The Philomath City Council unanimously approved a resolution Monday proclaiming May as National Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, with the mayor sharing pointed remarks about online reaction to a previous proclamation.
The resolution, which passed with some wording changes during the May 11 meeting, recognizes this year’s national theme of “Power of Unity: Strengthening Communities Together” and honors Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who contribute their culture, traditions, languages and history to the community.
The resolution also acknowledges that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders “have faced racism, discrimination, xenophobia and violence” in the country, and states that the city must “acknowledge and learn from our nation and our city’s own history of racism and exclusion.”
After the vote, Mayor Christopher McMorran reflected on the response he received after sharing the council’s most recent proclamation on social media.
“The comments were awful and got really ugly in a way that made me even more glad that we are doing these months,” McMorran said, “because I think that proved to me that it’s important to highlight different cultures and histories and everything because there are actively folks who are against that.”
Councilor Teresa Nielson asked the mayor to clarify the source of those comments.
“Social media is really hard,” she said. “We’re not saying that all those individuals were specifically from Philomath?”
“No, no, that’s not at all what I’m saying,” McMorran responded. “Just that there are people in any community you go to (that may respond with such comments) — and that stuck with me. I appreciate the work of putting these together.”
The proclamation calls on the community to “oppose hate through storytelling and building bridges, with a focus on resilience, innovation and community connection.”