Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has been honored by the organizers of the Conference on Social Progress Since Repealing the Chinese Exclusion Act (CRCEA) with an award for his outstanding contributions to the Asian American community.
CRCEA presented Krishnamoorthi with the award on Dec 5 on the 80th anniversary of the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act on Dec 6, 1943.
Krishnamoorthi addressed the Conference on Social Progress Since Repealing the Chinese Exclusion Act (CRCEA) as part of its commemoration of the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act.
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In his address, Krishnamoorthi spoke of the progress made by the Asian American community since the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act 80 years ago, according to a media release.
The Chinese Exclusion Act, which was enacted in 1882 was the first and most significant federal legislation in American history to explicitly suspend immigration for people of a specific nationality. It is still widely regarded as a central pillar of the history of anti-Chinese and anti-Asian hate.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to have joined with members of the Chinese American and broader AAPI community to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act, a critical milestone in American history which highlights our progress as a nation,” said Krishnamoorthi.
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“This bigoted law robbed countless people of Chinese heritage the opportunity to pursue their American dream while laying the foundations for the anti-Asian hate our nation still battles today.”
“Today, on the 80th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act’s repeal, I hope all Americans reflect on the dark history of this law, how far we have come as a nation, and how far we still must go as to defeat anti-Asian hate,” he said.