Members of the North Texas Asian-American community paid a visit to Austin on Thursday to show their support for a bill that would provide official state recognition to the Koreatown neighborhood in Dallas.
The area surrounding Royal Lane and Harry Hines Boulevard has a large number of businesses owned by Korean-Americans.
"The City of Dallas benefited from Korean-American contributions," said John Jun with the Greater Dallas Korean American Chamber of Commerce. He told lawmakers that the neighborhood had been in decline until 1982, when "a brave Korean-American opened a wholesale store, and the rest is history."
The City of Dallas moved to recognize the neighborhood earlier this year by installing street signs in both English and Korean.
"This was the first time ever in Dallas history that we put up translated street signs," said Council Member Omar Narvaez, who represents the area.
State Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, sponsored House Concurrent Resolution 39. It would give official state recognition to the area for ten years. It got a hearing in the Texas House Committee on Culture, Recreation and Tourism on Thursday.
"The Korean-American community has expressed a strong desire for an official state recognition. So what this legislation seeks to do is recognize the Korean-American community and honor their historical significance and contributions to the state," Rep. Anchia said. "They really have revitalized this area."
Committee members took testimony but did not vote on the bill on Thursday.
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