WHEREAS, The March 1st Movement was inspired by the “Fourteen Points” outlined by President Woodrow Wilson at the Paris Peace Conference and was the first step taken by Koreans for independence; and

WHEREAS, The reading of the Korean Declaration of Independence, which was drafted by historian Choe Nam-seon, in Taehwagwan Restaurant in Seoul and the subsequent signing of the document signaled the beginning of the independence movement for Korea; and

WHEREAS, From March 1 to April 11, 1919, approximately 2,000,000 Koreans participated in more than 1,500 demonstrations, which are referred to today as the Korean independence movement; and

WHEREAS, Yu Gwan-sun is best known as an organizer in the March 1st Movement in the peaceful demonstration against the Imperial Japanese colonial rule of Korea; and

WHEREAS, The protests and the March 1st Movement sparked the creation of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, and while the campaign failed to achieve its goal of independence, March 1 is celebrated by both North and South Korea today as a national holiday; and

WHEREAS, The centennial commemoration of the March 1st Movement of Korean independence, which brought Californians together for this momentous event, was marked with movie presentations, celebrations, and historical seminars to educate the community on the historical importance of the movement; and

WHEREAS, California is home to the largest population of Korean Americans in the United States; and

WHEREAS, The contributions of the Korean American community in California have strengthened this great state and continue to promote the incredible diversity of California; and

WHEREAS, The Assembly recognized March 1, 2019, as Yu Gwan-sun Day in the State of California in honor of the centennial commemorative year of the March 1st Movement of Korean independence in 2019; now, therefore, be it