The movement to reclaim the “Dosan Ahn Chang Ho” post office name is gaining momentum.
With the U.S. House of Representatives expected to vote on a bill (H.R. 599) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3500 West 6th Street, Suite 103 in Los Angeles, California, as the “Dosan Ahn Chang Ho Post Office,” Korean-American organizations have expressed their support. The vote is anticipated within the next week.
The office of U.S. Representative Jimmy Gomez (D-CA 34th District) distributed an online signature form (https://forms.office.com/g/9tMbsgNw49) to Korean-American organizations on January 30, soliciting their support.
On January 29, Congress debated whether to vote on an amendment to the bill regarding the naming of the Dosan Ahn Chang Ho Post Office. The vote was postponed due to a lack of attendance.
Esther Kim, a legislative fellow at Representative Jimmy Gomez’s office, stated, “It is likely that the bill will be voted on again in the next week or so,” and emphasized that “now is the time for Korean-American organizations to deliver signatures of support to Congress.”
Korean-American organizations are actively advocating for the bill’s passage. Jeff Lee, executive director of the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles, mentioned, “We’ve sent out petition forms to all the Korean-American associations across the country,” adding that more than 30 Korean-American organizations have signed on, with more joining to demonstrate the community’s support.
Introduced in January of last year, the bill enjoys bipartisan support with 34 co-sponsors, including Representatives Michelle Steel (R), Young Kim (R), Katie Porter (D), and Judy Chu (D). It is expected to pass with ease if it comes to a vote.
However, the process is not yet complete. If it passes the House, the bill will be sent to the Senate and will have to go through the Senate voting process. If it passes both chambers, it will then need to be signed by the president.
The Korean National Association has preserved the plaque from the former Ahn Chang Ho Post Office on 6th Street in LA’s Koreatown. This post office was demolished in May 2022 due to redevelopment efforts.
“The Dosan Ahn Chang Ho Post Office on 6th Street was the first federally owned building to bear a Korean name, and Dosan is a very important figure in Korean-American history,” said Clara Won, executive director of the Korean National Association. “As this bill is being introduced to rename the building, we hope that Korean-American organizations will continue to pay attention and express their support until it becomes an official law.”
Meanwhile, the original name of the 6th Street Dosan Ahn Chang Ho post office was “Sanford Post Office.” After then-U.S. Representative Diane Watson introduced a bill to rename the post office in recognition of the contributions of Korean immigrants to American society, it has been named after Ahn since June 2004.
BY YEOL JANG, JUNHAN PARK [jang.yeol@koreadaily.com]
