functional laws and bureaucracy to enforce them.
b in Virginia’s 11th District (Mar 4)
The Chinese Exclusion Act was an injustice to the Chinese and all Asians who were included in subsequent exclusionary laws. It distorted our family’s lives. My family and all other Chinese families we knew lived in fear as I grew up in Detroit, Michigan before during and after World War II. HRES. 282 is a testament that Congress repudiates racially based exclusion and endorses the national heritages of all Americans.
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