[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 96 (Thursday, May 21, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S2583]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, I rise today, in honor of Asian Pacific 
American Heritage Month. Every year, throughout the month of May, the 
people of the United States join together to pay tribute to the 
contributions and achievements of generations of Asian Americans, 
Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, AAPI, who have enriched the 
history, culture, and traditions of this country.
  Today, there are approximately 23,000,000 AAPis in the United States, 
representing more than 45 distinct ethnic groups and speaking over 100 
language dialects. As the fastest growing minority population, the AAPI 
community continues to have an increasing impact on our national 
discourse. There are now 20 AAPI members of Congress, and a record 
number of AAPIs are serving in State and Territorial legislatures 
across the Nation.
  This year, as we celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month amid 
a pandemic, we recognize the over 2,000,000 AAPIS working on the 
frontlines as healthcare professionals, first responders, transit 
operators, and in supermarkets and other essential service industries. 
Every day, these heroic individuals risk their lives to protect the 
health and safety of Americans during the COVID-19 public health 
emergency.
  We also reflect broadly on the achievements and contributions of the 
AAPI community in the areas of politics and government, education and 
the arts, music, writing and literature, sports, business, medicine, 
and law. We pay tribute to the leaders before us, who overcame great 
adversity and paved the way forward.
  We honor great statesmen like Daniel Kahikina Akaka, the first person 
of Native Hawaiian ancestry to serve in the U.S. Senate. Throughout his 
nearly four decades in Congress, Senator Akaka worked to change the 
public's perception of the AAPI community and helped to preserve and 
restore Hawaiian language, culture, and traditions. Although he 
recently passed away, Senator Akaka's spirit as a true champion of 
aloha endures.
  We also remember influential labor organizers like Larry ltliong, 
Peter Velasco, and Philip Vera Cruz, who in 1965, led the Filipino-
American farmworkers to strike alongside Cesar Chavez, demanding better 
pay, benefits, and working conditions. The Delano Grape Strike was one 
of the most pivotal civil rights and labor movements in American 
history. It opened doors for immigrants and people of color and 
inspired countless others to stand together and demand their rights.
  Around the time that the Filipino-American grape workers began their 
strike in 1965, Congress enacted the Immigration and Nationality Act, 
INA, also known as the Hart-Celler Act. This landmark legislation 
overturned discriminatory race- and nationality-based immigration 
policies that previously barred immigration from Asia. The INA 
established new policies based on reuniting families and attracting 
skilled professionals and helped refugees fleeing violence or unrest, 
notably those escaping war-torn Southeast Asia. By opening the United 
States to immigration from Asia, Africa, and Latin America, the INA's 
enduring legacy includes diversifying the demographic makeup of our 
country.
  This month, I introduced a resolution in honor of Asian Pacific 
American Heritage Month. While we commemorate the contributions of the 
AAPI community, this pandemic has tested the strength of our nation. 
Anti-Asian racism and attacks are on the rise, stoked by those in the 
highest levels of government. This recent surge in discrimination and 
hate crimes against the AAPI community demonstrates how much work must 
still be done to achieve full equality. As a country of immigrants, we 
must now, more than ever, embrace the rich diversity of our 
communities, and stand up for the civil rights and equal treatment of 
all Americans.

                          ____________________