Recognizing and Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Asian Americans United for its important enrichment to Philadelphia's Asian American community.

WHEREAS, Asian Americans United (AAU) was established in 1985, and its mission is to raise up leadership, to build neighborhoods, and to unite against oppression for the Asian American community in Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS, AAU has worked in Philadelphia's Asian American communities and in broader multi-racial coalitions around quality education, youth leadership, anti-Asian violence, immigrant rights, folk arts and cultural maintenance, and more; and

WHEREAS, AAU is one of the most active advocacy groups in Philadelphia and a dominant voice for the Asian American community; and

WHEREAS, AAU accomplished many cultural awareness milestones for Philadelphia, such as initiating and monitoring the settlement of a lawsuit with the School District of Philadelphia to improve services to immigrant students, helping to defeat plans to build a Phillies stadium in Chinatown North, backing Asian youths who were attacked at South Philadelphia High School in 2009, developing the leadership of hundreds of youth through the Community Youth Leadership Project and the Asian American Youth Workshop, creating the Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival, founding the Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures Charter School, and monitoring the district's subsequent civil rights settlement with the federal government; and

WHEREAS, AAU is the recipient of numerous awards for services to youth, folk arts programs, organizational excellence and intergenerational leadership; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby recognizes and celebrates the 30th anniversary of Asian Americans United for its important enrichment to Philadelphia's Asian American community; and

RESOLVED FURTHER, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the Asian Americans United Board of Directors further evidencing the sincere admiration and respect of this legislative body.

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