Celebrating Asian/Pacific-American Heritage.

Madam Speaker, in 1992, Congress passed a joint Congressional Resolution to designate the month of May to give special recognition of the contributions of our Asian-Pacific American community to our nation. Originally, Congress in 1978 designated the first week of May to commemorate the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants and the completion of the transcontinental railroad that was built by the Chinese laborers. Every year since then, the President would issue an Executive proclamation from the White House to honor this month and direct all federal agencies and military installations throughout the country to conduct special events and ceremonies to honor our Asian-Pacific American communities throughout our country.

This year's theme is, ``Leadership To Meet The Challenges Of A Changing World,'' and I will try and elaborate on the achievements and success of Asian-Pacific Americans in both the public and private sector but, more importantly, to demonstrate to the world that the greatness of our nation lies in its diversity and ability of our country to accept peoples from all over world, as they pledge themselves to become as fellow citizens of this great nation.

Americans of Asian and Pacific Islander descent, nearly 16 million strong, are among the fastest growing demographic groups in the United States today, even though they make up only 5 percent of our nation's population. In recent years, the Asian-Pacific Americans have more than doubled and this rapid growth is expected to continue in the years to come.

Time will not permit me to share with you the names and contributions of many of our prominent Asian-Pacific American leaders in the fields of law, business, finance, and too many to mention. One only needs to read today's newspaper or a magazine to document the fact that Asian- Pacific American students--both in secondary schools and universities-- are among the brightest minds our nation offers to the world. I fully expect that these students, now and in the future, will contribute their talents and expertise to solve major issues and problems now confronting our nation and the world today.

Many of our prominent business leaders and entrepreneurs are of Asian-Pacific American descent. In fact, many of the popular brands and icons that we know today were created by the brilliant minds of people in our Asian-Pacific American community. For example, the Bose Corporation specializing in audio equipment, can be found or is used by historical venues and facilities, such as the Sistine Chapel, the Space Shuttle, and the Olympic stadiums, is currently headed by its founder, Amar Bose--an Indian American. Steve Chen, a Chinese American, and Jawed Karim, a Bangladeshi American, were the co-creators of the popular video sharing website, ``YouTube.'' Vera Wang, a Chinese American fashion designer and mogul, established herself as an icon by dressing celebrities and creating one of the most fashionable clothing lines for women in the world.

In the world of sports, Asian-Pacific Americans have come to the forefront. In the recent 2008 Beijing Olympics, Kevin Tan, a Chinese American, was selected as captain of the U.S. men's gymnastics team and earned a bronze medal in team competition. Natasha Kai, an American of Hawaiian, Cambodian, and Chinese descent, won a gold medal with the U.S. women's soccer team. Natasha happens to be alumni of Kahuku High School in Hawaii, where I also graduated from many years ago.

Asian-Pacific Americans are more prevalent in American sports now more than ever before. We have Yao Ming, a Chinese basketball player, playing for the Houston Rockets; Daisuke Matsuzaka, a Japanese baseball player, playing for the Boston Red Sox; Yutaka Fukufuji, the first Japanese to play for the National Hockey League, played for the Los Angeles Kings. And everyone has heard of the Professional Boxer Manny Pacquaio from the Philippines, a world champion in numerous boxing divisions who handily beat Oscar De La Hoya in December and Ricky Hatton two weeks ago in Las Vegas.

I have to mention the accomplishments our young Asian-Pacific Americans in the NFL. In the 2009 NFL draft, nine young men, five Tongans and four Samoans, were selected by six different teams across the nation. These young men are ambassadors of goodwill and

represent the Asian-Pacific American members who were once and still apart of the National Football League. From pioneers such as Al Lolotai who played for the Washington Redskins in 1945, Charles Ane and Rockne Freitas of Detroit Lions, to the likes of Junior Seau of the New England Patriots and Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In the field of martial arts, the late Chinese-American kung-fu martial arts expert Bruce Lee captivated the movie audiences all over the world by destroying the common stereotype of the passive, quiet Asian-Pacific American male, and the tradition continues today with Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Now, another sports and movie icon is moving his way through the movie industry--believed to be the heir apparent to Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger--none other than the former World Wrestling Entertainment champion wrestler, Dwayne Johnson, or commonly known as the Rock. The Rock was featured in movies such as the Scorpion King, Rundown, Get Smart, Grid Iron Gang and recently Race to Witch Mountain.

The thing unique about Dwayne Johnson is that while his father is of African and Native American descent, his mother is Samoan. Now, just about every Samoan alive claims to be related to the Rock, including myself.

Last summer I had the privilege of presenting the Congressional Horizon Award to Chief Seiuli Dwayne ``The Rock'' Johnson for his contributions and volunteer work in educating, empowering, and enriching the lives of children worldwide. Dwayne Johnson has made numerous contributions not only through The Rock Foundation but also directly to our Asian-Pacific American youth.

Michelle Kwan, a Chinese American figure skater, is another example of a prominent Asian-Pacific American who has transformed her skills in one area to contribute further to our nation. Kwan has won nine U.S. championships, five world championships and two Olympic medals, earning her the title of the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history. Her accomplishments don't end there. In 2006, Secretary Condoleezza Rice named Kwan the first U.S. public diplomacy ambassador, where she has worked at improving America's image abroad. As ambassador, Michelle has been promoting cross-cultural dialogue with international youth.

As Americans, and especially our youth, become more engaged in politics and government, I must bring your attention to the growing role and impact that Asian-Pacific Americans are playing in civic engagement. Our fellow colleague and good friend, Congressman Anh ``Joseph'' Cao became the first American of Vietnamese descent to be elected to the House of Representatives. A former Congressman, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, became the first Indian American ever elected as governor in U.S. history, and is currently the youngest amongst all governors in the U.S.

In the recent 2008 national and state elections, the Asian-Pacific American communities played a vital role. An estimated whopping 62% of the voting Asian-Pacific Americans cast their ballot for then Senator Barack Obama, helping him secure his presidential win.

And with the President's appointments in the administration, there are an unprecedented number of Asian-Pacific Americans in top government positions, and these leaders were not appointed to their positions because of their race and heritage but because they bring vast knowledge, experience and different viewpoints that their Asian- Pacific American backgrounds have contributed to.

For example, President Obama appointed Steven Chu, a Chinese American, to be the Secretary of Energy. Secretary Chu's extensive work in physics and molecular biology has earned him accolades and achievements throughout the world--most notably he won a Nobel Prize for his physics works in ``development of methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light.'' Chu's dedication to physics led him to the academic side of research, as a teacher of physics and molecular and cellular biology at Stanford and UC Berkley. Concerning global warming, Secretary Chu has been a leading advocate for the research of finding alternative sources of energy, and steering away our dependence on fossil fuels. Secretary Chu is the first person ever appointed to the Cabinet after receiving a Nobel Prize.

Our newest Secretary of Veteran Affairs, my good friend General Eric Shinseki is a Japanese American born in Hawaii and is a decorated veteran who fought in two combat tours in Vietnam. Secretary Shinseki, wounded from his last tour in Vietnam, understands from personal experience the plight of veterans and the support those veterans and their families need. General Shinseki is also the only Japanese American and Asian American to be promoted to the Army's top position, and was the first four-star general of Asian descent in the history of our U.S. military.

The most recently confirmed cabinet member into Obama's Administration has exemplified that with hard work the American Dream can come true. Former Governor of the State of Washington, Gary Locke, a Chinese American, grew up in public housing and put himself through Yale University with loans, scholarships and the money he earned working part-time jobs. After earning his law degree from Boston University, Secretary Locke broke many glass ceilings afflicting our Asian-Pacific community. In 1993, Locke became the first Chinese American to be elected as his county's County Executive, and in 1996, Locke became the first Chinese American to be governor of a state in U.S. history, serving the maximum of two terms.

Secretary Locke's family history is an important one to emphasize, as it is one of many hardships that our Asian-Pacific American communities have faced. In an interview, Locke mentioned that his grandfather might have claimed he was born in the U.S. and the documents were destroyed. Some of you may know this, and others may not, but in 1882 our government institutionalized racial discrimination against Chinese immigrants where they were banned from entering the United States. The Chinese people living in the U.S. at the time were excluded from becoming American citizens. And because of the restrictions of this law, it was nearly impossible for Chinese families to reunite. This Exclusion Act was repealed only 66 years ago. Locke's grandfather could have been one of the few Chinese immigrants who managed to get into the United States through ruses of lost documentation, while the immigration of people from all over Europe were unlimited.

As a Vietnam veteran, it would be absurd of me not to say something to honor and respect the hundreds of thousands of Asian-Pacific Americans who served then and now in all branches of the armed services of our nation.

As a former member of the U.S. Army's Reserve unit, known today as the 100th Battalion and 442nd Infantry Combat group, I would be remiss if I did not share with you the contributions of the tens of thousands of Japanese-American soldiers who volunteered to fight our nation's enemies in Europe during World War II.

So you probably know, after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, by the Imperial Armed Services of Japan--there was such an outrage and cry for an all out war against Japan and days afterwards our President and the Congress formally declared war. Out of this retaliation against Japan, hundreds of thousands of Americans were caught in the crossfire. These Americans just happened to be of Japanese ancestry.

Our national government immediately implemented a policy whereby over 100,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry were forced to live in what were called relocation camps, but were actually more like prison or concentration camps. Their lands, homes and properties were confiscated by the military without due process of law.

My former colleague and former U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Norman Mineta, and the late Congressman Bob Matsui from Sacramento spent the early years of their lives in these prison camps. Secretary Mineta shared one of the interesting features of these prison camps where there were many machine gun nests posted all around the camps. Everyone in the camps was told that these machine guns were necessary to protect them against rioters or others who wanted to harm them.

But then Secretary Mineta observed, ``if these machine guns are posted to guard and protect us, why is it that they are all directed and aimed inside the prison camp compound and not outside?''

It was a time in our nation's history when there was so much hatred, bigotry and racism placed against our Japanese-American community. Despite all this, the White House, at the time, accepted the request of tens of thousands of the Japanese Americans to volunteer to join the Army, thus leaving their wives, parents, brothers and sisters behind barbed wire fences. As a result of such volunteerism, two combat units were organized. The 100th Battalion and the 442nd Infantry Combat Group were created and immediately were sent to fight in Europe.

In my humble opinion, history speaks for itself in documenting that none have shed their blood more valiantly for our nation than the Japanese American soldiers who served in these two combat units while fighting enemy forces in Europe during World War II. The military records of the 100th Battalion and 442nd Infantry are without equal suffering. These Japanese American units suffered an unprecedented casualty rate of 314%, and received over 18,000 individual decorations, many awarded posthumously, for bravery and courage in the field of battle.

For your information, 53 Distinguished Service Crosses, (the second highest HELV. medal given for heroism in combat), 560 Silver Stars (third highest medal), and 9,486 Purple Hearts, and 7 Presidential Unit Citations, the nation's top award for combat units, were awarded to the Japanese American soldiers of

the 100th Battalion and 442nd Infantry Group. I find it unusual, however, that only one Medal of Honor was awarded at the time. Nonetheless, the 442nd Combat Group emerged as the most decorated combat unit of its size in the history of the United States Army.

President Truman was so moved by their bravery in the field of battle, as well as that of African American soldiers during World War II, that he issued an Executive Order to finally desegregate all branches of the Armed Services.

I am proud to say that we must recognize Senator Daniel K. Inouye and the late, highly-respected Senator Spark Matsunaga of Hawaii, who distinguished themselves in battle as soldiers with the 100th Battalion and 442nd Infantry.

It was while fighting in Europe that Senator Inouye lost his arm while engaged in his personal battle against two German machine gun posts. For his heroism, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. As a result of a Congressional mandate that was passed in 1999 to review the military records of these two combat units, President Clinton presented 19 Congressional Medals of Honor to the Japanese Americans who were members of these two combat groups. Senator Inouye was one those recipients of the Medal of Honor and I was privileged to witness this historical moment at a White House ceremony.

On May 14, 2009, the House unanimously passed H.R. 347 thus granting the Congressional gold medal, collectively, to the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, United States Army, in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II.

The wholesale and arbitrary abolishment of the constitutional rights of these loyal Japanese Americans should forever serve as a reminder and testament that this must never be allowed to occur again. When this miscarriage of justice unfolded during World War II, Americans of German and Italian ancestry were not similarly jailed en masse. Some declare the incident as an example of outright racism and bigotry in its ugliest form. I sincerely hope that these forms of legal racial discrimination never again darken the history of our great nation.

To those that say, well, that occurred decades ago, I say we must continue to be vigilant in guarding against such evil today. President Obama's recent election is a consequence of such vigilance in electing him as the first ever President of color. I know that history speaks that he is the first black President, but personally, he represents all races, genders, and ethnicities in becoming the Commander-in-Chief and leader of this great country. Now and more than ever, am I so proud to be called an American. We have elected a person who is literally an African-American, in the sense, where his father is a Kenyan and mother is a girl from Kansas. I jokingly say that this is the first President to know where the Pacific Ocean is on the map. President Obama was born in Hawaii so he's a ``local boy'' and for your information, he can still throw a good ``shaka'' sign. We in the Congress look forward to the next four years, and maybe 8, in working together with President Obama in restoring American leadership in the world. As Americans, we emphasize the importance of our ideals and values that guarantee and protect ones freedoms and is reinforced and supported by the greatest volunteer military force in the world.

We should never become complacent with the hand that is dealt to you, with the discrimination that you may see or experience. When I envision America, I don't see a melting pot designed to reduce and remove racial differences. The America I see is a brilliant rainbow, a rainbow of ethnicities, cultures, religions and languages with each person proudly contributing in their own distinctive and unique way for a better America.

Asian-Pacific Americans wish to find a just and equitable place in our society that will allow them--like all Americans--to grow, to succeed, to achieve and to contribute to the advancement of this great nation.

I would like to close my remarks by asking my colleagues--what is America all about? I can say that through our leadership and sense of volunteerism we can meet the challenges of a fast changing world. Either through personal service, education, civics, or charity, we have a responsibility to each other and must continue to exploit the freedoms that we proudly have today. Everyday the world is shrinking and it is important, as our forefathers have done so, to continue our leadership and become an example of how we admit to our faults and correct them immediately.

I think it could not have been said better than on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in the summer of 1963 when an African American minister by the name of Martin Luther King, Jr., poured out his heart and soul to every American who could hear his voice, when he uttered these words:

``I have a dream. My dream is that one day my children will be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.''

We have reaped what he has sewed by celebrating the contributions of Asian-Pacific Americans this month and having the first ever President of color in our great history.

That is what I believe America is all about.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 435, celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. I thank Chairman Towns and my California Delegation colleague, Congressman Honda for their work in bringing this resolution to the floor today.

This is a very exciting time for the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community and I am looking forward to working with my colleagues in the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and with the Obama Administration to advance the AAPI objectives.

The 37th Congressional District of California, which I am privileged to represent, is home to one of the largest Asian constituencies in the nation, including large representations of Filipinos, Samoans and Cambodians. My district is home to the largest Cambodian population in the United States, and the second largest Cambodian population outside of Cambodia. Because of the diversity of my district and in our nation, I am a proud member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

This year's theme for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is ``Lighting the Past, Present, and Future.'' The past is filled with rich cultural, economic, and technological contributions from the Asian community. The month of May was chosen to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage for two significant reasons. On May 7, 1843, the first Japanese immigrants arrived to our country and on May 10, 1860, the first transcontinental railroad was completed. The transcontinental railroad transformed our nation and could not have been completed without the inclusion of Chinese immigrants.

Here in Congress, Dalip Singh Saund was the first Asian American elected in 1957 and less than a decade later, Patsy Mink became the first Asian American woman elected to Congress. Both overcame adversity to pave the way for all minorities, including a distinguished American and Medal of Honor winner, Senator Daniel Inouye, who has served in the other body for nearly a half century. Today, we have seven Members of Congress of Asian descent and 25 Members of Congress, including myself, in the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

The AAPI theme, the ``present'' demonstrates the great progress we have made as a country. Despite the challenges and adversity that Asian Pacific Americans have experienced, many have forged ahead and made significant contributions. History was made when this nation elected a President with such significant personal ties to the Asian Pacific community. President Obama spent his childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia. One of President Obama's first guests to the Oval Office was the Prime Minister, Taro Aso of Japan. Further, President Obama appointed three Asian Americans to his cabinet: Secretary of Energy, Dr. Steven Chu; Secretary of Commerce, Gary Locke; and Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Eric Shinseki.

I have much hope for the future because Asian Pacific Americans and all Americans are working together hand in hand with others to ensure equality and advancement not only of their community, but all communities.

Madam Speaker, let me again thank Congressman Honda, Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, for his leadership in introducing this resolution. I look forward to celebrating the accomplishments of Asian Pacific Americans this year and for years to come.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 435) celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, today I rise in strong support of House Resolution 435, which expresses support for the recognition and celebration of Asian Pacific American heritage. The measure before us was introduced on May 13, 2009, by Congressman Mike Honda of California, along with other Members and associate Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Currently, the measure is supported by over 55 Members of Congress and has been appropriately reviewed and approved by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform as of June 4, 2009.

Madam Speaker, the Asian American and Pacific Islander community is composed of over 15 million people who, on a daily basis, are making significant contributions to the betterment of our country. For example, in addition to being one of our country's fastest growing minority groups, the Asian American and Pacific Islander community is also responsible for generating an estimated $326 billion annually for our economy as entrepreneurs and business owners of over 1.1 million businesses.

While Asian Pacific American heritage is certainly worth recognizing and celebrating year-round, the country and the Asian Pacific American community have traditionally come together in the month of May to celebrate and commemorate Asian and Pacific American heritage. That all began back in 1977 when Representatives Frank Horton and Norman Mineta and Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga introduced resolutions asking the President to declare the first 10 days of May as Asian Pacific Heritage Week.

The selection of the month of May stems from the fact that May marks the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants in the U.S. in 1843. In 1978, President Carter made Asian Pacific Heritage Week an annual event, and in 1990, President George H. W. Bush proclaimed the entire month of May to be Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

Madam Speaker, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have also made great strides in the area of civil rights and public policy, led by such notable Americans as Patsy Mink, the first Asian American Congresswoman, not to mention the current members of the President's Cabinet, which includes three Asian Americans: Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki.

In closing, let us, as a body, take a moment to recognize the valued contributions of the Asian and Pacific American community and celebrate such a rich cultural heritage by supporting House Resolution 435.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to express strong support for H. Res. 435--Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. I applaud the leadership and continued efforts of Chairman Mike Honda, as well as my colleagues in the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus for bringing this Resolution before us today.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month was established in 1977 by the efforts of Representatives Norman Mineta and Frank Horton, and Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga who introduced resolutions asking for a Presidential declaration that the first ten days of May honor the rich history and contributions of our nation's Asian Pacific Americans. In 1992 Congress expanded the commemoration to a month, in order to fully recognize the impact that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) have on our great nation.

From the early 1800s to today, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have played a critical role in the development of this country. This year's theme: ``Lighting the Past, Present and Future,'' is fitting as the world's attention turned to the United States to see the historic inauguration of President Barack Hussein Obama. President Obama's diversity reflects the richness and strength of our nation.

We must reaffirm our commitment to the promise of a future for all Americans by eradicating racial and ethnic health disparities, enacting comprehensive immigration reform, providing educational opportunities for the underserved and creating jobs. I am proud that we ensured full equity for the Filipino veterans who proudly served under the American flag during World War II when we passed H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. I also applaud my colleagues for the recent passage of the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which enables the Department of Justice to assist the efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement in investigating and prosecuting hate crimes based on race, ethnic background, and religion, and extends protections to more Americans.

From the construction of the transcontinental railroads to the heroic contributions in World War II and beyond, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made lasting contributions in every facet of American society. We must continue to acknowledge the great achievements this vast and diverse community has provided this nation and I urge my colleagues to support to this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of this important resolution recognizing Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have been an integral part of the fabric of American life since the first Japanese immigrants arrived in the United States on May 7, 1843. Asian Americans worked as coal miners, on farms and orchards, and as laborers. It is estimated that 14 million Americans, if not more, can trace their ethnic heritage to Asia or the Pacific Islands.

Establishing May as Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month affords educators throughout the country the opportunity to create learning experiences that teach the history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders during the school year. Observing Asian American and Pacific Islander contributions highlights their importance in the building of our country, in our fabric.

For example, Chinese immigrants played a significant role in the construction of the first transcontinental railroad, which was completed on May 10, 1869. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have significantly contributed to this country through the arts, sciences, math, sports, commerce, and every other aspect of American culture since they first arrived in the 19th century. Whether it is in the arts or government or science or the many other fields of endeavor, they have played a fundamental role in our Nation's technological and economic expansion as well as every other fabric of life that we can think of. Their accomplishments are too numerous to count. Their influence is felt throughout our country.

The month of May once again gives us the opportunity to thank and honor Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and recognize them for their many contributions now, in the past, and certainly in the future.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.