Congressional Record, Volume 156 Issue 76 (Wednesday, May 19, 2010)

[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 76 (Wednesday, May 19, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H3643-H3654]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Maffei). Under the Speaker's announced
policy of January 6, 2009, the gentleman from California (Mr. Honda) is
recognized for 60 minutes.
Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Asian American
and Pacific Islander Community and to commemorate Asian Pacific
American Heritage Month.
As chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus,
better known as CAPAC, I feel privileged to be here tonight with my
colleagues to speak of the Asian and Pacific Islander American history
accomplishments. Additionally, I will be highlighting those issues
affecting our community and the priorities for CAPAC.
In celebrating the APA Heritage Month, I want to give thanks to the
late Representative Frank Horton from New York, and to my good friend,
former Secretary Norman Mineta, along with Senators Daniel Inouye and
Sparky Matsunaga of Hawaii. It is because of their efforts that May is
now designated as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
The first 10 days of May coincide with two important anniversaries:
the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants on May 7, 1843, to the
U.S. and the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10,
1869.
In 1992, Congress passed public law number 102-450, the law that
officially designated May of each year as Asian Pacific American
Heritage Month.

{time} 2000

Today I, along with Congresswoman Judy Chu, introduced a resolution
honoring the accomplishments of my dear friend, Norman Mineta, who cut
his teeth in politics in California's 15th District in Silicon Valley,
which I represent today. Throughout his career, Norm has broken through
many glass ceilings, himself, but also for the rest of us. He is a
close personal friend, and I consider him a dear mentor.
Norm was the very first Asian American mayor of a major city, the
first Asian American to hold a Presidential Cabinet post. Not only did
he pierce through the glass ceilings, he dedicated much of his energy
building the infrastructure needed for the Asian American and Pacific
Islanders to grow and thrive to what it is today.
Norm had a hand in establishing and/or strengthening so many of our
key

[[Page H3644]]

national organizations. They span from policy advocacy, coalitions like
National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, to voter engagement
organizations like APIA Vote, to organizations and fellowship programs
that develop the future leaders of our community such as the Asian
Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, to the
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, which I chair today. CAPAC
is a caucus of members dedicated to representing the interests of
underserved Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and I am proud to
honor Norm Mineta today through this resolution, along with my
colleague Congresswoman Judy Chu.
Before I introduce Congresswoman Chu, I would just like to have a
couple of personal notes.
Norm Mineta had a great impact, as I have said, on our communities,
and the way he has done that is through delicate diplomacy. In the area
in San Jose where ethnic groups are growing in political activity,
oftentimes our communities would be in conflict with the police
department. Rather than taking sides, Norm, as mayor, found ways to
bring people together in an amicable way where the outcome was
positive, always. And that has always shown us the way, through
conflict resolution, that one does not need to have winners and losers,
but that we can seek ways to make things happen in a positive way.
That's one of the most important lessons I think that Norm has left
many of us to pursue today here in Congress, to seek partnerships
across the aisle and with each other on issues of great importance to
this country.
And so I want to say to Norm as a friend, as his mentee, thank you
very much for all the patience and mentoring that you have done. At
times it was on purpose and at times it's just because that's the way
you are.
I'd like to turn the microphone over to my colleague, Congresswoman
Judy Chu.
Ms. CHU. Thank you, Chairman Honda, for convening this Special Order
hour on APA Heritage Month.
I stand proud this evening with Chairman Honda to commemorate the
month of May as Asian Pacific Heritage Month. As the first Chinese
American Congresswoman, it has been an honor and a privilege to be a
representative and work on behalf of Asian Americans, and all
Americans, on such critical issues affecting our Nation, like economic
recovery, immigration, and, of course, the passage of health care
reform.
Though Asian Americans have been here in this country for 160 years,
it was not until 1992 when the designation of May as Asian Pacific
American Heritage Month was signed into law. It was because of Asian
American leaders like Secretary Mineta, then a Congressman, and
Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga who introduced the
legislation. They designated this month of May, the very month when
Japanese immigrants first set foot on U.S. soil and when Chinese
immigrants worked tirelessly to complete the first transcontinental
railroad, to celebrate the contributions of APIs to this country.
For far too long, Asian Americans have not been at the table where
important decisions were being made. This is despite the fact that we
were here for 160 years, and yet we were nearly invisible in State and
Federal Government. But in recent years, we have broken the glass
ceiling and have ushered in an era of change. Asian Americans are at a
historic high in leadership positions in so many different arenas: in
politics, in law firms, and in the judicial arena.
In my home State of California, not only do we have three Asian
Americans who are statewide-elected constitutional officers, such as
State Controller John Chung, we have 11 Asian Americans in the
California State Legislature.
And, on the Federal level, it is astounding that out of President
Obama's 19 Cabinet members, three are Asian Americans: General Eric
Shinseki, Steven Chu, and Gary Locke. And recently, four Federal judges
were appointed: Dolly Gee, Jacqueline Nguyen, Denny Chin, and most
recently, Goodwin Liu, the first Asian American to the U.S. Court of
Appeals. It is the greatest number of Asian Pacific Islanders in State
and Federal office in history.
And we've all stood on the shoulders of Asian American leaders like
Former Secretary Norman Yoshio Mineta, who was a leader and a role
model ahead of his time. It was because of Secretary Mineta that the
invaluable contributions of Asian Americans were memorialized and
recognized this month. It was Secretary Mineta who spearheaded the long
and hard push to get final passage because of the Japanese American
reparations bill, because his entire family, along with 120,000 other
Japanese Americans, were interned for 2 years during World War II. And
it was Secretary Mineta who cofounded and once cochaired the
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus so that today our caucus,
which has grown in number and blossomed, has a unified voice and
advocates for issues that are unique to the Asian American community.
That is why Chairman Mike Honda and I feel so strongly about
introducing legislation to honor the legacy of Norman Mineta, who made
history and still is an inspiration to many. We hope that our House
colleagues will join us in honoring this veteran, public servant, and
great American.
Secretary Mineta, we pay homage to you for all of your service to
Asian Americans and all Americans. You are a pioneer, a visionary, and
a leader who embodies the true meaning of service.
Of course, we still have much work to do. We must continue to
advocate for greater diversity at all levels where important decisions
are being made. And, in fact, here in the very Halls of Congress we
have seen what diverse and fruitful coalitions are capable of
accomplishing when we work together to advance our issues.
When the congressional Asian, Hispanic, and Black caucuses unite as
one, we are a strong voice and no longer an invisible minority, but a
majority that can advocate effectively for Asian, Latino, and African
Americans and, for that matter, all Americans. As a united coalition,
we can make a difference on problems that impact us today.
For instance, we can reform our broken immigration system, which has
kept families apart for far too long. Today, 12 million people live in
the shadows with no hope or path to legalization. Today, young people
who are valedictorians and student body presidents are prevented from
completing a college education. And today, States like Arizona can pass
laws that are discriminatory, anti-immigrant, and, frankly, un-
American, when all immigrants want to do is to be productive,
contributing citizens and provide for their family and loved ones.

We know immigrants are indispensable to our Nation's economy. In
California alone, businesses owned by Latinos and Asians make up more
than one quarter of all businesses and contributed $183 billion to the
State. And that's according to the 2000 census figures, which we know
is much undercounted by now, certainly.
We can foster the economic strength and level the playing field for
Asian Americans and minority-owned businesses. Today, API and minority
businesses still face great obstacles in getting lending and access to
capital. When minority-owned firms do receive financing, it is for less
money and at a higher interest rate than nonminority-owned firms,
regardless of the size of the firm.
Despite the fact that Asian Pacific Islanders are 5 percent of the
U.S. population, they only account for 1.9 percent of total Federal
contracting dollars, which was worth $535 billion last year. API and
other minority businesses face discrimination by prime contractors and
contracting officers in the Federal Government, leaving these
businesses very little opportunity to compete for contracts. And this
must change.
And, we can make sure that we are counted in the census so that the
particular needs of the API and other minority populations can be
addressed. Today, we still do not have the proper and disaggregated
data to sufficiently address the specific needs of the API and other
minority communities. Segments of our API community continue to suffer
from a ``model minority'' myth, and those in our population with the
greatest needs continue to go underserved.
And today, we continue to have problems with language accessibility
and

[[Page H3645]]

cultural sensitivity in the current census, even though the language
capability is out there to assist in a very, very accurate census.
These things, of course, have to change. I truly believe that when the
leadership of this country begins to look like the people who live in
it, our country will finally reflect the issues and concerns of all its
people and we will see the change that we desire.
As I reflect upon the journey and struggles of Asian Americans in
this country, I am reminded of the day when I was sworn in. As I stood
on the floor of Congress and raised my right hand, I thought about the
fact that my grandfather came to this country with nothing. In fact, he
faced the hostile laws of the time, the Chinese Exclusion Act, which
prohibited him from becoming a naturalized citizen, and the California
laws that prevented Asian Americans from owning land and from being
hired in any corporation. But he decided to make something of his life
anyway and worked day and night and night and day to make ends meet.
And now, two generations later, his granddaughter can be a Member of
Congress. That is what America is all about, the land of hopes, dreams,
and opportunity.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. HONDA. Thank you, Congresswoman Judy Chu.
I want to thank you very much for initiating the resolution honoring
Norm Mineta, but I want to make it very clear to the audience and to
Norm that we are doing this not in anticipation of your demise. It
sounds like almost a memorial, but it is to acknowledge you while you
are around and you can appreciate it. And we want to let you know that
we do appreciate all the work that you have done and the kinds of
trailblazings that you have done. And so that is our way of doing it,
and I want to acknowledge Judy for doing that.
In terms of growth, today the AAPI community is quickly expanding.
Currently, there are approximately 16.6 million AAPIs living in the
United States. There are approximately 45 distinct ethnic groups within
our populations speaking various dialects within each group. And it is
certainly a diverse community, one of the fastest growing ethnic groups
in the United States.
By 2050, the Asian Pacific Islander community and population is
expected to more than double and reach 40.6 million, or 9 percent, of
our population. My own State of California has the largest Asian
population at 5.1 million. The States of New York and Texas follow,
about 1.5 million and close to 1 million, respectively, in Texas.
The population is also growing in States beyond the usual hubs of New
York and California. We are also seeing growth in other areas in our
country, such as Virginia, Nevada, Minnesota, Louisiana, Texas,
Pennsylvania, and Florida. I encourage my congressional colleagues to
learn more about the API populations in their district and become a
member of this caucus.
The stereotypes and lack of data around our community--there is a
stereotype about Asian Americans that all Asians are healthy, wealthy,
and wise. However, our community is extremely diverse in our
ethnicities, income, educational attainment, language capabilities,
special needs, and challenges. Stereotypes about our communities make
it difficult to understand the unique problems faced by individual
communities and subgroups. Data that is disaggregated by ethnicity for
our various communities is hard to come by but critical to the
understanding where we must direct Federal attention.
As a country, we need to better address the needs of the AAPI
community when we discuss comprehensive immigration reform, health
care, economic recovery, and education. We are also barely visible in
corporate America, underrepresented in political offices throughout the
country, and misportrayed in our mainstream media. As our community
expands, we must also continue to educate our fellow citizens about the
uniqueness of our experiences. And so the whole concept of
disaggregation of our data is critical to making sure that we target
very accurately the needs of our community.
Despite the daunting challenges we face, this is a time of great
optimism and hope for the Asian American Pacific Islander communities.
President Obama and the APIs in the administration and new Members of
Congress are evidence of that. We are making this month with an
American President with close ties to Asia.
President Obama grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia. His sister is half
Indonesian; his brother-in-law is Chinese-Canadian, and he has
maintained close ties with Asian friends and colleagues throughout his
life.

{time} 2015

President Barack Obama has a deep understanding of our community and
many milestones celebrated may be attributed to his commitment to our
community. He has made significant outreach efforts to reestablishment
of the White House initiative on Asian Pacific American islanders to
coordinate multi-agency efforts to ensure more accurate data collection
and access to services for these communities.
The President's Cabinet includes a record of three Asian Americans,
as was mentioned by Congresswoman Chu. Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu,
a Nobel Laureate, the leader of the Livermore Labs in Berkeley; well-
suited for the job. Well trained. Commerce Secretary Governor Gary
Locke of Seattle, Washington. And Veterans' Affairs Secretary General
Eric Shinseki, a man of great integrity and one that has earned his
reputation not only among the military folks but all Americans.
The President has also demonstrated a commitment to judicial
diversity through the nomination of high-caliber Asian American and
other minority jurists at all levels of the Federal bench. Our faces
are lacking very much. The nomination of these folks are appreciated
because this says a couple of things. One, that we need to be there on
the bench. Two, we have capable jurists that can administer and conduct
a courthouse, from the very municipal courts to the highest--the
Supreme Court.
The service in Congress. The ranks of Asian American Pacific Islander
Members of Congress also increased this Congress with the election of
Anh ``Joseph'' Cao from Louisiana's Second District, Gregorio Kilili
Camacho Sablan from the Northern Mariana Islands, and CAPAC's newest
member, Representative Judy Chu from California's 32nd District.
Representative Cao has the distinction of being the first Vietnamese
American elected to Congress. He also makes our caucus bipartisan,
coming from the Republican Party. Just on top of that, our caucus is
also bicameral, with representation from Senators Akaka and Inouye.
Representative Sablan is the very first member to represent the
Northern Marianas and the only Chamorro person serving in Congress
today. Representative Chu is the very first Chinese American woman
elected to Congress. Representatives Cao, Sablan, and Chu are also the
newest members of CAPAC's executive board. Our newest associate members
are Representative Joseph Crowley of New York and Representative John
Conyers of Michigan. It is a testament to our evolving national
character as a Nation of immigrants to have our newest Members of
Congress come from upbringings beyond our own shores.
At this time, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to share the microphone and the
podium with a gentleman who's been here in excess of 25 years. Probably
30 years. He claims that all the sumo champions of Japan that are over
6'5'' are his cousins. I don't deny that. I think that his service to
this country representing the island of American Samoa has been long
and distinguished. He's an articulate advocate for Asian American
issues and, through CAPAC, I believe that he has a platform of bringing
the issues of Asian Pacific islanders in that area to the public's
attention. And through the last battle for comprehensive health reform,
he has been an outspoken leader in making sure that territories such as
the Virgin Islands, Samoa, Guam, Marianas, have a greater respect and
attention paid to them.
And so it gives me great pleasure to introduce my colleague, the
Congressman from American Samoa, Eni Faleomavaega. Aloha.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, how much time do we have left?
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Perriello). The gentleman from
California has 37 minutes remaining.

[[Page H3646]]

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I am very
respectful of my dear friend here. Mr. Speaker, I thank my fellow
Members of Congress who join us today in honoring Asia Pacific Heritage
Month. I especially want to thank the gentleman from California, my
colleague, Mr. Honda, for his leadership as chairman of the
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and in requesting this
Special Order to allow members of this institution to pay tribute and
to recognize the contributions of the Asian Pacific American community
to our Nation.
Founded in 1994 by then-Congressmen and my dear friend and former
colleague, Congressman Norman Mineta, this caucus has been a strong
advocate for the Asian Pacific American community on critical issues
such as housing, health care, immigration, civil rights, economic
development, and education, just to name a few. And so it is fitting
that we are gathered here today to advocate as advocates of our
community to acknowledge the wide-ranging contributions that Asian
Pacific Americans have made in the history of our great Nation.
It's been 18 years now that Congress has given authorization that our
Nation pay special tribute in the month of May to the contributions of
our Asian Pacific American community. I will try and elaborate on the
achievements and successes of Asian Pacific Americans to highlight our
rich legacy and diversity but, more importantly, to demonstrate that
the greatness of our Nation lies in its diversity and ability to accept
people from all over the world as they pledge themselves to become
fellow citizens of this great Nation.
Americans of Asian Pacific descent, over 16 million of us, make up
about 8 or 9 percent of our Nation's population. In recent years, the
Asian Pacific American population has more than doubled. There are some
predictions that it is now considered the most active and rapidly
growing group in our country.
Time will not permit me to share with you the names and contributions
of many of our prominent Asian Pacific American leaders in the fields
of law, business, and finance. Too many to mention. One only needs to
read today's newspapers or a magazine to know that Asian Pacific
American students both in secondary schools and universities are among
the brightest minds our Nation offers to the world. I fully expect
these students now and in the future will contribute their talents and
their expertise to solve major issues and problems confronting our
Nation and the world.
Many of our prominent business leaders and entrepreneurs are of Asian
Pacific descent. For example, many of the popular brands and icons that
we know today were created by the brilliant minds of Asian Pacific
Americans. For example, the Bose Corporation, which specializes in
audio equipment used by historical venues and facilities such as the
Sistine Chapel, the Space Shuttle, and the Olympic Stadium, is headed
by Amar Bose, an Indian American. Steve Chen, a Chinese American, and
Jawed Karim, a Bangladeshi American, were the co-creators of the
popular video-sharing Web site YouTube. Vera Wang, a Chinese American
fashion designer and model, established herself as an icon by dressing
celebrities and creating one of the most fashionable clothing lines for
women in the world today.
In the realm of sports, Asian Pacific Americans have come to the
forefront. Five Asian Pacific Americans competed for Team USA in the
recent Winter Olympics, including short-track skaters J.R. Celski,
Apolo Ohno, and Simon Cho, and snowboarder Graham Watanabe. Chinese
American Julie Chu, who helped lead the U.S. women's ice hockey team to
a silver medal, is the first Asian Pacific American to play for the
U.S. Olympic women's ice hockey team. Ms. Chu is also the former team
captain at Harvard University, where she became the all-time NCAA
leading scorer for women's ice hockey.

Before I share the accomplishments of other Asian Pacific Americans
in the Olympics, I must first recognize the pioneer of them all, in my
humble opinion. It's a native Hawaiian by the name of Duke Kahanamoku,
the first Asian Pacific American ever to win Olympic gold for the U.S.
in the 1912 games. Duke went on to win two more golds and two more
silver medals for the United States. Also considered the ``father of
modern surfing,'' Duke was the first person to be inducted to both the
Swimming Hall of Fame and the Surfing Hall of Fame.
Other prominent Olympians include Kevin Tan, a Chinese American who
was selected as captain of the U.S. men's gymnastics team in the 2008
Summer games; high-diver Greg Louganis, of Samoan descent, who won
three gold medals in the 1980s; and a high-diver by the name of Sammy
Lee, the first Korean American to win a gold medal for the United
States in the 1948 games. Four years after his historic feat, Lee also
won his second gold medal at age 32, becoming the oldest person to win
a gold medal in diving and the first male diver ever to win back-to-
back gold medals.
A very, very interesting story about Dr. Sammy Lee. At that time, the
U.S. diving team for the Olympics would not even allow Dr. Sammy Lee to
practice with them because he was a Korean American. So he had to be
somewhat innovative and creative, diving off the cliffs just to try to
get himself practice to prepare for the Olympics. Guess what? Despite
all the difficulties that he was confronted with, he still won the gold
medals for Uncle Sam.
I remember years ago when I attended the 1988 Olympics in Korea and I
ran into Dr. Sammy Lee, and I asked him why the Samoan American named
Greg Louganis was so good in high-diving. He said, Eni, look at his
legs. Greg Louganis has Samoan legs. The reason for this is because of
the strength that he gets from his legs. It allows him to jump higher
than any of the other divers to do more difficult tricks. I said, Oh,
that's a very interesting thing to know.
I've also mentioned many of our young Asian Pacific Americans in the
NFL. Today, in the 2010 NFL draft there were seven young men: four
Samoans, one Tongan, and one Hawaiian. Probably even more were selected
to seven different teams across the Nation.
Sometimes, Mr. Speaker, I usually have to give a lesson in geography
when people ask where I'm from--Samoa, not Somalia. But when I mention
Troy Polamalu and Junior Seau, they say, Oh, those guys. They're
Samoans. They're Asian Pacific Americans. I must also mention that
Asian Pacific Americans excelled in the sport of rugby. Many of you may
have heard world-renowned New Zealand All Blacks team, whose name, I
might add, describes the color of their uniforms and not the skin of
the people that play the game. Some of the world's most famous rugby
players are of Samoan descent. And the All Blacks team includes Brian
Williams, Va'aiga Tuigamala, Tana Umaga, and Michael Jones.
Also of note, a history of discrimination. At the time of apartheid,
New Zealand having one of the most powerful rugby national teams, when
the South African Springbok team found out there may be a Samoan or
Maori that was included in the All Blacks team, they refused to play
them because they did not want to associate with these Polynesians or
Asian Americans that made up the All Blacks team in New Zealand.
I must also mention in the sport of sumo, as the gentleman from
California had alluded to earlier, yes, Asian Pacific Americans also
excel in the sport of sumo. I can only mention that the gentleman that
started it was a native Hawaiian named Jesse Kuhaulua, whose wrestling
name was Takamiyama. He, in turn, trained a Samoan kid by the name of
Saleva'a Atisanoa, whose name later became Konishiki. Of course,
Konishiki weighed only 570 pounds after they trained him. And, of
course, he was able to bench 600 pounds.
And then we have native Hawaiian Akebono, whose name was Chad Rowen.
He was about 6'8'' and weighed 500 pounds. Another Samoan Tongan sumo
wrestler, also a Yokozuna national champion, by the name of
Musashimaru.
As I shared this with my colleagues, I just wanted to mention, Mr.
Speaker, in terms of the achievements of these Asian Pacific Americans,
in the field of martial arts, the late Chinese American kung fu martial
artist Bruce Lee

[[Page H3647]]

captivated movie audiences all over the world by destroying the common
stereotype of the passive, quiet Asian Pacific American male. The
tradition continues today with Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

{time} 2030

Mr. Speaker, recently I had the privilege of presenting the
Congressional Horizon Award to someone else of interesting making, a
gentleman by the name of Dwayne Johnson, commonly known as the Rock.
The Rock was featured in movies such as ``The Scorpion King,''
``Rundown,'' ``Get Smart,'' ``Grid Iron Gang,'' ``Race to Witch
Mountain,'' and most recently the comedy fantasy film ``Tooth Fairy.''
The unique thing about Dwayne Johnson is his father is part African
American European and Native American, but his mother is pure Samoan.
Now, just about every Samoan alive claims to be related to the Rock,
including myself. Recently I had the privilege of presenting the
Congressional Horizon Award to Dwayne Johnson for his contributions and
volunteer work in enriching the lives of children worldwide. Dwayne
Johnson has made numerous contributions, especially towards terminally
ill children through his Rock Foundation.
There are also an unprecedented number of Asian Pacific Americans in
top government positions, and I think many already may have been
mentioned. For example, President Obama appointed Dr. Steven Chu, a
Chinese American to be Secretary of Energy. Secretary Chu's extensive
work in physics and molecular biology has earned him many accolades.
Most notably, he won a Nobel Prize for his work in physics by
developing methods to cool and trap atoms in laser light. I don't know
what that means, Mr. Speaker, but it must have been something very
important.
Dr. Chu's dedication to physics led him to the academic side of
research as a teacher of physics and molecular and cellular biology at
Stanford University and also U.C. Berkeley University. Concerning
global warming, Secretary Chu has been a leading advocate for the
research of finding alternative sources of energy, steering away our
dependence on fossil fuels. Secretary Chu is the first person ever
appointed to a Presidential Cabinet after receiving a Nobel Prize.
Also, another member of the President's Cabinet, Secretary of Veteran
Affairs, my dear and good friend, former General Eric Shinseki, a
Japanese American born in Hawaii, a graduate of West Point and a
decorated veteran who fought in two combat tours in Vietnam. General
Shinseki, wounded from his last tour in Vietnam, understands from
personal experience the plight of veterans and the support those
veterans and their families really need. General Shinseki is also the
only Japanese American and Asian American to be promoted to the Army's
top position as Chief of Staff of the Army. He was the first 4-star
general of Asian descent in the history of our U.S. military.
I can remember well when General Shinseki was asked how many soldiers
would it take to take control of Iraq. Strictly from a purely
professional opinion as a soldier, not as a politician, he said
something in the order of several hundred thousand soldiers. For that
he was vilified and severely criticized by civilian authority, namely,
former Secretary Rumsfeld and former Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz in
saying this is outrageous and not true. And guess what, Mr. Speaker,
everything that General Shinseki said was absolutely true. And what did
we do? We operated a war in Iraq on the cheap and that is why we have
spent 8 years there, costing many more lives simply because of
mismanagement and not taking more serious advice from people who know
what it means to be in war.
Another Cabinet member of the Obama administration who exemplifies
that through hard work the American Dream can come true, is former
Governor of the State of Washington, Gary Locke, a Chinese American.
Secretary Locke grew up in public housing, put himself through Yale
University with loans and scholarships and the money he earned working
part-time jobs. After earning his law degree, Locke broke many glass
ceilings. In 1993 he became the first Chinese American to be elected to
his county as county executive in the State of Washington, city of
Seattle. And, of course, he served two terms as Governor of the State
of Washington.
As a Vietnam veteran, Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I did not say
something to honor and respect the hundreds of thousands of Asian
Pacific Americans who served then and now in all branches of the armed
services to our Nation. As a former member of the U.S. Army Reserve
Unit known today as the 100 Battalion 442nd Combat Infantry Group, I
would be remiss if I did not share with you the contributions of the
tens of thousands of Japanese American soldiers who volunteered to
fight our Nation's enemies in Europe during World War II.
As you probably know, after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on
December 7, 1941, there was such an outrage and outcry for an all-out
war against Japan, and days afterwards President Roosevelt right here
in this Chamber and the Congress formally declared war against Japan.
But out of this retaliation against Japan, over 100,000 Japanese
Americans--men, women and children--were caught in the crossfire. Our
national government immediately implemented a policy whereby these
Japanese Americans were forced to live in what they called relocation
camps, but they were actually concentration camps. Their lands, homes,
their properties were confiscated without any due process.
My former colleague and former Secretary of Transportation, Norman
Mineta, and the late Congressman Bob Matsui from Sacramento spent their
early years in these concentration camps. Secretary Mineta shared with
us an interesting feature. In the camps they had machine gun nests
posted all over the camp. And everyone in the camp was told that the
machine guns were necessary to protect them against rioters and others
who wanted to harm them. But Secretary Mineta observed if the machine
guns were posted to guard and protect us, why is that they are all
directed and aimed inside the prison camp compound and not outside.
Mr. Speaker, I submit it was a time in our Nation's history when
there was so much hatred and bigotry and racism against our Japanese
American community. Despite all this, tens of thousands of Japanese
American men volunteered to join the Army, thus leaving their wives,
their parents, brothers and sisters behind barbed wire fences to go
train in order to fight America's enemies in Europe. As a result of
such volunteerism, two combat units were organized. The 100th Battalion
and the 422nd Infantry Combat Group were created and immediately sent
to fight in Europe. History speaks for itself, Mr. Speaker, documenting
that none have shed their blood more valiantly for our Nation than the
Japanese American soldiers who served in these two combat units while
fighting enemy forces in Europe during World War II.
The military records of the 100th Battalion and the 442nd Infantry
are without equal in suffering, in my humble opinion. These Japanese
American units suffered an unprecedented casualty rate of 314 percent
and received over 18,000 individual decorations, many awarded
posthumously for bravery and courage in the field of battle. For your
information, 53 Distinguished Service Crosses were awarded for the
bravery of these Japanese soldiers; 560 Silver Stars; 9,486 Purple
Hearts; and seven Presidential Unit Citations, and I find it unusual
that only one Medal of Honor was awarded at that time. Nonetheless, it
is noted that the 442nd Infantry Group emerged as the most decorated
combat unit of its size ever in the military history of the United
States.
President Truman was so moved by the bravery in the field of battle,
not only by Japanese Americans but African Americans during World War
II, that he issued an executive order to finally desegregate all
branches of the armed services. And I am proud to say that Senators
Daniel Inouye and the late Senator Spark Matsunaga were members of the
original units of the 100th Battalion and 442nd Infantry.

I was very, very happy that the House made a change, reinvestigated
and as a result of the investigation in 1999, 19 additional
Congressional Medals of Honor were given to these Japanese Americans
who were members of these combat groups. Senator Inouye was one of the
recipients, and I was

[[Page H3648]]

privileged to witness this historic moment at a ceremony at the White
House.
Mr. Speaker, looking back on history, I submit to you today that the
wholesale and arbitrary abolishment of the constitutional rights of
these loyal Japanese Americans should forever serve as a reminder and
testament that this must never be allowed to occur again. When this
miscarriage of justice unfolded during World War II, Americans of
German and Italian ancestry were not similarly jailed en masse. Some
declare the incident as an example of outright racism and bigotry in
its ugliest form.
After visiting the Holocaust museums in both Washington, D.C. and in
Jerusalem, I understand, Mr. Speaker, better why the genocide of some 6
million Jews has prompted the cry, ``never again.'' Likewise, I
sincerely hope that the mass internments on the basis of race will
never darken the history of our great Nation.
Bruce Yamashita, a Japanese American from Hawaii, was discharged from
his training as an officer in the Marine Corps. Marine Corps superiors
taunted Bruce with ethnic slurs and told him: We don't want your kind
around; go back to your own country.
The situation was made worse when the commandant of the Marine Corps,
who appeared on ``60 Minutes,'' said marine officers who are minorities
do not shoot, swim or use compasses as well as white officers. Well,
the general apologized, but it was too late. After research and
investigations, Mr. Yamashita was vindicated and finally commissioned
as an officer in the Marine Corps.
Mr. Speaker, when I envision America, I don't see a melting pot
designed to reduce and remove racial differences. No, the America I see
is a brilliant rainbow, a rainbow of ethnicities, of cultures,
different religions and languages with each person proudly contributing
in his own distinctive and unique way for a better America.
Asian Pacific Americans wish to find a just and equitable place in
our society that would allow them, like all Americans, to grow, to
succeed, to achieve, and to contribute to the advancement of this great
Nation.
I would like to close my remarks by asking all of us here, my
colleagues, and the American people: What is America all about? I think
it could not have been said better than on the steps on the Lincoln
Memorial in the summer of 1963 when an African American minister by the
name of Martin Luther King, Jr., poured out his heart and soul to every
American who could hear his voice, when he uttered these profound
words: ``I have a dream. My dream is that one day my four little
children will be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the
content of their character.''
That is what I believe America is all about and that is what I firmly
believe that the 16 million Asian Pacific Americans that are a part and
fabric of our great Nation, that it will make us even a greater
country, by looking at the characters of the people and judging them
accordingly and not because of race.
I sincerely hope my colleagues will remember this month of May has
been dedicated. It has been my privilege to visit several installations
over the course of the 20 years I have been here, to share with the
American people the contributions that Asian Pacific Americans have
made to our great Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my fellow members of Congress who join us today
in honoring Asian Pacific Heritage Month. I also thank the gentleman
from California, Mr. Honda, for his leadership as Chairman of the
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, CAPAC, and in requesting
this Special Order to allow Members of this institution to pay tribute
to and recognize the contributions of the Asian Pacific American
community to our nation.
Founded in 1994 by then-Congressman and my dear friend, Norman
Mineta, CAPAC has been a strong advocate for the Asian Pacific American
community on critical issues such as housing, healthcare, immigration,
civil rights, economic development, and education, just to name a few.
And so it is fitting that we are gathered here today as advocates for
our community to acknowledge the wide-ranging contributions Asian
Pacific Americans have made in the history of this great nation.
In 1992, Congress passed a joint Congressional Resolution to
designate the month of May to give special recognition of the
contributions of our Asian-Pacific American community to our nation.
Originally, Congress in 1978 designated the first week of May to
commemorate the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants and the
completion of the transcontinental railroad that was built by the
Chinese laborers. Every year since then, the President would issue an
Executive proclamation from the White House to honor this month and
direct all federal agencies and military installations throughout the
country to conduct special events and ceremonies to honor our Asian-
Pacific American communities throughout our country.
I will try and elaborate on the achievements and successes of Asian-
Pacific Americans to highlight our rich legacy and diversity but, more
importantly, to demonstrate that the greatness of our nation lies in
its diversity and ability to accept peoples from all over world, as
they pledge themselves to become fellow citizens of this great nation.
Americans of Asian and Pacific Islander descent, over 16 million
strong, are among the fastest growing demographic groups in the United
States today, even though they make up only 9 percent of our nation's
population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Asian American and
Pacific Islander community is comprised of over 45 distinct ethnicities
and over 28 language groups. In recent years, the Asian-Pacific
American population has more than doubled and this rapid growth is
expected to continue in the years to come--reaching 40.6 million by
2050, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Time will not permit me to share with you the names and contributions
of many of our prominent Asian-Pacific American leaders in the fields
of law, business, finance, and too many to mention. One only needs to
read today's newspaper or a magazine to know that Asian-Pacific
American students--both in secondary schools and universities--are
among the brightest minds our nation offers to the world. I fully
expect that these students--now and in the future--will contribute
their talents and expertise to solve major issues and problems
confronting our nation and the world.
Many of our prominent business leaders and entrepreneurs are of
Asian-Pacific descent. In fact, many of the popular brands and icons
that we know today were created by the brilliant minds of Asian-Pacific
Americans. For example, the Bose Corporation (note: one syllable,
pronounced Boze), which specializes in audio equipment used by
historical venues and facilities, such as the Sistine Chapel, the Space
Shuttle, and the Olympic stadiums, is currently headed by its founder,
Amar Bose--an Indian American. Steve Chen, a Chinese American, and
Jawed Karim, a Bangladeshi American, were the co-creators of the
popular video sharing Web site, ``YouTube.'' Vera Wang, a Chinese
American fashion designer and mogul, established herself as an icon by
dressing celebrities and creating one of the most fashionable clothing
lines for women in the world.
In the realm of sports, Asian-Pacific Americans have come to the
forefront. Of the five Asian-Pacific Americans who competed with Team
USA in the recent Winter Olympics--including short track skaters J.R.
Celski, Apolo Ohno, and Simon Cho, and snowboarder Graham Watanabe--
Chinese American Julie Chu, who helped lead the U.S. women's ice hockey
team to a silver medal, is the first Asian American to play for the
U.S. Olympic women's ice hockey team. Chu is also the former team
captain at Harvard where she became the all-time NCAA leading scorer
for women's ice hockey.
Before I share the accomplishments of other Asian-Pacific Americans
of Olympic fame, I must first recognize the pioneer of them all--Native
Hawaiian Duke Kahanamoku, the first Asian-Pacific American ever to win
Olympic gold for the U.S. in the 1912 games. Duke went on to win two
more gold and two silver medals. Also considered the ``father of modern
surfing,'' Duke was the first person to be inducted to both the
Swimming Hall of Fame and the Surfing Hall of Fame.
Other prominent Olympians include: Kevin Tan, a Chinese American who
was selected as captain of the U.S. men's gymnastics team in the 2008
summer games; high-diver Greg Louganis, of Samoan descent, who won
three gold medals in the 1980s; and high-diver Dr. Sammy Lee, the first
Asian-American ever to win Olympic gold for the U.S. in the 1948 Games.
Four years after his historic feat, Lee won his second gold medal at
age 32, becoming the oldest person to win a gold medal in diving, and
the first male diver to win back-to-back gold medals.
As a Korean-American living before the Civil Rights movement, Sammy
had to overcome much discrimination to attain his goals. Even finding a
place to practice was a struggle. For example, the Brookside pool in
Dr. Lee's town would only allow non-Whites to use the pool once a week.
Sammy described that at closing, the pool was emptied, and fresh water
was brought in the next day. On other days, he would often practice his
diving form by jumping onto a sand pile.

[[Page H3649]]

After attaining his goals of becoming both an Olympic diver and a
medical doctor--which he promised his father--Sammy turned to coaching
and not surprisingly, met with great success. He coached one of his
most famous students, then sixteen-year old Greg Louganis, to a silver
medal in 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.
I remember years ago when I attended the 1988 Olympics in Korea and I
ran into Dr. Sammy Lee. I asked him why this Samoan-American
named Louganis was so good in the art of diving. He said, ``Look at his
legs, they are Samoan.'' The reason for this is it gives him the
ability to jump higher than any of his Olympic competitors. He could
jump higher than anybody. That's what gives him the opportunity to do
flips more difficult than any of the others to accomplish.

Asian-Pacific Americans are more prevalent in American sports now
than ever before. We have Yao Ming, a Chinese basketball player,
playing for the Houston Rockets; Daisuke Matsuzaka, a Japanese baseball
player, playing for the Boston Red Sox; and Yutaka Fukufuji, the first
Japanese to play for the National Hockey League, who played for the Los
Angeles Kings.
I have to also mention our young Asian-Pacific Americans in the NFL.
In the 2010 NFL draft, seven young men--four Samoans, one Tongan and
one Hawaiian--were selected by seven different teams across the nation.
These young men are ambassadors of goodwill and represent the Asian-
Pacific Americans of past and present NFL fame--from pioneers such as
Al Lolotai who played for the Washington Redskins in 1945, Charles Ane
and Rockne Freitas of Detroit Lions, to the likes of Junior Seau of the
New England Patriots and Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
I must also mention Polynesians' first love which is rugby. Many of
you may have heard of the world-renown New Zealand All Blacks team,
whose name--I might add--describes the color of their uniforms and not
their skin. Some of our famous Samoan rugby legends of the All Blacks
include Bryan Williams, Va'aiga Tuigamala, Tana Umaga, and Michael
Jones.
Michael Jones, who was noted for his refusal to play on Sundays
(including major semifinal matches) due to his strong Christian
beliefs, was once asked how a Christian such as himself could be such
an uncompromising tackler. In reply, he quoted a scripture from the
Bible saying, ``It is better to give than receive.''
Also to note is the history of discrimination that the All Blacks
faced in international rugby--most notably, while playing the South
Africa Springboks. During a time when the white South African
government's apartheid views regarded the black majority as second-
class citizens, the South African Rugby Union demanded Maori players be
excluded from All Blacks teams. Just recently--in fact, last month--
South African rugby has given its first indication that it is willing
to apologize to the Maori for this discriminatory practice which
occurred decades ago.
Asian-Pacific Americans have also made their name in American rugby
teams. I must also mention the successes of a young Samoan-American
rugby player by the name of Thretton Palamo, who made his World Cup
debut in 2007, becoming the youngest player ever to appear in a World
Cup match, eight days after his 19th birthday. Palamo, a strong
advocate for the sport, was additionally named as captain for the USA
Sevens team at the 2009 World Games in Taiwan.
I must also mention our internationally renown Asian-Pacific
Americans who excelled in Japan's most revered and ancient sport--
sumo--including: Takmiyama (Native Hawaiian), Konishiki (Samoan),
Akebono (Native Hawaiian), and Musashimaru (Samoan-Tongan).
Years ago, an eighteen year old Samoan kid named Saleva'a Atisanoa--
then weighing only 384 poinds and an all-state football player
intending to play college football--was walking along Waikiki Beach
with his buddies when he caught the attention of the famous Native
Hawaiian sumo wrestler and teacher, Jesse Kuhaulua or, as he was known
as throughout Japan, Takamiyama.
After convincing Salevaa's parents to have their son try sumo
wrestling as an optional sport, Takamiyama brought this young man only
with a lavalava and a t-shirt on his back, to start a training program
so rigorous and demanding that very few foreigners could endure the
first six months.
Saleva'a told me that during his six to seven hours of training every
day--in which he didn't understand the language--his body would take
about every form of pain and physical punishment including hours of
stretching, pushing, and pulling. If you want to know how conditioned a
sumo wrestler has to be in order to be successful in this ancient
sport, he must be able to do the splits just like a seasoned ballerina
dancer at an opera concert.
Salevaa's name was changed to Konishiki and weighing in at only 570
pounds and standing 6 feet tall, he took the entire sumo wrestling
world to a different level. His success in winning matches within two
years usually would take most sumo wrestlers five years to, achieve.
Although he achieved the second highest level in sumo, which was Oyeki,
Konishiki became a household name throughout Japan, and was forerunner
to two other Polynesian sumo wrestlers who eventually became Yokozuna,
or grand champions.
Indeed, these two sumo wrestlers scaled even greater heights by
attaining the highest status in this ancient Japanese sport. A native
Hawaiian, Chad Rowen or Akebono as he is known in Japan became
Yokozuna. Of course, he weighed about 500 pounds and stood 6 feet 8
inches tall. The other was Samoan-Tongan American Fiamalu Penitani,
also known as Musashimaru who tipped the scale at 550 pounds and stood
6 feet 4 inches.
In the field of martial arts, the late Chinese-American kung-fu
martial arts expert Bruce Lee captivated the movie audiences all over
the world by destroying the common stereotype of the passive, quiet
Asian-Pacific American male, and the tradition continues today with
Jackie Chan and Jet Li.
Now, another sports and movie icon moving his way through the movie
industry--and believed to be the heir apparent to Sylvester Stallone
and Arnold Schwarzenegger--is none other than the former World
Wrestling Entertainment champion wrestler, Dwayne Johnson, or commonly
known as the Rock. The Rock was featured in movies such as the Scorpion
King, Rundown, Get Smart, Grid Iron Gang, Race to Witch Mountain, and
most recently the comedy fantasy film Tooth Fairy.
The thing unique about Dwayne Johnson is that his father is of
African, European, and Native American descent, but his mother is pure
Samoan. Now, just about every Samoan alive claims to be related to the
Rock, including myself.
Recently I had the privilege of presenting the Congressional Horizon
Award to Chief Seiuli Dwayne ``The Rock'' Johnson for his contributions
and volunteer work in enriching the lives of children worldwide. Dwayne
Johnson has made numerous contributions--especially towards terminally-
ill children--through The Rock Foundation.
There are also an unprecedented number of Asian-Pacific Americans in
top government positions, and these leaders were not appointed to their
positions because of their race and heritage but because they bring
vast knowledge, experience and different viewpoints that their APA
backgrounds have contributed to.

For example, President Obama appointed Steven Chu, a Chinese
American, to be the Secretary of Energy. Secretary Chu's extensive work
in physics and molecular biology has earned him accolades and
achievements throughout the world--most notably he won a Nobel Prize
for his work in physics by developing methods ``to cool and trap atoms
with laser light.''
Chu's dedication to physics led him to the academic side of research,
as a teacher of physics and molecular and cellular biology at Stanford
and UC Berkley. Concerning global warming, Secretary Chu has been a
leading advocate for the research of finding alternative sources of
energy, and steering away from our dependence on fossil fuels.
Secretary Chu is the first person ever appointed to the Cabinet after
receiving a Nobel Prize.
Our newest Secretary of Veteran Affairs, my good friend General Eric
Shinseki, is a Japanese American born in Hawaii, a graduate of West
Point, and is a decorated veteran who fought in two combat tours in
Vietnam. Secretary Shinseki, wounded from his last tour in Vietnam,
understands from personal experience the plight of veterans and the
support those veterans and their families need. General Shinseki is
also the only Japanese American and Asian American to be promoted to
the Army's top position, and was the first four-star general of Asian
descent in the history of our U.S. military.
As the Army Chief of Staff during the beginning stages of the war in
Iraq, Shinseki publicly clashed with Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld over
how many troops the U.S. would need to keep in postwar Iraq. Shinseki
testified to the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee that ``something
in the order of several hundred thousand soldiers'' would probably be
required for postwar Iraq, an estimate far higher than the figure being
proposed by Secretary Rumsfeld.
As many of you know, Shinseki's counsel was ultimately rejected in
strong language by both Rumsfeld and his Deputy Secretary of Defense
Paul Wolfowitz and when the insurgency took hold, his comments and
their public rejection were often cited by those who felt the Bush
administration deployed too few troops. In his November 2006 testimony
before Congress, CENTCOM Commander Gen. John Abizaid stated that
General Shinseki had in fact been correct that more troops were needed.
Another cabinet member in Obama's Administration, who has exemplified
that with hard

[[Page H3650]]

work the American dream can come true, is former Governor of the State
of Washington Gary Locke, a Chinese American. Locke grew up in public
housing and put himself through Yale University with loans,
scholarships and the money he earned working part-time jobs. After
earning his law degree, Locke broke many glass ceilings. In 1993, he
became the first Chinese American to be elected his county's County
Executive, and in 1996, he became the first Chinese American to be
governor of a state, serving the maximum of two terms.
Secretary Locke's family history is also an important one to
emphasize, as it is one of many hardships that our Asian-Pacific
American communities have faced. In an interview, Locke mentioned that
his grandfather might have claimed that he was born in the U.S. and
that the documents were destroyed. Some of you may know that in 1882
our government institutionalized racial discrimination against Chinese
immigrants where they were banned from entering the United States. The
Chinese people living in the U.S. at the time were excluded from
becoming American citizens. And because of the restrictions of this
law, it was nearly impossible for Chinese families to reunite. This
Exclusion Act was repealed only 66 years ago. Locke's grandfather could
have been one of the few Chinese immigrants who managed to get into the
Untied States through ruses of lost documentation, while the
immigration of people from all over Europe was unlimited.
Another prominent Obama appointee is Harold Koh, a Korean American,
who currently serves as Chief Legal Counsel for the Department of
State. What's interesting about Koh's background is that his father, a
legal scholar and diplomat, was granted asylum in the U.S. after a
military coup in Korea. Moving their family to Connecticut, he and
Koh's mother soon became the first Asian Americans to teach at Yale
University.
As a Vietnam veteran, I would be remiss if I do not say something to
honor and respect the hundreds of thousands of Asian-Pacific Americans
who served then and now in all branches of the armed services of our
Nation.
As a former member of the U.S. Army's Reserve unit, known today as
the 100th Battalion and 442nd Infantry Combat group, I would be remiss
if I did not share with you the contributions of the tens of thousands
of Japanese American soldiers who volunteered to fight our Nation's
enemies in Europe during World War II.
As you probably know, after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on
December 7, 1941, there was such an outrage and cry for an all out war
against Japan and days afterwards our President and the Congress
formally declared war. Out of this retaliation against Japan, over
100,000 Japanese Americans were caught in the crossfire.
Our national government immediately implemented a policy whereby
these Japanese-Americans were forced to live in what were called
relocation camps, but were actually more like prison or concentration
camps. Their lands, homes and properties were confiscated by the
military without due process of law.
My former colleague and former U.S. Secretary of Transportation,
Norman Mineta, and the late Congressman Bob Matsui from Sacramento
spent the early years of their lives in these prison camps. Secretary
Mineta shared one of the interesting features of these prison camps was
the many machine gun nests posted all around.
Everyone in the camps was told that these machine guns were necessary
to protect them against rioters or others who wanted to harm them. But
then-Secretary Mineta observed, ``If these machine guns are posted to
guard and protect us, why is it that they are all directed and aimed
inside the prison camp compound and not outside?''
It was a time in our Nation's history when there was so much hatred,
bigotry and racism against our Japanese American community. Despite all
this, the White House accepted the request of tens of thousands of the
Japanese Americans to volunteer to join the Army, thus leaving their
wives, parents, brothers and sisters behind barbed wire fences. As a
result of such volunteerism, two combat units were organized. The 100th
Battalion and the 442nd Infantry Combat Group were created and
immediately were sent to fight in Europe.

In my humble opinion, history speaks for itself in documenting that
none have shed their blood more valiantly for our Nation than the
Japanese American soldiers who served in these two combat units while
fighting enemy forces in Europe during World War II. The military
records of the 100th Battalion and 442nd Infantry are without equal in
suffering. These Japanese American units suffered an unprecedented
casualty rate of 31.4%, and received over 18,000 individual
decorations, many awarded posthumously, for bravery and courage in the
field of battle.
For your information, 53 Distinguished Service Crosses, (the second
highest medal given for heroism in combat), 560 Silver Stars (third
highest medal), 9,486 Purple Hearts, and 7 Presidential Unit Citations,
the Nation's top award for combat units, were awarded to the Japanese
American soldiers of the 100th Battalion and 442nd Infantry Group. I
find it unusual however, that only one Medal of Honor was awarded at
the time. Nonetheless, the 442nd Infantry Group emerged as the most
decorated combat unit of its size in the history of the United States
Army.
President Truman was so moved by their bravery in the field of
battle, as well as that of African American soldiers during World War
II, that he issued an Executive Order to finally desegregate all
branches of the Armed Services.
I am proud to say that we must recognize Senator Daniel K. Inouye and
the late, highly respected Senator Spark Matsunaga of Hawaii, who
distinguished themselves in battle as soldiers with the 100th Battalion
and 442nd Infantry.
It was while fighting in Europe that Senator Inouye lost his arm
while engaged in his personal battle against two German machine gun
posts. For his heroism, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
As a result of a Congressional mandate that was passed in 1999 to
review the military records of these two combat units, President
Clinton presented 19 Congressional Medals of Honor to the Japanese
Americans who were members of these two combat groups. Senator Inouye
was one of those recipients of the Medal of Honor and I was privileged
to witness this historical moment at a White House ceremony.
Just last May, the House unanimously passed H.R. 347, thus granting
the Congressional gold medal, collectively, to the 100th Infantry
Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, United States Army, in
recognition of their dedicated service during World War II.
Looking back on history, I submit to you today, that the wholesale
and arbitrary abolishment of the constitutional rights of these loyal
Japanese Americans should forever serve as a reminder and testament
that this must never be allowed to occur again. When this miscarriage
of justice unfolded during World War II, Americans of German and
Italian ancestry were not similarly jailed en masse. Some declare the
incident as an example of outright racism and bigotry in its ugliest
form.
After visiting the Holocaust museums in both Washington, DC and in
Jerusalem, I understand better why the genocide of 6 million Jews has
prompted the cry, ``Never Again.'' Likewise, I sincerely hope that mass
internments on the basis of race will never again darken the history of
our great Nation.
To those who say, well, that occurred decades ago, I say we must
continue to be vigilant in guarding against such evil today.
Not long ago we had the case of Bruce Yamashita, a Japanese American
from Hawaii who was discharged from the Marine Corps officer training
program in an ugly display of racial discrimination. Marine Corps
superiors taunted Yamashita with ethnic slurs and told him, ``We don't
want your kind around here. Go back to your own country.'' The
situation was made worse by the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General
Carl E. Mundy, who appeared on television's ``Sixty Minutes'' and
stated, ``Marine officers who are minorities do not shoot, swim or use
compasses as well as white officers.''
After years of perseverance and appeals, Mr. Yamashita was vindicated
after proving he was the target of vicious racial harassment during his
officer training program. The Secretary of the Navy's investigation
into whether minorities were deliberately being discouraged from
becoming officers resulted in Bruce Yamashita receiving his commission
as a captain in the Marine Corps.
When I envision America, I don't see a melting pot designed to reduce
and remove racial differences. The America I see is a brilliant
rainbow--a rainbow of ethnicities, cultures, religions and languages
with each person proudly contributing in their own distinctive and
unique way for a better America. Asian-Pacific Americans wish to find a
just and equitable place in our society that will allow them--like all
Americans--to grow, to succeed, to achieve and to contribute to the
advancement of this great Nation.
I would like to close my remarks by asking all of us here--what is
America all about? I think it could not have been said better than on
the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in that summer of 1963 when an
African American minister by the name of Martin Luther King, Jr. poured
out his heart and soul to every American who could hear his voice, when
he uttered these profound words, ``I have a dream. My dream is that one
day my four little children will be judged not by the color of their
skin, but by the content of their character.''
That is what I believe America is all about.
Mr. HONDA. I thank the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr.
Faleomavaega). You have covered a lot of ground. To add a little bit to

[[Page H3651]]

what you indicated about the internment, during that process of
studying the internment, the Commission on Wartime Internment, I
believe it was 1985, they came to a conclusion based upon a study that
the internment was based upon a racial prejudice, war hysteria and the
failure, the failure of political leadership. I believe that is why
these kinds of opportunities for us to be able to share our history,
our involvement, our contributions in who we are as Americans are
critical. I appreciate your help in this.
It is also the episode of the Filipino veterans who were asked by
President Roosevelt to serve in the U.S. Army and also by General
MacArthur who said that participating in the effort against the
Japanese Imperial Army would bring them the possibility of citizenship
and also full veterans benefits. Six months after the war, two
precisely written rescission acts were written in the budget in 1946
specifically eliminating that possibility and that promise to those who
had fought side by side with our soldiers in the Philippines.

{time} 2045

These Filipino veterans fought side by side, protected them against
the Japanese atrocities during the Bataan Death March, masterminded the
release of the largest amount of POWs from Japanese POW camps in the
Philippines, and they still, today, carry the pride and the dignity of
a veteran. And just recently, we were able to provide them some
compensation but did not match the promise that we had offered them as
Congress, as a country, and as a government.
So I stand here as a Member of Congress, a Congress that is an
organic, living being, that should be responsible for its past, its
present, and its future. And certainly in this area we did not do great
justice to our brethren who fought alongside of our own soldiers.
The area of comprehensive immigration reform is another area that our
Nation needs to address. Our Nation was founded by immigrants who
valued freedom and liberty, who sought to be free from persecution,
from tyranny. Families fled from their home countries to seek refuge in
the great Nation because they too believed in life, liberty, and
freedom for all.
It is in this spirit that CAPAC supports immigration legislation that
shifts the debate from the exclusionary, anti-immigrant, enforcement-
only approach to one that confronts the social and economic realities
behind immigration, honors the dignity of all families and communities,
and recognizes the economic, social, and cultural contributions of
immigrants to our great country.
Today, AAPIs constitute a growing and vibrant piece of the American
fabric. In 2007, approximately 10.2 million of the Nation's foreign
born were born in Asia, constituting over 1 quarter of the foreign-born
population and over one-half the total AAPI population. Even with the
relatively high naturalization rate, Asian undocumented immigrants
living, working, or studying in the U.S. represent approximately 12
percent of the undocumented immigrants in the U.S.
We must also recognize that reuniting families gives strength to
American communities and is the bedrock of a vibrant and a stable
economy. We must eliminate the long backlogs keeping families apart for
years and often decades. Let's keep families together. By strengthening
the social fabric of our communities and integrating workers, we can
get our economy back on track, while reuniting American workers with
their families. CAPAC is prepared to work with our colleagues to push
through the long-deferred changes needed to ensure a fair, efficient,
and secure immigration system.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Will the gentleman yield?
Mr. HONDA. Certainly.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. I just want to again offer my commendation to the
gentleman for his tireless service and also for his leadership in
moving so very many important issues affecting the needs of our Asian
Pacific American community in the course of the numbers of years that
you have served as chairman. And I speak, I'm sure, on behalf of our
colleagues and members of our Asian Pacific Congressional Caucus in
doing such a splendid job.
My understanding, I think Monday the President's going to invite us
to the White House to honor, this month, all the Asian Pacific
Americans. And as you said earlier, President Obama is a Hawaiian. He's
a Pacific Islander, the first President who at least knows where the
Pacific Ocean is.
Mr. HONDA. Well, that's news to me.
Thank you very much. As Chair, I appreciate that information in
public. That's wonderful news. And we've been waiting for an invitation
for this month, and I appreciate my colleague for that information. And
I'll get my suit pressed.
So, Mr. Speaker, a common misperception of AAPIs is that, as a group,
we face fewer health problems than other racial and ethnic groups. In
fact, Asians, as a group, and specific populations within this group,
do experience disparities in health and health care. For example, Asian
Pacific Islanders have the highest hepatitis B rates of any racial
group in the United States. We must bring attention to and educate our
communities about prevention of hepatitis B through testing and
vaccination.
In the United States, 12 million people have been infected at some
time in their lives with hepatitis B virus, and more than 5,000
Americans die from hepatitis B-related liver complications every year.
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders account for more than half of the
chronic hepatitis B cases and half of the deaths resulting from chronic
hepatitis B infections in the United States.
In order to break this silence surrounding this deadly disease and
bring awareness to the American people, Congressman Edolphus Towns,
Congressman Charlie Dent, Congressman Anh Cao, and I have introduced
the Viral Hepatitis and Liver Cancer Control and Prevention Act. And I
hope my colleagues will join me in supporting a Federal strategy to
prevent, treat, and manage viral hepatitis, and we invite them to join
us.
In education, immigration reform and health expansion is also
expanding educational access for all Americans. That's also a high
priority for CAPAC. Education is at the very center of our democratic
meritocracy, and it is imperative that every American child be afforded
a true opportunity to achieve their highest potential.
I have reintroduced the Education Opportunity and Equity Commission
Act, H.R. 1758, to begin the process of overhauling the country's
education system and to finally address the disparities among America's
schools. This legislation creates a national commission charged with
gathering public opinions and insights about how government can improve
education and eliminate disparities in the educational system. I hope
that you'll join me as a cosponsor to this legislation among my
colleagues. We must remember the needs of all young people, including
Asian American and Pacific Islander students, many of whom struggle in
low-income communities, refugee communities, and do not have sufficient
English skills.
According to the 2000 census, only 9.1 percent of Cambodian
Americans, 7.4 of Hmong Americans, 7.6 percent of Lao Americans, and
19.5 percent of Vietnamese Americans and 16.5 percent of Native
Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders who are 25 years and older have a
bachelor's degree or higher degree. These numbers show that we must do
better. We must do a better job of disaggregating data and information
about our communities to assess the needs of those hardworking
Americans who still falter behind.
To address the disparities between subgroups of the larger AAPI
community, we must support greater funding for Asian American and
Pacific Islander-serving institutions. This program provides Federal
grants to colleges and universities that have an enrollment of
undergraduate students that is at least 10 percent AAPI and lets 50
percent of its degree-seeking students receive financial assistance.
On behalf of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus,
Congressman David Wu and I will work to strengthen the Asian American
Pacific Islander-serving institutions program to increase the
availability of loan assistance, scholarships and programs to allow
AAPI students to attend a higher education institution, to ensure full
funding for teachers and bilingual education programs under the No
Child Left Behind law to support English language learners, and to
support full

[[Page H3652]]

funding of minority outreach programs for access to higher education
such as the TRIO programs, to expand services to serve AAPI students.

Now, there's a lot of firsts, as has been mentioned before by my
colleagues. But before I start that, I just wanted to mention that
there was a gentleman by the name of Dalip Singh Saud, who, in 1957,
became the very first Asian American, Sikh American to be in the Halls
of Congress. But he had to overcome some of the anti-Asian legislation
that was on our books. Namely, there was one. One was the Chinese
Exclusion Act. Another one was the Asian Exclusion Act that
particularly named Asians as unfit to be citizens, and then they folded
into Americans.
The studies among scholars say that the Indo American folks from that
peninsula are not of the Mongolian race but of the Caucasian race. Very
wisely, this person, Dalip had argued, as an attorney in the courts,
saying that people of his background are not part of the race, are not
part of the targeted group. He was able to convince them to change that
law that allowed him to run for Congress and become a Representative
and walk in the Halls of Congress. He broke the very first rib in the
anti-Asian law, and then continued to do that, where folks like Bob
Matsui, Norm Mineta and others like myself and Eni are able to serve
here. So I just want to recognize him.
And a portrait hangs in the staircase. Going from this floor to the
bottom floor, there's a portrait of Congressman Singh that hangs there,
and I just would like to point that out to folks, so when they come and
visit, or our Members go down those stairs, that they look up and
recognize the person who had been first to break some of the glass
ceilings and anti-Asian legislation that kept us from participating.
Very quickly, other firsts were the first person to graduate from
Yale University was Yung Wing in 1847. In 1863, William Ah Hang, a
Chinese American, became the first to enlist in the U.S. Navy, during
the Civil War. And none of them were able to become citizens because of
the anti-Asian laws that disqualified them from being citizens. A.K.
Mozumdar, in 1915, became the first Indian-born person to earn U.S.
citizenship. In 1922, Anna May Wong had her lead role in ``Toll of the
Sea'' at the age of 17.
Mr. Speaker, following is my statement in its entirety.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Asian American and Pacific
Islander community and to commemorate Asian Pacific American Heritage
Month.
As Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, CAPAC, I
feel privileged to be here tonight with my colleagues to speak of the
Asian and Pacific Islander American history and accomplishments.
Additionally, I will be highlighting those issues affecting our
community and the priorities for CAPAC.
In celebrating APA Heritage Month, I want to give thanks to the late
Representative Frank Horton from New York and my good friend, former
Secretary Norman Mineta, along with Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark
Masayuki Matsunaga.
It is because of their efforts that May is now designated as Asian
Pacific American Heritage Month.
The first 10 days of May coincide with two important anniversaries:
the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants on May 7, 1843 to the U.S.
and the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869.
In 1992, Congress passed Public Law No: 102-450, the law that
officially designated May of each year as ``Asian Pacific American
Heritage Month.''

NORM MINETA

Today, I along with Congresswoman Judy Chu introduced a resolution
honoring the accomplishments of my dear friend Norm Mineta, who cut his
teeth in politics in California's 15th district in Silicon Valley which
I represent.
Throughout his career, Norm has broken through many glass ceilings
for himself, but also for the rest of us.
He is a close personal friend, and I consider him a dear mentor.
Norm was the first Asian American mayor of a major city, the first
Asian American to hold a presidential cabinet position.
Not only did he pierce through glass ceilings, he dedicated much of
his energies building the infrastructure needed for the Asian American
and Pacific Islander to grow and thrive to what it is today.
Norm had a hand in establishing and/or strengthening so many of our
key national organizations.
These span from: policy advocacy coalitions like the National Council
of Asian Pacific Americans; to voter engagement organizations like APIA
Vote; to organizations and fellowship programs that develop the future
leaders of our community, such as the Asian Pacific American Institute
for Congressional Studies; to the Congressional Asian Pacific American
Caucus, which I chair today.
CAPAC is a caucus of Members dedicated to representing the interests
of underserved Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and I am proud to
honor Norm Mineta today through this resolution, along with
Congresswoman Chu.

Service in Congress

The ranks of Asian American Pacific Islander Members of Congress also
increased this Congress with the election of Anh ``Joseph'' Cao from
Louisiana's second district, Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, from the
Northern Mariana Islands, and CAPAC's newest member, Representative
Judy Chu from California's 32nd District.
Representative Cao has the distinction of being the first Vietnamese-
American elected to Congress.
Representative Sablan is the first Member to represent the Northern
Marianas, and the only Chamorro person serving in Congress today.
And Representative Chu is the first Chinese-American woman elected to
Congress.
Representatives Cao, Sablan, and Chu are also the newest members of
the CAPAC executive board. Our newest associate members are
Representatives Joseph Crowley of New York, and Representative John
Conyers of Michigan.
It is a testament to our evolving national character as a nation of
immigrants to have our newest members of Congress come from upbringings
beyond our shores.
President Barack Obama has a deep understanding of the AAPI
community, and many milestones celebrated may be attributed to his
commitment to our community.
He has made significant outreach efforts through the reestablishment
of the White House Initiative on AAPIs to coordinate multi-agency
efforts to ensure more accurate data collection and access to services
for this community.
The Presidential Cabinet includes a record three Asian Americans:
Energy Secretary Steven Chu; Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, and
Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki.
The President has also demonstrated commitment to judicial diversity
through the nomination of high caliber Asian American and other
minority jurists at all levels of the Federal bench.
We are also barely visible in corporate America, underrepresented in
political offices throughout the country, and misportrayed in our
mainstream media.
As our community expands we must also continue to educate our fellow
citizens about the uniqueness of our experiences.
Despite the daunting challenges we face, this is a time of great
optimism and hope for the Asian America Pacific Islander American
(AAPI) communities.
We are marking APA Heritage Month with an American President with
close ties to Asia.
President Obama grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia, his sister is half-
Indonesian, his brother-in-law is Chinese-Canadian, and he has
maintained close ties with Asian friends and colleagues throughout his
life.
I encourage my congressional colleagues to learn more about the AAPI
population in their districts and become a member of CAPAC.
There is a stereotype that all Asians are healthy, wealthy and wise.
However, our community is extremely diverse in our languages,
ethnicities, income, educational attainment, language capabilities,
special needs, and challenges.
Stereotypes about our communities make it difficult to understand the
unique problems faced by individual communities and subgroups.
Data that is disaggregated by ethnicity for our various communities
is hard to come by, but critical to understanding where we must direct
Federal attention.
As a country, we need to better address the needs of the AAPI
community when we discuss comprehensive immigration reform, healthcare,
economic recovery, and education.
Today, the AAPI community is quickly expanding. Currently, there are
approximately 16.6 million AAPIs living in the United States.
There are approximately 45 distinct ethnic groups within our
populations, speaking various dialects within each group.
It is certainly a diverse community, and one of the fastest growing
ethnic groups in the U.S.
By 2050, the Asian Pacific Islander population is expected to more
than double, and reach 40.6 million, or 9 percent of the population.
My home State of California has both the largest Asian population at
5.1 million. The States of New York and Texas followed at 1.5 million,
and close to 1 million respectively.

[[Page H3653]]

The population is also growing States beyond the usual hubs of New
York and California.
We are also seeing growth in other areas in our country, such as
Virginia, Nevada, Minnesota, Louisiana, Texas, Pennsylvania, and
Florida.

Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Mr. Speaker, our Nation was founded by immigrants who valued freedom
and liberty, who sought to be free from persecution from tyranny.
Families fled their home countries to seek refuge in this great
Nation because they, too, believed in ``Liberty, Justice, and Freedom
for All.''
It is in this spirit that CAPAC supports immigration legislation that
shifts the debate from an exclusionary, anti-immigrant, enforcement-
only approach, to one that confronts the social and economic realities
behind immigration, honors the dignity of all families and communities,
and recognizes the economic, social, and cultural contributions of
immigrants to our great country.
Today, AAPIs constitute a growing and vibrant piece of the American
fabric.
In 2007, approximately 10.2 million of the Nation's foreign-born were
born in Asia, constituting over one quarter of the foreign born
population, and over one half of the total AAPI population.
Even with a relatively high naturalization rate, Asian undocumented
immigrants living, working, or studying in the U.S. representing
approximately 12 percent of undocumented immigrants in the U.S.
We must also recognize that reuniting families gives strength to
American communities and are the bedrock of a vibrant and stable
economy.
We must eliminate the long backlogs keeping families apart for years
often decades.
Let's keep families together.
By strengthening the social fabric of our communities and integrating
workers, we can get our economy back on track while reuniting American
workers with their families.
CAPAC is prepared to work with our colleagues to push through the
long-deferred changes needed to ensure a fair, efficient, and secure
immigration system.

Health

Mr. Speaker, a common misperception of AAPIs is that as a group, we
face fewer health problems than other racial and ethnic groups.
In fact, AAPIs as a group, and specific populations within this
group, do experience disparities in health and healthcare.
For example, AAPIs have the highest Hepatitis B rates of any racial
group in the U.S.
We must bring attention to and educate our communities about
prevention of Hepatitis B through testing and vaccination.
In the United States, 12 million people have been infected at some
time in their lives with the hepatitis B virus, and more than 5,000
Americans die from hepatitis B-related liver complications each year.
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders account for more than half of
the chronic hepatitis B cases and half of the deaths resulting from
chronic hepatitis B infection in the United States.
In order to break the silence surrounding this deadly disease and
bring awareness to the American people, Congressman Edolphus Towns,
Congressman Charlie Dent, Congressman Anh Cao, and I have introduced
Viral Hepatitis and Liver Cancer Control and Prevention Act.
I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting a Federal strategy to
prevent, treat, and manage viral hepatitis.

Education

In addition to immigration reform and health, expanding educational
access for all Americans is also a high priority for CAPAC.
Education is at the very center of our democratic meritocracy, and it
is imperative that every American child be afforded a true opportunity
to achieve their highest potential.
I have re-introduced the Educational Opportunity and Equity
Commission Act, H.R. 1758, to begin the process of overhauling the
country's education system and to finally address the disparities among
America's schools.
This legislation creates a national commission charged with gathering
public opinions and insights about how government can improve education
and eliminate disparities in the education system.
I hope you will join me as a cosponsor to this legislation.
We must remember the needs of all young people, including Asian
American and Pacific Islander students, many of whom struggle in low-
income communities, refugee communities, and do not have sufficient
English skills.
According to the 2000 Census, only 9.1 percent of Cambodia Americans;
7.4 percent Hmong Americans; 7.6 percent Lao Americans; and 19.5
percent Vietnamese Americans, and 16.5 percent of Native Hawaiians and
Pacific Islanders who are 25 years and older have a bachelor's or
higher degree.
These numbers show we must do a better job of disaggregating data and
information about our communities to assess the needs of those hard
working Americans who still falter behind.
To address the disparities between subgroups of the larger AAPI
community, we must support greater funding for Asian American and
Pacific Islander Serving Institutions.
This program provides federal grants to colleges and universities
that have an enrollment of undergraduate students that is at least 10
percent AAPI, and at least 50 percent of its degree-seeking students
receive financial assistance.
On behalf of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus,
Congressman David Wu and I will work to strengthen the Asian American
and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions Program: to increase the
availability of loan assistance, scholarships, and programs to allow
AAPI students to attend a higher education institution; to ensure full
funding for teachers and bilingual education programs under the No
Child Left Behind law to support English language learners; and to
support full funding of minority outreach programs for access to higher
education, such as the TRIO programs to expand services to serve AAPI
students.

AAPI ``Firsts''

I am proud of our community's accomplishments and I would like to
recognize many of the AAPI firsts in areas of art, film, sports,
sciences, academia, and politics.
In 1847, Yung Wing, a Chinese American, graduated from Yale
University and became the first AAPI to graduate from an American
university.
In 1863, William Ah Hang, a Chinese American, became the first AAPI
to enlist in the U.S. Navy during the Civil War.
In 1913, A.K. Mozumdar became the first Indian-born person to earn
U.S. citizenship, having convinced the court that he was ``Caucasian,''
and therefore met the requirements of naturalization law that
restricted citizenship to free white persons.
In 1922, Anna May Wong, in her lead role in ``The Toll of the Sea''
at the age of 17, became the first AAPI female to become a movie star,
achieving stardom at a time when prejudice against Chinese in the U.S.
was rampant.
In 1944, An Wang--a Chinese American who invented the magnetic core
memory--revolutionized computing and served as the standard method for
memory retrieval and storage.
During World War II, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team of the U.S.
Army, comprised mostly of Japanese Americans, became the most highly
decorated unit of its size in the history of the U.S. Army, including
22 Medal of Honor recipients.
In 1946, Wing F. Ong--a Chinese American of Arizona--became the first
AAPI to be elected to a state office.
In 1947, Wataru ``Wat'' Misaka became the first ethnic minority and
the first AAPI to play in the National Basketball Association for the
New York Knicks.
In 1948, two Californian divers, Dr. Samuel Lee, a Korean American,
and Victoria Manalo Draves, a Filipina American, became the first AAPIs
to win Olympic gold medal for the U.S.
In 1956, Dalip Singh Saud, an Indian American, became the first AAPI
to be elected to Congress.
In 1959, Hiram Leong Fong, a Chinese American, became the first AAPI
to be elected as a United States Senator, and is the only AAPI to
actively seek the Presidential nomination of a majority party.
In 1965, Patsy Takemoto Mink, a Japanese American, became the first
AAPI woman and woman of color elected to Congress.
In 1971, Judge Herbert Choy, late Ninth Circuit Court judge, became
the first AAPI to sit on the federal bench.
In 1985, Haing Ngor, a Cambodian American survivor of the Khmer Rouge
regime, became the first AAPI to win an Academy Award for his role in
the ``Killing Fields'' movie.
In 1985, Ellison Onizuka, grandson of Japanese immigrants, became the
first AAPI astronaut in to reach outer space, and in 1986 died in the
space shuttle Challenger explosion.
In 1989, Chinese American Julia Chang Bloch became the first AAPI
ambassador in the history of the U.S. diplomatic core. She served as
ambassador to the Kingdom of Nepal.
In 1990, Indian American Shirin R. Tahir-Kheli became the first AAPI
and first Muslim ambassador to represent the U.S. at the United
Nations; and the first Muslim senior government official appointed by
the President and confirmed by the Senate.
In 1995, Filipina American Sumi Sevilla Haru became the first AAPI to
head an international union (AFL-CIO).
In 1999, Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan makes history with his film
``The Sixth Sense'' becoming one of the all-time highest-grossing films
worldwide, and Rep. David Wu becomes the first Chinese American elected
to Congress.
In 2000, Secretary Norman Mineta was confirmed as Secretary of
Commerce under President Clinton, and became the first AAPI to hold a
Cabinet post.

[[Page H3654]]

In 2001, Secretary Elaine Chao was confirmed as Secretary of Labor
under President George W. Bush, becoming the first AAPI female to hold
a Cabinet position.
In 2005, Chinese American Director Ang Lee was the first Asian
American to win an Academy Award for Best Director for his film
Brokeback Mountain.
In 2007, Bobby Jindal became the first South Asian American governor
of a U.S. state, and Judge Amul Thapar became the first South Asian
judge on the federal bench.
As I mentioned earlier, this Congress, Representative Cao is the
first Vietnamese-American elected to Congress.
Representative Sablan is the first Member to represent the Northern
Marianas, and the only Chamorro person serving in Congress today.
And Representative Chu is the first Chinese-American woman elected to
Congress.
President Obama has made history by appointing three Asian Americans
in a single presidential cabinet: namely Veterans Affairs Secretary
Eric Shinseki; Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, and Energy Secretary
Steven Chu.

Conclusion

Mr. Speaker, the Asian American and Pacific Islander community
continues to fight for our civil rights as Americans.
Even after the Chinese Exclusion Act, the internment of the Japanese
Americans during World War II, post-9/11 racial profiling and hate
crimes, we as a community did not grow embittered, or cowed by
discrimination; instead, we progressed and moved forward.
I am proud to be a member of the Asian American and Pacific Islander
community, because we continue to serve as positive contributors to our
many communities by investing in education, business, and cultural
opportunities for all Americans.
In closing, this Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we take pride
in our history, accomplishments, and the promise of our future as we
continue to pave the way for a better tomorrow.
The struggles for AAPIs are in large part the same challenges all
Americans face. We want a good, transparent government. We want our
communities to have a place at the decisionmaking table, and for our
voices to be heard.

general leave

Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous materials on the subject of my special order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There, was no objection.
Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on the occasion of this year's
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, I would like to recognize the
history and contributions that Asian Pacific Americans have made to the
development and progress of this country.
Today, 16.6 million Asian Pacific Americans--approximately 5 percent
of the population--call the United States their home. More than 70,000
call the 9th Congressional District of Texas home. And they represent
30 countries and ethnic groups that speak over 100 different languages.
The first Asian Pacific Americans--Filipinos--established a community
in present-day Louisiana in 1763 after fleeing mistreatment aboard
Spanish ships. Since this beginning, the Asian Pacific American
community came to encompass Native Hawaiians who served in the American
Civil War, Chinese laborers who built the western end of the
Transcontinental Railroad, Japanese Americans interned by the U.S.
government during World War II, and extraordinary individuals who
continue to shape our nation's history and aspirations.
Today, Asian Pacific Americans have achieved success in many areas.
Figures such as Minoru Yamasaki, I. M. Pei, Maya Lin, and Gyo Obata
designed magnificent structures including the World Trade Center and
the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, DC.
Authors like Maxine Hong Kingston, Amy Tan, Jumpha Lahiri, and Ha Jin
communicate the Asian Pacific American experience through their
writing.
The 40 Asian Pacific Americans who have served in Congress since 1903
have been ardent advocates for their community. They include Jonah
Kuhio Kalaniana`ole, the first Asian Pacific American in Congress, and
Representative Patsy Mink, the first Asian Pacific American woman
elected to Congress.
Academics Ji-Yeon Yuh, Gary Okihiro, Madeline Hsu, Ronald Takaki,
Frank Wu, Kenji Yoshino, and Karen Umemoto, continue to challenge our
world view through their scholarship.
Entertainers such as Lucy Liu, George Takei, Bruce Lee, Yo-Yo. Ma,
Sarah Chang, Ne-Yo, Norah Jones, Leehom Wang, Margaret Cho, and Wah
Chung to break stereotypes and showcase the diversity in the Asian
Pacific American community.
Despite many successful individuals and the significant progress
Asian Pacific Americans have made in this country, they continue to
face challenges that hinder their ability to achieve the American
Dream.
12.6 percent of Asian Pacific Americans live below the poverty line
compared to 12.4 percent for the United States population as a whole.
Poverty rates among Southeast Asian Americans are much higher than the
national average. 37.8 percent of Hmong, 29.3 percent of Cambodian,
18.5 percent of Laotian, and 16.6 percent of Vietnamese live in
poverty.
In the housing market, one in five Asian Pacific Americans faces
housing discrimination when buying a home. In 2008, Asian Pacific
Americans suffered the largest percentage decline in homeownership of
any racial group.
One in four APA students is Limited English Proficient or lives in a
linguistically isolated household where parents have Limited English
Proficiency. Compounding these challenging educational factors is the
high school drop-out rate among Southeast Asian American. 40 percent of
Hmong, 38 percent of Laotians, and 35 percent of Cambodians do not
complete high school. Moreover, only 14 percent of Native Hawaiians and
Pacific Islanders over 25 years old have at least a bachelor's degree,
compared to 27 percent for the overall population.
30 percent of Asian Pacific Americans face employment
discrimination--the largest of any group--compared with African
Americans at 26 percent.
And 17 percent of Asian Americans and 24 percent of Pacific Islanders
do not have health coverage.
So as we continue to strive for an America that is more equitable,
compassionate, and mindful of our place in the world, we should not
forget the contributions and needs of the Asian Pacific American
community. For the history and future of Asian Pacific Americans is
firmly intertwined with the past and destiny of America. Here in
Congress, let us renew our pledge to work for Asian Pacific Americans
as we do for all Americans. I wish all Americans a meaningful
celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

____________________