[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 130 (Monday, October 11, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1951]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF THE NEWSPAPER ASIANWEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 8, 2004

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, a distinguished, nationally-distributed 
newspaper based in San Francisco is celebrating its 25th anniversary. 
Today I would like to ask my colleagues to join me in saluting a 
quarter-century of achievement by this important information resource, 
AsianWeek.
   Founded in 1979 by John T.C. Fang, who came to the United States 
from China in the early 1950s, AsianWeek now boasts a confirmed 
readership of 175,000 people in its print form and countless others on-
line. It is the only English language, national newsweekly chronicling 
the Asian Pacific American experience in all its variety. AsianWeek 
also offers an opportunity for Americans as a whole to learn about 
issues of particular importance to one of the country's fastest-growing 
communities, including civil rights, immigration, employment, and 
international affairs.
   John Fang launched the paper to help his fellow new Americans better 
themselves, and his legacy has passed to his family: Now published by 
his son James and edited his son Ted, and with the guidance of their 
mother, Chairwoman Florence Fang, AsianWeek reaches a broad cross-
section of Americans, from recent arrivals in the immigrant community 
to leaders of national stature in business, politics, academia and 
culture. Its mission is to tell the story of Asian Pacific American 
life, to provide a forum in matters of importance to its readership, 
and to involve Asian Pacific Americans meaningfully in the nation's 
political process.
   To this end, the paper recently scored an important exclusive among 
the Asian American press: an interview with presidential nominee John 
Kerry, who discussed a range of subjects with editor-in-chief Samson 
Wong, from a proposed federal program combating hate crimes to the new 
vistas that have opened for his niece, a toddler adopted in China.
   But perhaps more important than any single story, AsianWeek aspires 
with every edition to deliver consistent, high-quality information on 
all manner of subjects of interest to its target readership. For these 
efforts, it has won several awards--both for overall coverage and 
individual citations from New California Media, a national association 
of more than 700 ethnic media organizations.
   The paper also provides place where disparate views on those 
subjects can be freely expressed. Dedicated to promoting discussion 
among people whose backgrounds include the many ethnic groups of South 
Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, AsianWeek describes itself as 
``The Voice of Asian America.''
   Mr. Speaker, may the Asian Pacific American community, and U.S. 
society as a whole, continue to benefit from the availability of this 
eloquent and extraordinary voice.

                          ____________________