[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 124 (Tuesday, July 23, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E959]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





 HONORING THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MINNESOTA ON THE OCCASION OF 
                         ITS 100TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 23, 2019

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the International 
Institute of Minnesota on the occasion of its 100th anniversary. The 
Institute's original mission is as vital today as it was after World 
War I when it welcomed refugees fleeing strife and instability in their 
homelands and helped them achieve self-sufficiency and full membership 
in American life.
  In 1919, leaders of the Saint Paul YWCA came together to address an 
urgent need in the community to serve those who were arriving to 
Minnesota, displaced in the aftermath of the ``War to End All Wars.'' 
Out of this effort, the Institute became one of the first state 
resettlement voluntary agencies (VOLAGS).
  The onset of World War II saw the need for the Institute's services 
to expand. During this time, the organization partnered with the War 
Relocation Authority, helping to free Japanese-Americans from 
internment camps and working as translators and codebreakers at Fort 
Snelling. At the end of the Vietnam War, many refugees were displaced 
from Southeast Asia to Minnesota, particularly ethnic Hmong and others 
from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Since 1974, the Institute has 
resettled approximately 25,000 refugees from every region of the world, 
including recent arrivals from Somalia and Myanmar.
  As economists point to increasingly tight labor markets and a growing 
scarcity of workers as two of our state's most significant barriers to 
sustained economic growth, the Institute contributes to our economic 
vitality by opening the door for those pursuing the American dream. By 
partnering with new Americans on a path to citizenship, 
entrepreneurship and full membership in our community, state and 
country, the Institute has empowered thousands of new Americans to 
become our trusted doctors, business leaders, teachers, engineers, 
scientists, policemen and soldiers.
  Recognizing that new Americans enrich our state in many ways, the 
Institute honors and shares our state's growing diversity and fosters 
cultural understanding. For nearly 90 years, the Institute's Festival 
of Nations has drawn thousands of people together each May to celebrate 
the many traditions that are shared by Minnesotans. Through this 
festival, Minnesotans can better appreciate how as a state and nation 
of Native Americans and immigrants, our strength is our diversity of 
backgrounds, viewpoints and religions.
  The motto inscribed on the Great Seal of the United States: ``E 
Pluribus Unum--Out of Many, One'' underscores that the foundation of 
our nation has always been the collective power of many different 
people coming together. For 100 years, the International Institute of 
Minnesota has proudly supported our nation by welcoming and empowering 
new refugees and immigrants from different backgrounds to come together 
as new Americans.
  Please join me to congratulate the staff, volunteers and donors to 
the International Institute of Minnesota for providing 100 years of 
hospitality, empowerment, hope and opportunity for new Americans.

                          ____________________