The U.S. Senate passed an apology for the "Chinese Exclusion Act" and the Chinese Society called for continued efforts (Photo)

The U.S. Senate passed an apology for the "Chinese Exclusion Act" and the Chinese Society called for continued efforts (Picture) (AACYF Los Angeles News) The U.S. Senate...

The U.S. Senate passed an apology bill for the "Chinese Exclusion Act" and Chinese news agencies called for continued efforts (Photo) (AACYF Los Angeles News) Late at night on the 6th, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed an apology bill for the "Chinese Exclusion Act" promoted by California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, apologizing to all Chinese Americans for this discriminatory bill enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1882. The apology bill stated that the Senate expressed deep regret for these laws that excluded Chinese people and the injustice they caused, and stated that it was committed to protecting Chinese and other ethnic minorities from enjoying the same civil and constitutional rights as other American citizens. Another major sponsor of the bill, U.S. Senator Scott Long of Massachusetts, issued a statement saying: "By passing this bill, the Senate expresses our country's gratitude to Chinese Americans for their contributions and recognizes that they are an integral part of American society." On the morning of October 8, 2011, Chinese community leaders who had been caring about and promoting the apology case expressed their deep encouragement in Chinatown, Los Angeles, and agreed to continue mobilizing Chinese voters across the United States to write letters to the congressmen in their districts, imploring them to support the passage of the apology bill in the House of Representatives. Wu Shangqi, chairman of the Ningyang Association in Taishan, Luozhou, said that this is an achievement achieved through the joint efforts of Chinese people from all over the United States and people from all walks of life. It is also an important result of Chinese Americans' participation in political and public affairs. The Senate's passage of the apology bill is the first step toward becoming a formal bill. The next step is for the House of Representatives to pass the bill. Finally, U.S. President Obama issues a formal statement or announcement to formally apologize to all Chinese Americans. Ren Xiangdong, president of the National Chinese Youth Federation, said that since the first half of this year, major Chinese associations across the United States have mobilized Chinese Americans and friends of all ethnic groups who support the apology case to send letters to congressional senators and representatives in their districts asking to support the bill. Since then, more than 69,000 multi-ethnic voters across the United States, including Chinese Americans, have sent letters to senators and representatives in their districts. Now that the Senate has passed the apology bill, major associations will continue to jointly appeal to Chinese Americans and voters of all ethnic groups everywhere, and send letters to members of Congress in their districts, requesting their support in passing the apology bill in the House of Representatives. Nie Zeying, deputy director of the Luo Zhonghua Association, believes that through this event, it shows the American society an example of the Chinese community relying on the current system and uniting and cooperating to safeguard their rights and interests regardless of political stance. The unanimous approval by the Senate also reflects the mainstream society's recognition of the increasingly important role of Chinese Americans in the United States. Wu Xiashan, President of the Western United States of the National Wuxushan Office, Zhu Bingfeng, President of the International Youth Chamber of Commerce in the United States, Liu Jianfeng, Chairman of the Luo Province Security Hall, Luo Ruzhen, Vice President of the Kaiping Association of Southern California, Yan Taohong, President of the Luo Province Triumph Music Club, and Luo Shengbing Kongtang Situ Da, Mrs. Wu Weiheng, North American Cross-Strait Cultural Exchange Association Chen Jie, North American Shenzhen Youth Federation Ren Yuting, as well as representatives of the American and Asian International Chamber of Commerce and the American Guangdong Association attended the day's event. It is reported that Chinese-American Representative Zhao Meixin will strive to urge the House of Representatives to pass this bill before the end of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May next year, because the U.S. House of Representatives passed the "Chinese Exclusion Act" in May that year.