[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 69 (Friday, May 9, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E924]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF KOREAN IMMIGRATION TO THE UNITED 
                                 STATES

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM DAVIS

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 9, 2003

  Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this 
opportunity to congratulate the Centennial Committee of Korean 
Immigration as they celebrate 100 years of Korean immigration to the 
United States.
  A century ago, 102 Koreans immigrated to Hawaii as sugar plantation 
workers, the leaders of a new wave of Korean immigration to the U.S. 
Today, the Korean-American community has grown to 2 million, making it 
the fifth largest Asian community in the U.S. Korean-Americans have 
overcome many challenges along the way; however, the success the 
Korean-American community currently enjoys is largely due to the 
perseverance and hard work of those first immigrants to Hawaii 100 
years ago.
  The United States has benefited greatly from the participation of the 
Korean-American community in business, medicine, the arts and many 
other fields. Moreover, the Korean-American community has flourished 
here. The 11th District of Virginia exemplifies this symbiotic 
relationship, with a large and vibrant Korean-American community making 
lasting contributions to Northern Virginia. As the Representative of a 
district that has greatly benefited from the participation of its 
Korean-American citizens, I was an original co-sponsor of House 
Concurrent Resolution 297, which recognizes the contributions of 
Korean-Americans during the past 100 years in business, science, the 
arts and other fields. This resolution passed in the House of 
Representatives by a 417-0 vote on September 23, 2002.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I applaud the leadership of the Centennial 
Committee of Korean Immigration in commemorating the achievements and 
contributions of Korean-Americans in the United States. Efforts like 
theirs are what make our representative democracy work: they have 
helped not only to educate the American public about the values and 
accomplishments of the Korean-American community, but also to secure a 
more effective representation of those communities throughout the 
United States.

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