[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 93 (Thursday, May 27, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3887-S3888]
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 recognition of Asian 
Pacific American Heritage Month. Every year throughout the month of 
May, the people of the United States come together to celebrate the 
contributions of generations of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and 
Pacific Islanders, AA NH/PI, who have enriched our society and whose 
legacies are deeply intertwined in our Nation's history.
  The AA NH/PI communities are among the fastest growing and most 
diverse demographic groups in our country. Today, approximately 23 
million people of AA NH/PI descent live in the United States, 
representing more than 45 ethnicities and speaking more than 100 
languages. As AA NH/PI communities increase their social and political 
presence in our country, we must work to raise the visibility of issues 
important to AA NH/PIs. One way to do

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this is to uplift the diverse voices of our communities through 
representation. This year, there are a record 21 AA NH/PI Members 
serving in Congress, and we celebrate the historic election of Kamala 
Harris to be the first woman and the first Asian American to hold the 
Office of the Vice President. However, even with today's progress, our 
AA NH/PI communities continue to face issues of disparity and 
prejudice.
  This year, we once again commemorate Asian Pacific American Heritage 
Month amid a global pandemic. While the pandemic has claimed the lives 
of more than half a million Americans, COVID-19 has had an outsized 
impact on communities of color, including Pacific Islanders, who are 
three times more likely to contract COVID-19 and are nearly twice as 
likely to die from the disease. The pandemic has also exposed and 
exacerbated social and economic disparities in our country. Throughout 
the pandemic, Pacific Islanders and other vulnerable groups have been 
disproportionately impacted by unemployment, food and income 
insecurity, and unstable or inadequate housing, among other hardships. 
This pandemic has highlighted the work we must do to ensure that all 
Americans, especially individuals from marginalized communities, have 
access to quality healthcare, fair pay, workplace protections, and 
other civil and human rights.
  Violence and discrimination against Asian Americans have also surged 
during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between March 2020 and March 2021, Stop 
AAPI Hate received over 6,600 reports of discrimination and hate 
incidents across all 50 States and the District of Columbia. These 
unprovoked, random attacks can happen anywhere--on public 
transportation, on sidewalks, in businesses, and even in the workplace.
  The dramatic rise in hate crimes targeting Asian Americans might be a 
recent development, but we all know that racism has never been far 
beneath the surface in our country. Part of honoring the rich history 
of the AA NH/Pl community includes reflecting on some of the darker 
moments in our Nation's past. AA NH/PIs have always been targeted as 
the ``other'' in our country and have been treated as the perpetual 
``foreigner.'' Since the first Asian immigrants came to our country 
nearly two centuries ago, our communities have experienced race-based 
prejudice and have been subject to discriminatory policies that 
impinged on individuals' civil rights, improperly rescinded wartime 
promises, and excluded immigrants from Asian countries out of 
intolerance and fear.
  Recognizing the recent increase of hate crimes, Representative Grace 
Meng and I introduced legislation to focus attention on hate crimes 
committed during the pandemic. Last week, President Biden signed this 
bill, the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, into law. This action sent a clear 
message of solidarity to our AA NH/PI communities at a crucial moment. 
This bipartisan legislation will help Federal, State, and local 
governments confront hate in our country and help victims of hate 
crimes to come forward.
  Today, AA NH/PIs are uniting to confront this epidemic of racism, 
discrimination, and hate. We are marching, speaking out, and demanding 
action in cities and states across the Nation to ensure that our 
country does not repeat the mistakes of the past. Representation and 
visibility are some of the ways we are making our voices heard. 
However, we must also sustain efforts to teach empathy and educate 
others about our history. We can help to create a more just and 
equitable society by raising awareness of past injustices and current 
issues of importance to our communities.
  As we celebrate the contributions of AA NH/PIs, there is also clear 
evidence demonstrating how much work remains to be done. I look forward 
to working with my colleagues beyond the month of May, Asian Pacific 
American Heritage Month, to continue the work that must be done to 
advance civil rights and equal treatment for all.

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