[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 59 (Monday, May 15, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3931-S3934]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise today with deep admiration and
praise for an integral presence within America's diverse society--Asian
Americans and Pacific Islanders. Every May, during Asian Pacific
American Heritage Month, we commemorate the major contributions made by
this small, but by no means insignificant part of the U.S. population.
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, both in the aggregate and in
groups of distinct and unique ethnic origin, comprise a growing force
in our citizenry. Whether their ancestry is Chinese, Japanese,
Filipino, Indian, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Laotian, Hmong, or other
Asian American, or Native Hawaiian, Chamorro, Samoan, Micronesian,
Tongan, Fijian, or other Pacific Islander American, they are a vibrant
part of our society. If one could see numbers about each of the
distinct peoples in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community,
they would observe that we make up one of the fastest growing segments
of the population. Our reach in communities across America is
increasing. Asian Pacific Americans should not be thought of as located
only in a few select states such as Hawaii or California. We have
migrated over time from various points of origin in the U.S. to all
parts of the country and have come to contribute to local business,
education, and politics in every state.
Nearly 11 million Asian and Pacific Islanders lived in the U.S. in
about 2.5 million families, according to last year's estimates. About
four-fifths of these families were headed by married couples.
Furthermore, the Census Bureau projects that the Asian and Pacific
Islander population will more than triple to nearly 38 million by the
middle of this new century, climbing from four to nine percent of the
American population. This growth in the number of Asian Pacific
Americans will be felt across the country, and more light will be shed
on the multifaceted strengths and varied needs of Asian Americans and
Pacific Islanders.
President Clinton recognized the importance of increasing awareness
about Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders when he signed Executive
Order 13125 in June, 1999. The Executive Order established the White
House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders with the goal
of improving the quality of life for this population by increasing
their participation in Federal programs. Such programs include those
related to health, human services, housing, education, labor,
transportation,
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economic development, and community development programs--encompassing
those which currently serve this population and those which may not
have served this population in the past.
I am happy to say that the Initiative is marching onward through
high-level, interagency meetings involving all major agencies in the
Executive Branch, and the establishment of the President's Advisory
Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The Commission
will be sworn in later this week and includes 15 members representing
various interests and diverse segments of the Asian American and
Pacific Islander community. It will be chaired by an esteemed
colleague, former Congressman Norman Mineta, and will include
representatives such as Haunani Apoliona from my State of Hawaii. I
hope that now and in the next Administration, the Initiative and the
Commission will continue to work hand-in-hand toward: increased
research and data collection; private sector, public sector and
community involvement; and, development, monitoring, and coordination
of Federal efforts toward improved quality of life for Asian Americans
and Pacific Islanders.
There is clear evidence to show that this type of Federal attention
is needed. As stated in the Presidential Proclamation for Asian Pacific
American Heritage Month 2000, despite many successes, the needs in the
community still continue to be great:
While many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders today are
thriving, others are still struggling to overcome obstacles.
Because of oppression in their countries of origin, some new
immigrants have arrived without having completed their
education; once here, some have encountered language and
cultural barriers and discrimination. Pacific Islanders, too,
must overcome barriers to opportunity caused by their
geographic isolation and the consequences of Western
influences on their unique culture. For these and other
reasons, too many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders face
low-paying jobs, inadequate health care, and lack of
educational opportunity.
The Initiative, Advisory Commission, and the Asian American and
Pacific Islander community have much work to do in these areas. I urge
that the proper resources and attention continue to flow to support
this combined effort.
Mr. President, within this Federal effort, I cannot underscore enough
how much we need to focus on improving data collection for the Asian
American and Pacific Islander community. The tremendous diversity in
the community poses challenges that have produced data and statistics
that are inadequate. Most data collection tends to lump the various
Asian American and Pacific Islander ethnicities together in a
single category, swallowing up numbers for each distinct group and
failing to present an accurate picture of the services needed.
For example, the respected organization, the College Board, produced
a report regarding minority achievement in higher education. The report
failed to include Asian Pacific Americans because we were considered to
be over-represented in higher education. Unfortunately, in the making
of the report, differences between individual groups within the
community were ignored. For example, higher educational attainment is
greater for groups like Japanese and Chinese Americans than it is for
American Samoan and Southeast Asian Americans. Statistics such as these
must be brought to light so that educational agencies and institutions
know to which groups they should target their limited resources.
Thankfully, Congressman Robert Underwood, the Chairman of the
Congressional Asian Pacific Caucus, worked to counter this problem and,
in the end, reached an agreement with The College Board to work
together and analyze disaggregared data for the population.
As another example of data collection challenges, I have worked on
Office of Management and Budget Statistical Policy Directive No. 15,
which governs the racial and ethnic data collection by Federal
agencies. In 1993, I began efforts to change the Directive so that
Native Hawaiians would be disaggregated from the Asian Pacific Islander
category. My main concern was that Native Hawaiians, as an indigenous
people were being classified with populations that had immigrated to
the U.S., thereby creating the misperception that Native Hawaiians were
immigrants rather than the indigenous peoples of Hawaii.
I finally succeeded in 1997, when OMB Policy and Statistical
Directive No. 15 was revised. Native Hawaiians were disaggregated from
the Asian Pacific Islander category and a new category entitled,
``Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders'' was created. That was
one step toward fixing inaccuracies in data collection. Agencies have
until January 1, 2003 to make all existing recordkeeping or reporting
requirements consistent with its standards. However, provisions of the
revised directive took effect immediately for all new and revised
recordkeeping or reporting requirements that include racial and/or
ethnic information. It is my understanding that only the Department to
Health and Human Services has established a policy with respect to the
requirements of OMB Directive 15. I have encouraged all Federal
agencies to actively work to implement this Directive, especially in
collaborative efforts with the White House Initiative and President's
Advisory Commission.
As a further example, on March 14, 2000, I hosted a forum to discuss
Census 2000 and its impact on Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in
Honolulu. The forum included panel members from the Federal government,
Congress, and Native Hawaiian, Samoan, and Chamorro community
organizations. The issue which generated the most concern regarding
Census 2000 was the application of multiracial reporting. This issue is
one of particular sensitivity in Hawaii, where a large percentage of
the population has multiethnic backgrounds.
In Hawaii, it is very common for individuals, when asked for their
ethnicity, to list their entire ethnic background. Only when asked
which ethnicity the individual most identifies with will the individual
limit the answer to one ethnic background. Furthermore, it was revealed
through forum discussion that there is no resolution as to how data
will be reported for those who check off more than one race on the 2000
Census form. This raises the fear that the final counts of various
Pacific Islander populations--such as the Native Hawaiian population--
where multiple-race backgrounds are common, would be inaccurate.
Statisticians verify that this has enormous effect on smaller
populations.
I am continuing to work on this problem because of the tremendous
impact that Federal data has in its use in deciding funding and
participation in thousands of Federal, state and local programs.
Inaccurate data means that many individuals will not be served, and we
must do what we can to prevent this from happening. We must work on
these and other issues facing the Asian American and Pacific Islander
community, just as we do for issues facing our country's other
populations, because it is part of our responsibility to keep each part
of our diverse America as strong as it can be.
Mr. President, I recently introduced related legislation that would
allow us to take a broader look at, and emphasize the heterogeneous
nature of, America. S. 2478, or the Peopling of America Theme Study Act
of 2000, takes pride in America's diversity by authorizing the
Secretary of the Interior to identify regions, areas, districts,
structures and cultures that illustrate and commemorate key events or
decisions in the peopling of this country. I hope that this effort will
provide a basis for the preservation and interpretation of the complex
movement of people, ideas, and cultures to and across the American
continent that resulted in the peopling of the nation, and the
development of our unique, pluralist society--one that Asian Americans
and Pacific Islanders are fully a part.
The bill encourages development of preservation and education
strategies to capture elements of our national culture and history such
as immigration, migration, ethnicity, family, gender, health,
neighborhood, and community. The prehistory and the history of this
nation are inextricably linked to the mosaic of migrations,
immigrations and cultures that has resulted in the peopling of America.
Americans are all travelers from other regions, continents and islands,
and I feel we need a better understanding and appreciation of this
coherent and unifying
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theme in America. This is the source of our nation's greatness and
strength. Our rich American heritage includes the traditions, cultures,
and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, both as a
group and as individuals.
Mr. President, I would like to conclude my statement with a note of
praise and congratulations to some of the members of the Asian Pacific
American community most deserving of recognition. President Clinton
recently approved the Army nominations of 21 Asian Pacific American
World War II veterans to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. This
concluded a review that I requested of service records of Asian
American and Pacific Islanders who received the Distinguished Service
Cross during World War II. The approval of the Medal of Honor for these
21 men who served with valor in World War II--19 from the 442nd
Regimental Combat Team and 100th Infantry Battalion--is long overdue
recognition of the heroic service and bravery displayed by these Asian
American soldiers and their comrades in arms. As we honor these
patriots, including my colleague Senator Daniel Inouye, let us also
remember the thousands of young men, living and deceased, whose
courage, sacrifice and spirit proved that patriotism is a circumstance
of the heart, not a consequence of the skin.
The 100th/442nd fought with incredible courage and bravery in Italy
and France. Its members won 1 Medal of Honor, 53 DSCs, and more than
9,000 Purple Hearts. The unit itself won 8 Presidential Unit Citations.
The fact that the 100th/442nd saw such fierce and heavy combat, yet
received only one Medal of Honor award, and then only posthumously and
due to congressional intervention, raised serious questions about the
fairness of the award process at that time. Unfortunately, Asian
Pacific Americans were not accorded full consideration for the Medal of
Honor at the time of their service. A prevailing climate of racial
prejudice against Asian Pacific Americans during World War II precluded
this basic fairness, the most egregious example being the internment of
120,000 Japanese Americans. The bias, discrimination, and hysteria of
that time unfortunately has an impact on the decision to award the
military's highest honor to Asians and Pacific Islanders.
I commend Secretary Caldera and all the Army personnel who conducted
the DSC review in a thorough and professional manner. They carried out
the difficult task of identifying and reconstructing the records of
more than one hundred veterans with diligence, sensitivity, and
dispatch. The stories documented for each of the 104 DSC recipients
will astonish and humble all who read them and underscore our faith in
a nation that produces such heroes.
As the only Chinese American in this body and the sole Native
Hawaiian in the Congress, I am proud of the legacy that we as Americans
are leaving for the world. I am proud of our great country, and I am
proud of the citizens that make our country great--including our
nation's Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. We have much to
celebrate during Asian Pacific Heritage Month 2000.
Mr. President, thank you again for this opportunity, and I yield the
floor.
Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I rise today in recognition of Asian
Pacific American Heritage Month. In 1992, President Bush signed into
law legislation designating May as Asian Pacific American Heritage
Month to celebrate the contributions the Asian American and Pacific
Islander communities have made to our country.
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have been instrumental in the
development of the American landscape for more than a century. The
diversity within the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities
exemplifies the richness of our multicultural country, celebrated
through Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
Valuing family, cultural heritage, and commitment to society, Asian
Americans and Pacific islanders have built strong communities
contributing to our dynamic society and adding strength to the
foundation of our country. With strong values, Asian Americans and
Pacific Islanders have succeeded in many facets of life including
science where Dr. David Ho was celebrated as Time Magazine's 1996 Man
of the Year; the arts, with fashion designer Vera Wang, writer Amy Tan,
and actress Ming Na-Wen; sports with ice skaters such as Kristi
Yamaguchi and Michelle Kwan and football legend Junior Seau; in the
military where General Eric Shinseki is the Chief of Staff for the U.S.
Army; and politics where there are two Pacific Islander Governors and
where I am joined by six other Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
serving in Congress, and where a record number of Asian American and
Pacific Islanders are serving as Administration appointees in some of
the highest offices of government. This list is by no means exhaustive,
it only scratches the surface of the contributions Asian American and
Pacific Islanders have made to our country. Asian Pacific American
Heritage Month allows us to pay tribute to the commitment and
contributions these men and women have made to their communities and to
our country.
The growth of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities,
along with the achievements we have gained, have brought Asian American
and Pacific Islander issues to the forefront of American politics. Last
June, President Clinton signed Executive Order 13125 establishing the
White House Asian and Pacific Islander Initiative seeking to improve
the quality of life for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders through
increased participation in federal government programs where they are
most likely to be under-served. I commend the President for this
Initiative and optimistically look forward to the progress this
commission will achieve, under the chairmanship of Mr. Norman Mineta,
to highlight and challenge issues pertinent to Asian Americans and
Pacific Islanders.
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made considerable
contributions to our nation. I am pleased that through Asian Pacific
American Heritage Month the various histories, cultures, triumphs, and
hardships of all Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders can be
celebrated, honored, and remembered.
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, each May, hundreds of civic organizations,
community groups, students, and public agencies around the nation
organize events to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
Throughout the month of May, we salute the profound contributions that
Asian Pacific Americans have made in all areas of life in the United
States. From the arts and sciences to politics and education, their
accomplishments have helped shape our culture and build our nation.
In my home state of California, May brings major events celebrating
Asian Pacific American culture in Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco,
San Jose, Los Angeles, and San Diego. For more about these events and
other interesting information, I invite everyone to consult my special
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month web page at http://
boxer.senate.gov/apa/index.html.
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month originated in 1977, when
Representatives Norman Mineta and Frank Horton introduced a resolution
calling on the President to proclaim the first ten days of May as
Pacific/Asian Heritage Week. Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga
introduced similar legislation in the Senate. The following year,
President Jimmy Carter signed a Joint Resolution proclaiming Asian/
Pacific Heritage Week. The celebration was significantly expanded in
1992, when May was officially designated Asian Pacific American
Heritage Month by an Act of Congress.
The term ``Asian Pacific American'' denotes scores of Asian and
Pacific Island ethnic groups with diverse languages, culture, and
history. Asian Pacific American Heritage Month offers every American an
opportunity to learn more about these peoples, who have woven so many
beautiful threads into the tapestry of American life. During the month
of May and throughout the year, I hope that every American will take a
moment to learn and appreciate more about the rich traditions and major
achievements of Asian Pacific Americans.
Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
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The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Roberts). Without objection, it is so
ordered.
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