[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 88 (Tuesday, May 21, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S3807]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  ASIAN AMERICAN, NATIVE HAWAIIAN, AND PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise today in recognition of Asian 
American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Each 
year, this month gives us the opportunity to celebrate the diverse 
group of peoples who make up Asian America. And there is much to 
celebrate; today, we see Asian Americans in every part of American 
society, from books and movies, to the highest halls of government.
  President Biden has appointed AANHPI leaders to key positions in the 
administration, including Ambassador Katherine Tai, Acting Secretary of 
Labor Julie Su, and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy 
Director Arati Prabhakar.
  At the same time, we recognize the many barriers broken by those who 
came before, to pave the wide road which we now traverse today.
  The AANHPI civil rights movement is inextricably tied with the Black 
civil rights movement that defined the mid-20th century, giving rise 
not only to well-known African-American activists like Martin Luther 
King, Jr, John Lewis, and Malcolm X, but also leaders like Grace Lee 
Boggs, Larry Itliong, and Patsy Mink.
  For many of us, these latter three names are not as familiar; only 
now are we as a country beginning to truly recognize the importance of 
the Asian-American movement, and to teach its history to the next 
generation. Asian- American activists played a key role in calling out 
U.S. involvement in colonialist conflicts like the Vietnam war, as well 
as racist housing and development projects at home.
  As we have seen time and again, failing to understand our history as 
a nation puts us at risk of repeating its mistakes. Our context in the 
21st century is undoubtedly distinct from the challenges faced by the 
earliest Asian Americans. Yet hate crimes against the AANHPI community 
increased 167 percent from 2020 to 2021, in large part because of 
racist rhetoric echoed by the highest levels of government during the 
COVID-19 pandemic.
  Though incidences of anti-Asian hate have decreased overall from 2021 
to 2022, racially motivated incidents against Sikh and Muslim Americans 
have continued to rise.
  Janelle Wong, a contemporary Asian-American activist and researcher 
for the nonprofit AAPI Data, said that ``Anti-Asian hate crimes . . . 
are often tied to national security or other kinds of U.S. foreign 
policy that heightened attention to Asian Americans in the U.S. We will 
expect them to go up again at some point, depending on what the 
national and international context is and the degree to which places in 
Asia are cast as a threat to the U.S.''
  As the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I will be the 
first to tell you that the Chinese Communist Party poses a significant 
national security threat to the United States in many arenas. But we as 
a country must be able to distinguish between China as a geopolitical 
entity and Chinese Americans and Chinese people with their own unique 
beliefs, hopes, and dreams. Sinophobia, and all other forms of racism 
and discrimination, cannot be excused in the name of geopolitical 
circumstance.
  As a nation of immigrants, we should know better than to label people 
as ``un-American'' because they or their families were born someplace 
else.
  The Biden administration has taken significant, meaningful steps to 
address anti-Asian racism over the last 3 years, including signing the 
COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act to make reporting hate crimes easier and 
hosting the first-ever White House summit against hate-fueled violence, 
alongside significant actions to address gun violence.
  The administration also launched the first-ever National Strategy to 
Advance Equity, Justice, and Opportunity for AANHPI communities, 
addressing issues like anti-Asian hate and enhancing accessibility to 
government services in multiple languages.
  Of particular note to me as a member of the Small Business Committee, 
Biden has provided over $22 billion in loans to AANHPI entrepreneurs 
through the Small Business Administration, achieving the highest Asian-
American employment and entrepreneurship rates in over a decade.
  And finally, recognizing the importance of honoring and protecting 
traditional cultures, the President signed legislation to establish a 
National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture.
  I am proud to join 400,000 Asian American, Native Hawaiians, and 
Pacific Islanders in calling the State of Maryland my home. I recognize 
that the last few years have been difficult for the AANHPI community, 
and as a Jewish American, I want to take a moment to grieve with you in 
the face of what at times can feel like an overwhelming rise in hate 
and discrimination.
  But I would urge you to keep pushing toward a fairer, more just 
future--and I will be right there with you.
  In this last week of AANHPI Heritage Month, I invite my colleagues to 
join me in celebrating the triumphs of this community in the face of 
great adversity and to continue our work to lift up and address their 
unique needs to ensure that we all can thrive.

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