California's Day of Inclusion

Assemblymember Mike Eng (D-Monterey Park) authored Assembly Concurrent Resolution (ACR) 76 to have December 17th designated as the “Day of Inclusion” in California. December 17th was chosen as a way to memorialize the historic Magnuson Act, signed into law on December 17, 1943, which repealed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and marked a turning point regarding society’s harsh attitudes towards immigration and immigrants. By repealing the “Chinese Exclusion” prohibitions, the United States expressed its commitment to continue to break down cultural barriers, appreciate differences, enrich cultural diversity, and further racial, religious and cultural tolerance. 

One of the photographs used in this production came from the collection of the California Historical Society.  Many images from our collection are available on Calisphere, the image database for the Online Archive of California.