[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 157 (Sunday, November 9, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2292]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF A RESOLUTION CONDEMNING DISCRIMINATION AGAINST ASIAN 
                     AND PACIFIC ISLANDER AMERICANS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Saturday, November 8, 1997

  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a resolution 
expressing the sense of Congress that all prejudice against Asian and 
Pacific Islander-Americans in the United States should be condemned, 
and that Congress should support the political and civic participation 
of these Americans through the United States.
  I am introducing the resolution at this time when Congress is 
conducting investigations into possible campaign fundraising violations 
during the 1996 campaigns. No one disagrees that investigations into 
legitimate campaign fundraising problems should be conducted or that 
any individual or party that may have participated in illegal 
activities should be prosecuted regardless of ethnicity. However, I'm 
concerned that the tone set by the congressional investigations into 
possible campaign finance violations may increase biased treatment of 
Asian and Pacific Islander-Americans.
  Media coverage of the figures being questioned, who are of Asian 
descent, and of alleged contributions by Asian nations has created a 
perception that Asian and Pacific Islander-Americans as a group should 
be blamed for the problems of campaign fundraising arising from 
prohibited from owning property. Under the Alien Land Act passed in 
California, aliens ineligible to citizenship were prevented from owning 
land. Other States followed suit and enacted similar laws.
  Perhaps the most egregious civil rights violation against Asian or 
Pacific Islander-Americans was the internment of over 120,000 people of 
Japanese descent during World War II. Two-thirds of them were American 
citizens. They were denied their constitutional rights, forced from 
their homes, incarcerated in internment camps, surrounded by barbed 
wire, and placed under surveillance of armed guards. Their allegiance 
to the United States was questioned only because they were of Japanese 
descent. Not until 1988, when former Representative Norm Mineta 
introduced legislation to right this historic injustice, was an apology 
made by the U.S. Government to those interned during the Second World 
War.
  Although anti-immigrant laws were later repealed, those interned 
received a formal apology, and significant gains have been made by the 
Asian and Pacific Islander community in the United States, there is 
still much work to be done to fight discrimination against these 
citizens.
  Asian and Pacific Islander-Americans continue to face racially 
motivated bigotry and violence, just as they did when their ancestors 
arrived in this country over 150 years ago. The 1992 report: Civil 
Rights Issues Facing Asian Americans in the 1990's by U.S. Commission 
on Civil Rights recounts numerous incidents of bigotry and violence 
over the last two decades. The National Asian Pacific American Legal 
Consortium's 1996 Audit of Violence Against Asian the 1996 elections. 
Reporters contacted donors of Asian descent simply because they were 
Asian when the story of possible contributions from Asian nations 
broke. The media has also used offensive racial stereotypes to depict 
the fundraising violation problem. For instance, the March 24, 1997, 
cover of the National Review depicted the President, Vice President, 
and the First Lady in Asian dress and stereotypically racist physical 
features.
  I am also disturbed by stories of congressional activities possibly 
driven by racial stereotypes. For instance, by colleague, 
Representative Moran, described on the floor last week the story of a 
constituent who received a subpoena for the telephone records of his 
wife from the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight just 
because she has a Chinese surname.
  The United States has a long, sordid history of discrimination 
against Asian and Pacific Islander-Americans. The Chinese Exclusion Act 
of 1882 limited the number of Chinese immigrants admitted into the 
United States. It was the first and only immigration law in American 
history that targeted a specific nationality and was passed due to 
growing anti-Chinese sentiment created by white laborers competing for 
jobs. It wasn't repealed until 1943.
  The Gentlemen's Agreement of 1908 prohibited Japanese immigration, 
and the National Origins Quota System limited the number of immigrants 
from Asian nations.
  At the beginning of our Nation, the Founders limited the eligibility 
for citizenship to free white persons only. In the early 1900's, laws 
restricting citizenship led to Asian immigrants being Pacific Americans 
found an increase of 17 percent of anti-Asian incidents reported for 
1996 from the previous year. This is particularly disturbing since 
violent crimes on the whole for 1996 decreased by 7 percent.
  In recent months, we have seen incidents of racially motivated 
violence and harassment toward Asian and Pacific Islander-Americans to 
discourage their political participation. Students on a University of 
California campus protesting the antiaffirmative initiative, 
proposition 209, received chilling hate calls. Asian or Pacific 
Islander-Americans running for political offices in California, Ohio, 
and Washington reported their campaign materials vandalized with racial 
slurs.
  Mr. Speaker, the resolution I am introducing reaffirms the rights of 
the Pacific Islander-American community and underscores the need to 
protect and advance the civil and constitutional rights of all 
Americans. I urge my colleagues to do the same and support this 
resolution.

                          ____________________