[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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