WHEREAS, The state of Washington has recognized the proud history of Filipino Americans, and in 2019 passed Senate Bill No. 5865, declaring October of each year Filipino American history month; and

WHEREAS, It is imperative for the youth of the state of Washington to have positive role models to instill in them the importance of education, complemented with the richness of diversity and the value of their legacy; and

WHEREAS, Previous resolutions have recognized Carlos Bulosan and other Washingtonians who have made a national contribution to American history and culture; and

WHEREAS, Carlos Bulosan followed the pattern of many Filipinos during the American colonial period by leaving for America on July 22, 1930, at age 17, in the hope of finding salvation from the economic depression of his home; and

WHEREAS, Upon arriving in Seattle, Bulosan worked in low-paying jobs, worked as a farmworker, harvesting grapes and asparagus, and performed other forms of hard labor in the fields of central Washington; and

WHEREAS, In 1936, Bulosan suffered from tuberculosis and underwent three operations and stayed two years in the convalescent ward. During his long stay in the hospital, Bulosan spent his time constantly reading and writing; and

WHEREAS, Carlos Bulosan's most famous essay "Freedom From Want" was published on March, 1943, chosen by the Saturday Evening Post to accompany its publication of the Norman Rockwell painting based on Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Four Freedoms" speech. His classic novel "America is in the Heart," published in 1946, is a national treasure which gives a postcolonial Asian immigrant perspective to the experience of Filipinos working in the United States in the 1930s and 1940s; and

WHEREAS, In the 1970s, the resurgence of Asian/Pacific Islander American activism marked the discovery of Bulosan's unpublished writings in a University of Washington library, leading to releases of several unfinished works and anthologies of his poetry. This included "The Laughter of my Father," originally published as short sketches; and

WHEREAS, Carlos Bulosan was a labor organizer and activist, and was the publicity director for cannery workers local union 37. His writings impacted the betterment of working conditions for immigrants in Washington state. His words and image appear in murals and exhibits throughout Seattle's International District. He inspires scholars, artists, and civil rights activists;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate hereby celebrates the life and works of Carlos Sampayan Bulosan in advancing the people, culture, and history of the state of Washington; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be immediately transmitted to Allen Acosta of Olympia, veterans advocate and grandnephew of Carlos Bulosan, to Maricres Valdez Castro, Commissioner for the City of Tacoma Commission on Immigration and Refugee Affairs, and to Rey Pascua, Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs Emeritus Commissioner, for further distribution to public schools and libraries, Filipino American, Asian, and Pacific Islander organizations, to organizations representing workers, to historical societies, and to the superintendent of public instruction.