[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 17, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2540-S2541]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

  Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I rise today in recognition of Asian 
Pacific American Heritage Month. This annual recognition offers the 
opportunity to celebrate the unique impact the Asian American and 
Pacific Islander community has made and continues to make in the United 
States.
  On this heritage month, we reflect on the incredible achievements of 
this minority community and honor the unique combination of traditions 
and cultures that create the rich tapestry of the Asian American 
Pacific Islander diaspora and experience. We also use this time to 
educate ourselves on the nuances of the AAPI identity and better 
understand the challenges this community faces.
  In 1977, then-Representative Frank Horton of New York introduced a 
resolution to designate the first 10 days in May as AAPI Heritage Week. 
The month of May was appropriate because of two key anniversaries that 
occurred in that month. On May 7, 1843, the first Japanese immigrants 
came to the United States.
  On May 10, 1869, the first transcontinental railroad was completed, 
largely due to the backbreaking work of Chinese laborers, some of whom 
lost their lives in the construction.
  Congress did not enact Representative Horton's initial resolution. 
The following year, however, with the persistent help of then-
Representative Norman Mineta, Congress enacted a new resolution to 
designate the 7-day period beginning on May 4 as Asian American Pacific 
Islander Heritage Week. In 1992, Congress authorized the entire month 
of May as AAPI Heritage Month, which we now celebrate.
  The presence and influence of the AAPI community in the United States 
has been growing steadily since the 19th century. The 1870 census 
classified approximately 63,000 individuals as Asian. By 1960, when the 
census allowed respondents to select their race, that number grew to 
980,000. As of 2019, there are 22.4 million AAPI individuals in 
America, 475,000 of whom call Maryland home.
  It is important to remember that the AAPI community is not a 
homogenous group. It is an incredibly diverse community, made up of a 
wide array of cultures spanning many countries and territories, which 
includes over 50 ethnicities, over 100 languages, and multiple 
religions. Each subset draws from a unique set of traditions, and we 
cannot assume they have one shared, uniform experience. We know that 
the AAPI community makes up about 7 percent of our total population, 
and this rich and diverse community has an outsized impact on every 
pillar of our society. We cannot forget the many barriers to success 
this community has overcome to reach such heights, which makes this 
community's successes all the more impressive.
  To understand the profound influence the AAPI community has, we need 
not look further than Capitol Hill. This year, we mourned the passing 
of my good friend and former colleague, Norman Mineta. A passionate 
defender of justice, talented strategist, and exemplary patriot, 
Representative Mineta dedicated his life to service as a mayor, 
Congressman, and Cabinet member. In 1941, the U.S. Government interned 
his family along with hundreds of thousands of other Japanese 
Americans. Perhaps both in spite of and because of that experience, 
Representative Mineta pursued a career as a public servant. During his 
tenure as a legislator, he cofounded and chaired the Congressional 
Asian Pacific American Caucus.
  He led the charge on the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which directed 
the Federal Government to issue a formal apology to and compensate the 
survivors of Japanese internment. He inspired generations of Asian 
Americans to get involved in politics. We miss him, but his legacy will 
live on for years to come.
  As chairman of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship 
Committee, I am in awe of the resilience and determination we have seen 
from AAPI small business owners over the past 2 years. In Maryland 
alone, there are 13,375 AAPI-owned businesses, many of which include 
restaurants and eateries. In fact, if you use cuisine predominance as a 
barometer of cultural impact, the Asian American influence is 
unparalleled.
  In 2021, the New York Times published a list of the 50 most exciting 
restaurants in the United States. Seventeen of the top 50 restaurants, 
or 34 percent, incorporate AAPI food or have an AAPI head chef, more 
than any other foreign cuisine. Through food, AAPI culture has become 
inextricably linked to the American identity. In my home city of 
Baltimore, a group of volunteers known as the China Collective 
organizes a pop-up market named the Charm City Market. I have watched 
as the event has grown in both attendance and footprint over the years, 
celebrating the AAPI community's diverse food and entrepreneurship 
landscape. Each year, I look forward to the market's ever-growing 
celebration and empowerment of AAPI small business owners and 
entrepreneurs.
  Asian American Pacific Islanders also played a massive role in our 
COVID-19 response, oftentimes finding themselves on the front lines as 
essential workers. Despite facing racial bias and prejudice largely 
attributed to Donald Trump's deliberately inflammatory use of the term 
``China Virus,'' the AAPI community remained a steadfast lifeline for 
Americans in need. At Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Erika Rono, 
an emergency room nurse who came to the U.S. from the Philippines in 
2014, continues to work every day through the harrowing realities of a 
hospital overrun by COVID-19 patients. Over the past 2 years, she has 
toiled day and night, putting her own life at risk, to save

[[Page S2541]]

Baltimoreans. We cannot thank her and her colleagues enough for their 
bravery.
  Despite the vital role the AAPI community plays in the U.S., they 
still endure racism and discrimination. I am broken-hearted to see an 
unprecedented increase in hate crimes against the AAPI community in 
recent years. According to a study by the Center for the Study of Hate 
and Extremism at California State University in San Bernardino, there 
was a 44-percent increase in anti-Asian American hate crimes across 16 
of the largest cities in the United States. In 2021, 81 percent of 
Asian Americans who participated in a report by Pew Research stated 
that violence against them was increasing.
  One in 4 AAPI small business owners has experienced vandalism or 
threats to their business at least once between 2020 and 2021, and one 
in five Asian Americans worries daily about potential racial threats 
and attacks. On top of this fear of retaliation, there is also concern 
in the community, as with everyone else, about contracting the virus.
  We must continue to do all that we can to preserve, protect, and 
support the AAPI community. Last year, Congress enacted and President 
Biden signed into law S. 937, the ``COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act,'' which 
formally condemns anti-Asian violence and creates pathways for the 
expedited reporting and prosecution of such abhorrent events at the 
Federal, State, and local levels. There is no place for hate in our 
society.
  Today, as I think about my late, great colleague Norm Mineta and all 
the Asian Americans who make America what it is today, I re-emphasize 
my gratitude for the AAPI community and reaffirm my commitment to 
eliminating systemic barriers to its success.

                          ____________________