[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 67 (Tuesday, May 11, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H2932-H2933]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          COMMEMORATING ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 19, 1999, the gentleman from Guam (Mr. Underwood) is recognized 
during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor to announce that this 
month, May, is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. This month is 
meant to celebrate the many contributions of Asian and Pacific Islander 
Americans to the fabric of American life.
  As the Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus for 
the 106th Congress, I wish to draw attention to this month as a time to 
honor, remember and celebrate the Asian and Pacific Islander Americans 
who live in each one of our congressional districts. In fact, 65 
congressional districts have a population of at least 5 percent APA and 
some 28 have over 10 percent APA in their districts.
  This celebration dates back to the legislation introduced by former 
Representative Frank Horton in 1978, establishing Asian Pacific 
American Heritage Week to draw attention to this population. In 1990, 
the week was extended to a month, and it was not until 1992 that 
legislation was passed to make APA a permanent occasion during May of 
every year.
  This is a particularly critical time to reflect upon the conditions 
and the contributions of Asian Pacific Americans. They are a growing 
part of our population, and they make major contributions to every 
facet of our life, from science to sports, from education to 
entertainment, from culture to commerce.
  Asian Pacific Americans are major players and major movers in our 
American life. Yet, despite their success, they continue to experience 
various forms of discrimination; and some communities experience many 
difficulties in education and the economy. And they are, of course, 
subject to the ups and downs of our country's relationships with 
various countries in Asia and the Pacific.
  We should all take the time to celebrate the success of individual 
APAs, like Junior Seau, the outstanding linebacker for the San Diego 
Chargers; David Ho, who was Time magazine's 1996 Man of the Year for 
his research on AIDS; Josie Natori, a highly acclaimed designer who 
recently received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor; Jerry Yang, the 
former Stanford Ph.D. student who cofounded Yahoo; and Seiji Ozawa, who 
is in his 24th season as music director for the Boston Symphony 
Orchestra.
  But we must also take the time to acknowledge that there can be a 
thin line in American society between celebration and condemnation. 
Sometimes we are quick to praise individuals from various communities 
that make up the fabric of American life but we can be just as quick to 
stereotype and stigmatize the communities from which these individuals 
come from. Immigrant bashing, hate crimes, wholesale characterizations 
about this or that group are not only hurtful, they are disrespectful 
and harm our entire society.
  We are in the midst of a series of charges and countercharges about 
espionage at the Department of Energy labs, alleged fundraising from 
foreign sources; and our relationship with the People's Republic of 
China is probably at its lowest point during this decade. We all have a 
serious responsibility to make clear and understandable distinctions 
between the activities of foreign agents, criminal spies and the Asian 
Pacific American communities which help make this country strong and 
vibrant.
  There is much media coverage today about Chinese spying and illegal 
Chinese fund-raising. It is all too easy to blur any distinction 
between those who are operating outside the law and at the behest of 
foreign governments and the Asian Americans who live next door, who 
work at Silicon Valley and who work tirelessly in defense and energy 
laboratories around the country. Asian Americans have contributed 
enormously to our technological lead in the world, and they contribute 
to our military and economic strength in ways that all of us should be 
proud of and grateful for.
  Let us be clear. The overwhelming and vast majority of Asian Pacific 
Americans are not just industrious, they are as loyal to America as all 
their fellow Americans. The preponderance of stories about the 
espionage may lead to the same result that we had a few years ago when 
the stories about illegal fundraising first surfaced. Individual Asian 
American citizens around the country had additional questions asked of 
them, found it a little more difficult to get appointments with elected 
officials, were asked to verify the origins of their campaign donations 
in ways that others were not.
  The illegal fund-raising stories had a chilling and direct effect on 
the lives and the political participation of Asian Americans around the 
country. Let us make sure that the current rash of stories and the 
current state of our relationship with China has no impact upon the 
lives or the economic or employment opportunities of individual Asian 
Americans around the country.
  We in Congress have a special responsibility to make sure that our 
sentiments about these matters of espionage is clearly separate from 
any reflection upon the ethnic communities in our country.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Energy Secretary, Bill 
Richardson, for his sensitivity to APA concerns; and I encourage all 
Members to attend the numerous planned APA activities in their home 
district this month. And the APA caucus will also be organizing a 
special order commemorating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
  As we deal with the Cox Report, as we deal with the Department of 
Energy revelations, as we deal again with the charges about fund 
raising, let us remember that it is a thin line between celebration and 
condemnation, between singing praise and stereotyping.
  On this note, I take this opportunity to thank Energy Secretary Bill 
Richardson for his sensitivity to APA concerns, and also on agreeing to 
speak at the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies 
Gala.
  There are numerous activities planned by Asian Pacific American 
groups this month to celebrate our diverse heritage. I urge every 
member's participation in these activities.

[[Page H2933]]

  The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus will also be 
organizing a special order in May commemorating Asian Pacific American 
Heritage Month.

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