[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12132-12139]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 7, 2003, the gentleman from California (Mr. Honda) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on the subject of my Special Order, recognizing Asian Pacific American 
Heritage Month.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on the significance of 
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The push for designating an APA 
Heritage Month started 26 years ago by visionary APA community leaders 
and also was led from this House by retired Congressman Robert Horton 
of New York and the current Secretary of Transportation, Norman Y. 
Mineta.
  This year's Heritage Month theme, a Salute to Liberty, is an 
especially timely theme as our Nation is faced with conflict and 
tension. We must remember that in the fight to protect our national 
security, we must also preserve our civil liberties and individual 
rights. During this month, it is also imperative that we utilize this 
opportunity to reflect upon and understand our past so we can 
successfully build for our future. This is a moment of teaching and 
learning. There have been many histories of Asian Pacific Americans in 
this country, Mr. Speaker, their origins, their barriers, the barriers 
that they have overcome in the pursuit to seek the American Dream in 
this country.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment and sort of share with the 
community the history of the bill that was passed in 1992, eventually, 
to recognize the month of May as an official Asian Pacific American 
Heritage Month.
  In 1977, Representative Frank Horton, a Representative from New York, 
and Norman Y. Mineta, from California, introduced the Asian Pacific 
Heritage Week, House Resolution 540, in the House of Representatives, 
which called upon the President to proclaim the first 10 days of May as 
Pacific Asian Heritage Week. The joint resolution did not contain an 
annual designation, so in 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed the joint 
resolution put forward by both Representatives Horton and Mineta.
  Then, in 1990, Asian American leaders around the country gathered at 
the White House to witness the signing of a proclamation by President 
George Bush declaring May to be Asian Pacific Heritage Month. So we 
went from a week to a month. In 1992, President Bush signed legislation 
into law designating May of each year as Asian Pacific American 
Heritage Month.

                              {time}  2115

  Mr. Speaker, it is apropos since this is the month of May we do take 
some time to recognize those who were important in designating Asian 
Pacific Heritage Month.
  First, why is it important? As a schoolteacher, if we do not teach 
our history and understand the members of our community's contributions 
to this country, our children, be they Asian Americans or not, will be 
less educated and less informed and less appreciative of not only their 
culture but the cultures of other people.
  The growth of the Asian Pacific population from 1980 to 1990 doubled 
from 3.7 million to approximately 7.3 million. This increase is 
remarkable when compared to the total increase in the U.S. population 
of 9.8 percent during that same period.
  Then the growth continued to rise another 43 percent from 1990 to 
1999. Currently, APAs comprise 4.5 percent of the U.S. population; and 
by 2050 APAs are expected to comprise 9 percent of the U.S. population. 
However, in the State of California, the APA population already 
comprise 11 percent of the general population and grew 34 percent in 
the past decade, from 2.8 to 3.8 million. This growth, although largely 
attributed to immigration patterns, is also indicative of more defined 
data collection methods which has always been a problem in our 
communities. So the last census it was critical that the census taken 
was accurate and was as precise as possible.
  Data is a cross-cutting issue. Lack of data impacts our understanding 
of the health problems in our communities, as well as the problems in 
access and quality. Adequate data collection continues to be a 
challenge for the APA community.
  Although we are often mistaken to be a homogeneous group and 
sometimes considered perpetual foreigners, APAs in this country 
encompasses 49 ethnicities speaking over 100 languages and dialects. 
Aggregating such a large and diverse group makes it difficult to 
understand the unique problems faced by the individual ethnicities it 
encompasses.
  So when we aggregate Asian Americans as a population, when we look at 
programs and policies in this country, it is critical that we 
disaggregate the information so that we are able to be more precise in 
our policies and programs that we want to target for our communities.
  Let me just share a little bit of historical time line. Historically, 
in 1763 the very first settlement that we know of were some escaped 
prisoners aboard the Spanish galleons, and they were Filipinos jumping 
ship in New Orleans. They fled into the bayous of Louisiana, and they 
established a community called Saint Malo, the first APA settlement in 
the United States, fleeing the

[[Page 12133]]

Spanish galleons and seeking freedom in this country.
  In 1882, this country saw fit to pass the Chinese Exclusion Act. The 
Exclusion Act ends most immigration from China until 1943 and denied 
citizenship to those already present, many of whom were drawn by the 
gold rush and the Central Pacific Railroad.
  As a sideline, we have found out through our research that there have 
been many Chinese Americans who fought in the Civil War. Upon their 
petition to become citizens after serving in the military, they were 
denied citizenship because of the Chinese Exclusion Act.
  In 1868, the Japanese settled in California, first in a community 
called Alameda in the San Francisco Bay area and secondly in El Dorado 
County near Sacramento. That colony was name Wahamatsu Colony.
  An interesting story of the Wahamatsu Colony, the first colony in 
this country, was that they first came as refugees from Japan led by a 
gentleman who was a gunrunner in Japan, Mr. Schell. He had a choice of 
either facing death or being deported. So he left with his contingent 
of folks from Japan and established this colony. This colony did not 
last very long, but it is important to note that the last surviving 
members of the first colony in the State of California are not Japanese 
Americans but families of African Americans and Chinese.
  So it shows that ethnic groups in this country, when they come to 
this country, they may be disallowed from intermarrying with the 
mainstream white groups of this country, but they found ways to raise 
families and find their way through this country until such time that 
laws were passed to allow people to earn their citizenship in this 
country.
  In 1912 at the Stockholm Olympics, swimmer Duke Kahinomoku became the 
first APA to win a Gold Medal. He was later credited with introducing 
the sport, a sport that is endearing to the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Rohrabacher), the sport of surfing in the United States.
  In 1913, the Alien Land Act was passed, and this was specifically in 
California. The Alien Land Act forced immigrants, primarily Japanese 
and other APAs, from owning or leasing land; and similar laws were 
passed in other States throughout the Nation. Subsequently it was 
rescinded later on in the 1950s.
  In 1942, the Japanese American internment occurred. This was 
following the United States' declaration of war against Japan when 
Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 authorizing the 
forced relocation and detention of 120,000 Japanese Americans, as well 
as over 2,000 Japanese Latin Americans. And also in this country it is 
not well-known that over 7,000 Italian Americans were affected 
personally, their families, and over 30,000 German Americans were 
affected.
  In 1943, the Japanese American battalion, the 442nd, which was 
comprised of some 12,000 Japanese Americans, many of them from 
internment camps, responded to the War Department's call for volunteers 
for an all-Japanese combat unit. It was not unusual at that time that 
we had segregated combat units. We had combat units of Indians; we had 
combat units of blacks and African Americans. At that time around 
32,000 were inducted to form the 442 regimental combat team, and we had 
Members of this House who served in the Regimental Combat 442, the past 
Congressman Sparky Matsunaga and the current Senator from Hawaii, Mr. 
Inouye.
  This combat team became legendary for its success, and it is probably 
the most decorated military men in the United States history. Their 
average Purple Heart that this combat unit had inflicted upon them, 
they had earned almost three Purple Hearts per person, meaning they had 
to be injured. Each member had to be injured at least three times, so 
close to 9,000 Purple Hearts were granted recognizing their injuries in 
the effort to fight the war in Europe.
  In 1946, the first Chinese American, Wing F. Ong of Arizona, becomes 
the first APA to be elected to State office. Asian Americans, we are 
still looking at firsts. Some day we hope that we will go beyond the 
first and become a rule rather than an exception.
  In 1956, after the first congressman, an Indian American businessman 
Dalip Singh Saund of Westmoreland, California, became the very first 
Asian Pacific American elected to Congress, he, however, wanted to 
become a citizen and could not become a citizen prior to 1952 because 
there was still a law on the books that disallowed Asian to become 
citizens. When that law was rescinded, he was able to participate in 
the halls of Congress.
  In 1964, the first congresswoman, Patsy Takemoto Mink is the first 
woman of color and the first Asian Pacific congresswoman to represent 
Hawaii in the halls of Congress. We know that we lost her just 
recently, and it was a terrible loss to not only Asian Americans but 
Americans throughout this country and to all those who believe that 
those who have never forgotten their roots and their past come to 
Congress making sure that the idea that equality and opportunities for 
all Americans, regardless of their background, must be met and must be 
respected.
  In 1965, a labor activist named Philip Vera Cruz organizes a 
successful strike of fellow Filipino grape pickers in Coachella, 
California. This gentleman began the movement that leads to the 
formation of the United Farm Workers of America where eventually Cesar 
Chevaz became the head leader and recognized for his work and his 
philosophy of peace and nonviolent activism.
  In 1968, there was an ethnic studies strike. Students of color from 
San Francisco State University and UC Berkley organize a Third World 
strike. Their efforts led to the creation of ethnic studies departments 
at both campuses and eventually across this country.
  I have to say that because of the work of folks in ethnic studies, 
which was a movement that did not have much support among the 
scholastic circles until recently, that we found all this information 
that would lead to children, present and in the future, being able to 
understand that Asian Americans are not recent immigrants and Asian 
Americans have contributed to the development of this country.
  Further, the most valuable player in 1969 was a Filipino American. He 
played for the Los Angeles Rams as a quarterback, and his name was 
Roman Gabriel. He was recognized as the league's Most Valuable Player.
  The first governor in 1974 was a Japanese governor named George 
Ariyoshi; and he was elected governor of Hawaii, the first APA governor 
in the United States.
  And in 1981, a Chinese American architecture student, Maya Lin, her 
design was chosen for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in a national 
competition. She becomes one of the most widely recognized architects 
in the United States, and her work can be seen here in Washington, 
D.C., at the Vietnam Memorial.
  In 1982, a young man, Vincent Chin, who was celebrating the event of 
his marriage, was murdered. He was murdered in Detroit, Michigan. Two 
white auto workers mistook Chin for Japanese and blamed him for the 
auto industry's woes and the downturn in the economy. He was bludgeoned 
to death with a baseball bat. The courts were lenient on the killers, 
and none of them served a day in jail. This incident became a rallying 
point for the national APA community. His mom went across this country 
seeking justice and eventually had some justice through the civil 
rights law.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott).
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for 
leading the effort to commemorate Asian Pacific American Heritage 
month.
  During this month-long commemoration, Americans of Asian Pacific 
heritage celebrate achievements and major contributions for almost 12 
million American citizens of Asian and Pacific heritage. Whether we are 
seeking of arts, education, government, business, athletics, medicine, 
law, or the military, Asian Pacific Americans have not only contributed 
but excelled.

[[Page 12134]]

  Several congressional organizations reflect this unique relationship 
between Congress and Asian Pacific Americans.

                              {time}  2130

  I recently joined my distinguished colleagues, Representative Issa, 
Representative Filner and Representative Rohrabacher, in founding 
Friends of the Philippines. The bipartisan membership comprises Members 
who are working to promote better relations with our longstanding ally, 
the Philippines. I am also a member of the India Caucus, which 
similarly works to promote a better relationship with India.
  The bicameral and bipartisan Congressional Asian Pacific American 
Caucus was created by Congressman Norman Mineta, who is now Secretary 
of Transportation, and Congresswoman Patsy Mink in 1994. Both have 
served as Chair of the caucus. In the 108th Congress, this Congress, 
Congressman David Wu serves as Chair and Congressman Honda serves as 
vice Chair of that caucus. 115 Members of Congress have joined the 
caucus and work together on policies and legislation that are of 
concern to Asian Pacific Americans. The caucus is working hard not only 
to educate other Members about the history and contributions of Asian 
Pacific Islanders but also to protect and advance the constitutional 
rights of all Americans.
  My connection with the celebration begins with my maternal 
grandfather who was born in the Philippines. Around 1900 he immigrated 
to the United States aboard a naval vessel at an early age. He landed 
in Raleigh, North Carolina, and was adopted by a family in Raleigh. He 
became a pharmacist but unfortunately died before I was born.
  The historic significance of this month involves two events that 
occurred in May which determined why this month was chosen to celebrate 
a week, and now a month, for Asian Pacific American heritage 
contributions. The first occurred on May 7, 1843, when the first 
Japanese immigrants arrived in the United States. The second occurred 
on May 10, 1869, known as Golden Spike Day, when the first 
transcontinental railroad in the United States was completed with 
significant contributions from Chinese immigrants.
  Before Asian Pacific American Heritage Month was signed into law in 
1992, it began as a week-long observance of Asian Pacific Americans' 
contributions to this country. In 1977, Congressman Horton introduced 
H.J. Res. 540, legislation to authorize the President to proclaim 
annually the first 10 days in May as Asian Pacific American Heritage 
Week. Congressman Mineta led the efforts to enact H.J. Res. 1007, which 
in 1979 began as an annual celebration of Asian Pacific American 
Heritage Week. In 1989, legislation was introduced to convert the week 
into a month, and in 1992 legislation was enacted to make the annual 
month an annual commemoration.
  Mr. Speaker, I join the gentleman from California tonight as we urge 
all Americans to learn the history of Asian Pacific Americans and to 
celebrate their contributions to the culture and heritage of our 
Nation. I want to thank the gentleman from California for leading the 
effort to make sure that this was properly commemorated.
  Mr. HONDA. I thank the gentleman.
  Mr. Speaker, if I may continue my sharing of information on the 
chronological order. After the American internment, in 1990 we had a 
gentleman by the name of Chang-Lin Tien who became the first APA to 
head a major university in the United States when he was appointed 
chancellor of the University of Berkeley. He distinguished himself not 
only because he led the campus as a chancellor but he also became known 
by the students on that campus, which is quite rare. He also allowed 
the students to feel that they were part of a community. He was a great 
proponent of affirmative action. He was a great proponent of making 
sure that he modeled what it is that he believed by his own personal 
life. He also was probably the most prodigious and prolific fund-raiser 
that university system has ever seen. He just passed away a year ago 
from brain cancer. We shall miss him dearly; but his work and his 
model, his expectation continues to live in that system and in the 
State of California.
  In 1992, Mr. Speaker, the Los Angeles uprisings took place. The L.A. 
uprisings followed the verdict in the Rodney King trial. Property loss 
was valued at $1 billion with Korean American businesses bearing half 
the damage. Relations between Korean Americans and African Americans 
became a focal point of community activism. Today when visiting Los 
Angeles, one will find that the two communities are working hand in 
hand to make sure that they learn from each other and can grow with 
each other and that neither one is targeted in times of tension.
  In 1996 there was a victory for Asian immigrant women workers. After 
a 3\1/2\ year national campaign, APA immigrant women and Asian 
immigrant women advocates reached a historic agreement with clothing 
manufacturer Jessica McClintock to protect garment laborers.
  Mr. Speaker, in 1996 something happened in the State of Washington. 
Not only can Hawaii boast of an Asian American Governor but also the 
State of Washington elected its first Asian American Governor, Gary 
Locke from the State of Washington. He enjoys quite a bit of 
leadership. Today he is the chair of the Governors association. In 
1996, AIDS research reached a point of distinction. A gentleman by the 
name of David Ho was named Time Magazine's Man of the Year for his work 
in AIDS research. He developed the protease inhibitor cocktail 
treatment which adds years to the lives of many AIDS patients. David 
Ho.
  In 1997, there was a woman in space. She was an Asian Pacific 
American. Astronaut Kalpana Chawla became the first Indo-American and 
APA woman in space. She died in the breakup of the Columbia Space 
Shuttle returning to Earth this year, in February 2003.
  The first APA man in the Cabinet was selected by President Bill 
Clinton when he appointed former Congressman Norman Mineta Secretary of 
Commerce. He is the first APA member of the Presidential Cabinet. 
Earlier in his career, Mineta was the first APA mayor of a major 
metropolitan city, San Jose. Then in the next administration under 
George Bush, George Bush saw fit to ask Norm Mineta to serve as 
Secretary of Transportation. We are enjoying his leadership currently 
as Secretary of Transportation.
  In 2002, an APA woman legislator by the name of Wilma Chan of 
Alameda, California, is a State legislator but she rose to the 
Democratic majority leader of the California State Assembly. There are 
other firsts, Mr. Speaker. The first Hmong attorney. The Hmongs came 
from Southeast Asia after the Vietnam War. The Hmongs were scattered 
throughout this country but eventually assembled both in Fresno, 
California, and in Minnesota. Mee Moua was a young woman who was an 
attorney and became the first woman and first Hmong attorney and first 
member of the Hmong community to be elected to the Minnesota State 
Senate. Shortly after that, Cy Thao became the first Hmong assemblyman 
in the State of Minnesota. There is also in the State of Minnesota the 
first Indo-American, Satveer Chaudhary. He hails from Minnesota, also.
  There was the first APA woman in the Cabinet. President George W. 
Bush appointed Elaine Chao to be Secretary of Labor. She is the very 
first APA woman to hold a Presidential Cabinet post.
  Mr. Speaker, in this country there are many firsts. We have John Liu 
who is the very first Asian American to sit on the City of New York's 
city council representing the 20th district.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee).
  Ms. LEE. I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership of 
the Asian Pacific American Caucus and our tri-caucus, actually, because 
it is really a privilege to belong to the tri-caucus, the Asian Pacific 
American Caucus, the Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Black 
Caucus. We join the gentleman today in celebrating Asian

[[Page 12135]]

Pacific American Heritage Month. In my district, the Ninth 
Congressional District of California, the east bay of Northern 
California, Asian Pacific Americans have long played a very crucial 
role in the life and in the history of the east bay and the region's 
identity has been deeply shaped by its place on the Pacific Rim. I am 
proud again to join him tonight in celebrating Asian Pacific American 
Heritage Month. The contributions to our country by Asian Pacific 
Americans are numerous, and we are a much better country as a result. 
However, today Asian Americans confront a wide variety of challenges, 
including access to educational opportunities, language access issues, 
and health problems and disparities.
  Specifically, I would just like to talk this evening about health 
care issues, immigration and civil liberties issues and about the work 
being done in my own district by the Asian Health Services organization 
and the Asian Law Caucus. Asian Health Services is a comprehensive 
community health center based in Oakland, California. It provides 
medical care, health education, insurance counseling, and client 
advocacy. They reach out into the underserved Asian and Pacific 
Islander population in Alameda County. Its staff members offer its 
services in nine languages. They provide almost 60,000 medical visits 
to some 14,000 patients each year. And they are doing this on minimal 
resources. In the process, they are helping to tear down language and 
economic barriers that separate far too many Asian Americans and 
Pacific Islanders from quality health care.
  As we all know, there are vast health disparities in this country. 
Asian and Pacific Americans are disproportionately affected by cancer 
and other serious diseases. Asian and Pacific Americans have a 
tuberculosis rate that is 15 times higher than that of whites. They 
have cervical and liver cancer rates that are five times the national 
average. These disparities we must erase, and we must commit ourselves 
to do that tonight as we celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage 
Month.
  Recent immigrants also face many challenges, from language barriers 
to medical bureaucracy. Organizations like Asian Health Services are 
helping their clients conquer their challenges through community 
outreach, education, and patient care. In recent years, AHS has also 
opened a very badly needed dental clinic. As part of Asian Pacific 
American Heritage Month, I want to salute the contributions tonight of 
the Asian Health Services. In this age of State and Federal budget 
deficits and Federal tax cuts, their commitment is needed now more than 
ever. Immigrants are especially at risk during these perilous times.
  As part of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, I believe that it 
is very important to call to the attention of the country a hero for 
many of us who I am privileged to say lives in my district and is a 
constituent, Mr. Fred Korematsu. During World War II when thousands of 
Japanese Americans were unjustly interned in camps, Fred Korematsu 
refused to go and took his case all the way to the Supreme Court. Mr. 
Korematsu stood up not only for his own rights but for civil liberties 
for all of us. Racial profiling really was not a word or a concept in 
1942, but it was practiced with vengeance. The internment of Japanese 
Americans during World War II represents one of the darkest chapters in 
our Nation's history. Tens of thousands of people were imprisoned not 
because of disloyalty, but because of ethnicity; and the President, the 
Congress, and the Supreme Court all conspired in this act of fear and 
prejudice.
  When Fred Korematsu took his case to the Supreme Court in 1944, the 
Court ruled in favor of the government and thus in favor of racism and 
oppression. But by exposing the truth, Fred Korematsu exposed for all 
of the world to see the utter hypocrisy of fighting for democracy 
abroad while rationing it here at home. And although it took many, many 
decades, Fred Korematsu finally won when President Reagan apologized 
for the internment and Congress finally offered compensation.
  I am very proud to say that the Asian Law Caucus fought for Fred 
Korematsu as it has fought for many Asian Americans. For 31 years, the 
Asian Law Caucus has advanced the legal and civil rights of the Asian 
and Pacific Islander communities. Now those communities and our society 
unfortunately as a whole need that advocacy even more. As attorneys and 
as legal professionals, we need the skills and the energy and the 
commitment of lawyers associated with the Asian Law Caucus. Educational 
opportunities and legal support services are both shrinking under this 
current administration.

                              {time}  2145

  The representation provided to hundreds of low-income clients and the 
advocacy of the caucus is really making an impact in both high-profile 
litigation and in the lives of families and individuals each and every 
day. By fighting for housing, fairness in employment, and the rights of 
seniors; by stopping unlawful evictions and helping immigrants 
navigate, and really they have to navigate, the citizenship process, 
the Asian Law Caucus is strengthening democracy and carrying out the 
legacies of the civil rights movement of the last century.
  So as a proud member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American 
Caucus, I am proud to join with the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Honda) tonight to make sure that our entire country understands why we 
are celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Let us make sure 
that we represent Asian Pacific Americans every month, each and every 
day as we develop our policies and our legislation that ensure liberty 
and justice for all.
  Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. 
Lee). And I yield, Mr. Speaker, to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. 
Jackson-Lee).
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished 
gentleman from California (Mr. Honda), and I am very proud to stand 
here as a member of the Asian Pacific Caucus and as well to applaud the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Honda) for his vision and leadership on 
helping us commemorate the Asian Pacific Heritage Month, the month of 
May.
  I am excited because as I left Houston, we were, if the Members will, 
embedded, if I might use that terminology, in celebrations and 
commemoration on the Asian Pacific Month in Houston. We are very proud 
as a very diverse community to be reflective of so many from the Asian 
community, and we are very proud of the fact that all of our citizens 
recognize and respect the excitement and contributions of this dynamic 
community. Might I applaud Mayor pro tempore council member Gordon 
Quan, the highest-ranking Asian American in the city of Houston. He 
serves as second in the command of the city of Houston, and we are very 
proud of his representation.
  I am also proud of the fact, if I might speak to the political 
process, of the number of Asian Americans who will be seeking political 
office and empowerment. Might I applaud the thought processes that have 
moved our communities to be accepting of that diversity. And as well, 
might I applaud the Asian American senior citizen community and senior 
citizens community center. We had the privilege of meeting with many of 
the representatives just a few weeks ago, and we have collectively made 
a commitment to help them build a very dynamic community center for the 
very dynamic senior citizen community in Houston that happens to be 
Asian. The reason, of course, because there is such history, there is 
such a commonality, a community of interests, that we want to make sure 
that those individuals have an opportunity to reflect on their history 
and to expand on their cultural pride by having a community center 
designated and committed to them.
  I am also proud of the work that has been done in collaboration with 
the Asian American community on the issues dealing with immigration. We 
have worked on the question of whether or not immigration equates to 
terrorism, and we worked on the question of civil liberties as we have 
moved certain bills such as the PATRIOT Act and as we formulated the 
Select Committee on Homeland Security. We have

[[Page 12136]]

worked to ensure that we do not stigmatize and racially profile 
different ethnic groups.
  This is a month to celebrate and commemorate this outstanding 
community. For that reason I would like to stand and join with the very 
powerful and very impressive leader of this Asian Pacific Caucus in the 
United States Congress and suggest that his continued advocacy on 
behalf of expanding the opportunities of the Asian Pacific community 
throughout the Nation and emphasizing political empowerment, social 
empowerment, civic empowerment is one that I join him in and I thank 
him for allowing me to celebrate this very important month, and might I 
congratulate the entire Asian Pacific community in Houston and all 
Asian Americans as we celebrate this very important month.
  With that I yield back to the distinguished gentleman.
  Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. 
Jackson-Lee) for her words and her support not only here in the halls 
of Congress but also back home in Houston and Texas in general. Her 
work and the work of the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) really 
just show that there is power in collaboration and being able to work 
together not only as individuals but as a coalition for the betterment 
of every American in this country.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to touch a little bit on the internment 
story of the Japanese Americans in this country. It is a story that 
needs to be told over and over again because it is not a Japanese 
American history lesson. It is not a Japanese American experience only. 
It is not a Japanese American lesson, but it is really rooted deeply in 
what I would consider an American lesson.
  Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 61st anniversary of President 
Franklin Delano Roosevelt's signing of Executive Order 9066 on February 
19, 1942; and it is the 15th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act of 
1988.
  In 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 pursuant to 
which 120,000 Japanese Americans and legal resident aliens were 
incarcerated in internment camps during World War II. Many of these 
families lost their property and possessions during the several years 
they were jailed behind barbed wire.
  On February 19, 1976, President Gerald Ford formally rescinded 
Executive Order 9066; and July 21, 1980, became the beginning of 
reconciling our past to the present. Congress adopted legislation 
signed by President Jimmy Carter on July 31, 1980, establishing the 
Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians to 
investigate the claim that the incarceration of Japanese Americans and 
legal resident aliens during World War II was not justified by military 
necessity. The outcome of that commission, Mr. Speaker, the commission 
had held 20 days of hearings and listened to testimony of over 720 
witnesses, and published its findings in a report entitled ``Personal 
Justice Denied.'' The principal finding in 1982 was that the 
promulgation of Executive Order 9066 was not justified by military 
necessity and that the decision which followed from it, detention, 
ending detention and ending exclusion, were not driven by analysis of 
military conditions, but rather the causes that shaped these decisions 
were race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political 
leadership.
  With a strong bipartisan vote, Congress passed H.R. 442, the Civil 
Liberties Act, which states in part: ``For these fundamental violations 
of the basic civil liberties and constitutional rights of these 
individuals of Japanese ancestry, the Congress apologizes on behalf of 
the Nation.'' President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act 
into law on August 10, 1988, at which time he proclaimed: ``This is a 
great day for America.''
  In 1998, as a member of the California State Assembly, I authored the 
State version of the Civil Liberties Act, understanding that the work 
was still not done once the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 had expired.
  I mention these dates and this timing, Mr. Speaker, because today it 
is even more important, more important than ever, to speak up against 
unjust policies. It is also more important than ever to educate 
Americans of the Japanese American experience during World War II, as 
well as the experience of other groups like Japanese Latin Americans 
who were expatriated from their country at the request of our 
government; and then while they were on the ships on their way to the 
United States to be interned in Crystal City, Texas, they were stripped 
of all their papers and became people without a country. And certain 
German and Italian Americans in this country were also mistreated, many 
of whom were forced in the middle of the night to leave their homes and 
pledge allegiance to the Flag in the middle of the night in order to 
show that to their neighbors, who forced them out, to prove that they 
were loyal and patriotic Americans during that time.
  It is also important to learn the important lessons from our own 
history in the resolution I introduced, H.R. 56, the Day of Remembrance 
resolution, which is still in the Committee on the Judiciary. Teaching 
the lessons of those dark days is more important today than it ever 
was. By remembering, Executive Order 9066 that was signed on February 
19, 1942, does not become an anniversary just on February 19 but is an 
anniversary that must be remembered and lived and understood every day 
of the year, every year for the future of this country, because the 
lessons that were learned were lessons that were principally rooted in 
the Constitution of this country, the Constitution which was a contract 
between our government and the people who are here in this country, a 
contract that is signed on paper called the Declaration of 
Independence, a contract that is immutable and cannot be changed and 
should not be changed, a contract that promises everyone who is in this 
country due process and the protection of their civil liberties. It is 
a contract that has been protected. It is a contract that has been 
fought for and a contract which members of this country who served in 
the military have shed their blood overseas for, who left their limbs 
in the islands of the Pacific and on the European continent.
  These Americans must be remembered as part of the lessons that we 
learned from the Japanese American experience that the Constitution is 
a contract worth protecting and dying for. We must remember that this 
Constitution was written back in 1776, but yet it is an evolving, 
growing Constitution that over time has included not only white men 
with properties but those who used to be slaves; those immigrants whose 
laws were passed against them which eventually were rescinded became 
citizens of this country; those immigrants who came just recently after 
the Vietnam War, and even today people are still seeking to find refuge 
in this country even at times when we seem to appear to be inhospitable 
to the immigrants.
  Mr. Speaker, the lessons learned during the internment when we 
thought that we were protecting Japanese Americans for their own safety 
was actually a myth because if it were true, then as my father used to 
tell me, he wondered why if we were here for our protection, why would 
the barbed wires be around us, the machines pointing in on us. And my 
father used to still tell me, though, that, as I grew up, to be 110 
percent American; that we must also remember that the contributions 
that have been invested in this country of our parents and grandparents 
are well worth it, that we must also learn that even though this 
country is faced with challenges since 9-11 that in spite of the war on 
terrorism that we still have to remember the constitutional principles 
by which we live.
  When 9-11 occurred, the ugly head of racial prejudice appeared again 
as it did in 1942. Hysteria started to take over some hearts in this 
country, and as a result people like Balbir Singh Sodhi, an immigrant 
and a Sikh American from Fremont, California, moved to Mesa, Arizona to 
start a business there and because he looked like the enemy to the 
perpetrator, he was murdered and shot there in his store. And then 
coincidentally another year later, his brother Sukhpal Singh Sodhi was 
a

[[Page 12137]]

taxi driver in San Francisco who was shot and murdered in San Francisco 
merely because he appeared to be a Middle Easterner and those who 
murdered him thought that they were vindicated because they played upon 
and acted upon their prejudice and their hysteria and their hatred.

                              {time}  2200

  It did not become a wave of murders and hangings here in this 
country, for I believe that, because of the history that we have been 
able to share, that many of us checked our fears and checked our 
emotions and made sure that we did not respond or succumb to our base 
fears.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe that Members of this Congress also 
participated in making sure that the people of our country remembered 
and learned from the history of the internment, that racial profiling 
is unacceptable, and although we are in the throes of fear and the 
issues of national security that we must exercise our common sense, our 
good sense, and exercise our understanding of the principles of the 
Constitution.
  We know that after 9/11 and after certain acts were passed, such as 
the PATRIOT Act, that we must seek the critical balance between civil 
liberties and private liberties with national security; and the 
Constitution continues to be tested as we move along, looking towards a 
possible second PATRIOT Act.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my prayer, my hope, that Members of this body 
remember that Asian Americans were pioneers establishing this country. 
The Asian Americans were laborers building this country. The Asian 
Americans are doctors, lawyers, teachers and politicians, providing for 
the health and welfare of this Nation; and we, like every other 
American, are red-blooded Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to close with a couple of comments that 
became a lesson for me personally as I have been here my third year and 
my experience and seeing the works of the halls of Congress here in 
Washington, D.C.
  I believe that the very basic lesson I have learned is not only from 
the experience that my community has had in 1942, the kinds of lessons 
we learned since then and the kinds of teachings that we have learned, 
but I also started to understand that the last century was a century of 
wars, a century of conflict, a century of trauma, and that the promise 
that we have in this new century should be the century of 
reconciliation and peace.
  Now that the Cold War is gone, we have a challenge of facing 
conflicts in other ways. A wise man once said to me that peace, Mike, 
is not an absence of conflict, but a way, a manner, in which you can 
deal with conflict.
  So, in closing, the primary lesson I have learned these past few 
years, Mr. Speaker, is that our Constitution is never tested in times 
of tranquility, but our Constitution is sorely tested in times of 
trauma, terror and tragedy, and that the very fiber of the American 
character and this country should be embodied and should be learned 
from the very words and the principles and the rights embodied in the 
Constitution and Bill of Rights.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to utilize this time to 
share some of the information that we have had, share some of the 
information with the general public, and hopefully the records would 
reflect that Asian Americans in this country came with a dream, they 
worked hard and participated, they faced barriers and overcame them, 
and that can only happen over time in a country and a democracy like 
ours, where evolution and evolving sentiments and policies in this 
country only lead us forward, that we learn from our mistakes, and that 
only makes us stronger and better Americans and a greater America.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, for more than two centuries, America has 
been enriched by our diverse and rapidly growing Asian American and 
Pacific Islander communities. Generations of immigrants and refugees 
from Asia and native peoples from Hawaii and the Pacific Islands have 
enhanced our nation by preserving and sharing their unique cultures and 
values.
  Asian Pacific American Heritage Month provides a special opportunity 
for all Americans to pay tribute to Asian Americans and Pacific 
Islanders whose countless contributions--in science and technology, 
arts and media, business and social work, politics and more--have left 
a lasting legacy on American culture and society.
  Moreover, these communities serve as a living example of the critical 
role that equal opportunity, social justice, and civic participation 
play in making the American Dream a reality. In the face of prejudice 
and poverty, internment and exclusion, Asian Americans and Pacific 
Islanders have fought for the right to call America their home. This 
month, we thank them for their perserverance, we applaud them for their 
achievements, and we proudly recognize them as fellow countrymen in our 
common homeland.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues this 
evening to commemorate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and I want 
to thank the Chairmen of the Congressional Asian Pacific American 
Caucus, Mr. Honda and Mr. Wu, for their leadership of the caucus. I 
would especially like to thank Mr. Honda for organizing this special 
order which seeks, not only to recognize the contributions of Asian 
Americans and Pacific Islanders to our Nation, but also to educate our 
citizens on the uniqueness of our people.
  Asian Pacific Americans are a rapidly growing group made up of 49 
different ethnicities speaking over 100 different languages and 
dialects representing 4.5 percent of our population today.
  Asian Pacific Americans have much to be proud of. In every aspect of 
American life--business, education, government, the military, in media, 
sports, entertainment and the arts--you will find prominent Asian 
Americans and Pacific Islanders.
  Here in Congress, more than 30 members past and present have been of 
Asian and Pacific Island descent representing backgrounds such as 
Chamorros, Samoans, Native Hawaiians, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, 
Indian and Chinese.
  As we celebrate the contributions of Asian Pacific Americans in this 
``Salute to Liberty'' and with the approach of Memorial Day, it is 
fitting that we reflect of the thousands of Asian Pacific Islanders who 
have served in our armed services. In World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the 
Persian Gulf and, most recently, the war in Iraq, Asian Pacific 
Islanders have served with honor and distinction.
  I am honored by Guam's record of service to the Nation. Men and women 
from Guam have served in all wars, and they have served in 
disproportion to their small numbers.
  Today, let us again acknowledge the sacrifice of Asian Pacific 
Americans in defense of our country.
  Common to the Asian and Pacific Island heritage is the sense of 
family and community. Our concern for our immediate as well as extended 
family is what encourages us to work harder and strive for a better 
life for everyone in our community. It is our sense of family that 
strengthens our commitment to fight against racism, discrimination and 
injustice, not just of our people, but of all people.
  Historically, Asians and Pacific Islanders have known much war and 
strife. They have survived and they have thrived to the benefit of 
America. So today, as we celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage 
Month, let us honor all they have done to enrich our lives.
  Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that this House is marking 
Asian Pacific American Heritage month. For those of us from the State 
of Hawaii, there is something missing in this year's Heritage Month 
celebration--the dynamic presence of our colleague, Patsy Takemoto 
Mink. I would like to take this opportunity, therefore, to reprise the 
tribute to her that I delivered on this floor last October.
  We were devastated by the sudden loss of this irreplaceable woman.
  Patsy Mink was the first Asian American woman to serve in Congress. 
But she was much more than that. She was our friend and colleague. She 
was a true daughter of Hawaii. She was a person of enormous spirit and 
tenacity and inner strength. This House is much the poorer for her 
loss. We especially miss her wisdom, her energy, her readiness to fight 
for principle.
  As evidence of the high esteem in which she was held in Hawaii, she 
was elected over and over by the voters of Hawaii, and she was re-
elected posthumously after she passed away just before the 2002 
election.
  Patsy fought all her life for social and economic justice. Throughout 
nearly 50 years of public service, she championed America's most deeply 
held values: equality, fairness, and above all . . . honesty.
  Her courage, her willingness to speak out and champion causes that 
others might shun resulted in tremendous contributions in the fields of 
civil rights and education.

[[Page 12138]]

  She has earned an honored place in the history of the United States 
House of Representatives as the co-author of title IX, which guarantees 
equality for women in education programs.
  Every single woman in this Nation who today access to equal 
opportunity in education, and by extension in virtually every other 
field of endeavor, owes a debt to Patsy Mink.
  She was one of the pioneers who transformed Hawaii and transformed 
this Nation. Her legacy lives on in every campus in America and in the 
heart of every American woman who aspires to greatness. Most 
profoundly, it lives on in the spirit of hope, hope for the millions of 
lives that she touched. Patsy Mink knew first hand the power of hope, 
the power of perseverence, the power of dreams.
  She was turned down for medical school, discriminated against because 
she was female, because she was Japanese American, because she came 
from an unknown territory out in the Pacific.
  That is why she went to law school, fought her way into law school so 
that she could achieve a degree that would enable her to fight against 
the discrimination she had suffered. She was a champion then. We all 
recognized it. She was smart and she was tough and she was articulate 
and she would not quit. She was an inspiration then and now. Whenever 
any of us felt some sense of discouragement, whenever any of us felt 
some sense of despair or feeling that we could not succeed, it was only 
required for Patsy to come in the room to change the atmosphere.
  Patsy Mink had the capacity to make dead air move. Patsy Mink, this 
little lady from Hawaii, was a giant in her heart and in her 
commitment.
  With every breath that she took, she championed those who had no one 
to stand up and speak out for them. A little lady with a big heart, a 
lioness.
  We will not see her like again.
  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Asian Pacific 
American Heritage Month, which honors Asian Pacific Americans 
throughout our history.
  From the early reaches of our Nation's history to the present day, 
Asian Pacific Americans have played a crucial role in the development 
of the United States. Asian Pacific Americans have contributed to 
explorations of places as far away as the depths of outer space, and 
places as near as the inner vessels of the human body. They have served 
as generals in our military, builders of our great transcontinental 
railroads, and athletes without peer.
  But I rise today not to merely tout the accomplishments of this 
storied group of people, but to speak specifically about the uplifting 
account of two amazing families, one Asian Pacific American and one 
Caucasian. I want to relate to my colleagues the amazing and unique 
friendship that developed between the Tanimura and Antle families over 
impossible odds.
  George Tanimura, a second-generation Japanese American, grew up 
spending his weekends working on his father's lettuce farm in 
Castroville, California, in my congressional district. Both of George's 
parents died before he completed high school, so George, the oldest of 
12 siblings, along with his brother Charlie, managed the farm. The 
family business was kept afloat during the troubled times of the Great 
Depression, only to be devastated by the forced internment of more than 
120,000 Japanese Americans after the attack on Pearl Harbor. While 
brothers Charlie and John joined the U.S. Army, George and his other 
siblings were inhumanely forced into internment camps. By the time the 
Tanimura family was released after World War II, it had lost all its 
previous land holdings. Slowly and painstakingly the Tanimuras regained 
their agricultural footing, farming onions and lettuce on 20 acres of 
land.
  The Antle family migrated west from the Oklahoma Dust Bowl in the 
late 1800s, arriving in Salinas, California, to find work in the 
iceberg lettuce industry. Bud Antle joined his father Lester as a 
lettuce packer in Salinas. In 1942, after years of hard work, Bud and 
Lester created their own lettuce-packing company, Bud Antle, Inc. The 
company grew quite rapidly, starting with 60 workers and quickly 
increasing to 300 workers.
  The Tanimura family soon began growing lettuce only for Bud Antle, 
Inc. It was a natural marriage of lettuce growers and lettuce packers, 
and the Tanimuras and Antles soon became close friends. The Antles 
treated the Tanimura family as equals in a time rife with 
discrimination. In turn, Bud's son Bob worked closely with the Tanimura 
family and quickly learned the industry. In 1982, after years of 
trusted friendship, these two families formed Tanimura & Antle, one of 
the largest lettuce producers in the world.
  The story of the Tanimuras and the Antles is one of uplift beyond all 
possible odds. Both families built their companies from the ground up, 
and with an understanding of and appreciation for human rights when 
such a concept was in short supply. I commend these two families for 
serving as a heartening reminder of all that is good about America. I 
can think of no finer time to recognize their mutual achievements than 
during this special Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in homage of 
Asian Pacific American Month to honor our nation's Asian Pacific 
American communiy. I am honored to share in the occasion of the 25th 
Anniversary of such a special month.
  The beauty of our nation comes from the diversity of its colorful 
fabric, which includes the Asian Pacific American community. More than 
12.5 million APAs make up one of the fastest growing segments of the 
United States population. I am certainly grateful for all of the 
countless contributions Asian Pacific Americans have made to our 
society.
  Asian Pacific Americans have blazed trails in a myriad of professions 
including academics, science, business, music, technology, sports and, 
of course politics. Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I mentioned great 
Asian Pacific Americans and not mention my good friend former 
Representative Patsy Mink of Hawaii. Although she is no longer with us, 
her presence is still felt, here in the halls of Congress. Patsy was a 
knowledgeable, courageous woman--committed to people.
  In April of 2002, with the help of my colleagues in the Congressional 
Asian Pacific, Black, and Hispanic caucuses, we established the Tri-
Caucus, a collective caucus with the purpose of addressing issues of 
mutual concern. This group is dedicated to many issues that affect our 
diverse constituency. Specifically, the Tri-Caucus focuses on 
immigration, health care, education, and economic development issues. 
One year after the September 11th tragedy, the Tri-Caucus participated 
in the historic Commemorative Joint Session of Congress in New York 
City and held a Business Roundtable that assembled a host of leaders in 
the business community to explore economic development strategies. The 
Tri-Caucus also presented a joint statement on the affirmative action 
case at the University of Michigan.
  Mr. Speaker, APAs have contributed to this nation since their first 
settlement was established in the bayous of Louisiana in 1763. In the 
midst of World War II, more than 12,000 Japanese Americans volunteered 
for an all-Japanese combat unit, many of them came from mainland 
concentration camps after President Franklin Roosevelt signed an 
Executive Order authorizing the forced relocation and detention of 
120,000 Japanese Americans, as well as Japanese Latin Americans. The 
Legendary 442nd Regimental Combat Team went down in history as one of 
our nation's most decorated military units. To date, there are more 
than 284,000 Asian American military veterans.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to encourage my colleagues in 
the House of Representatives and citizens around the nation to explore 
the rich culture, achievements and contributions of the Asian Pacific 
American community.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues tonight 
honoring the many contributions of Asian Pacific Americans. In 
particular, I wish to honor one of my greatest heroes and long time 
friend, former Congresswoman Patsy Mink.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand here tonight and recognize the many 
contributions that Patsy Mink made to the people of this country, 
particularly to the girls and women of this country.
  I was privileged to serve with Patsy while working with her on the 
House Education and the Workforce Committee since the beginning of my 
tenure in 1992. She served as a mentor and friend to me while I have 
worked in Congress and I miss her very much.
  Besides being the first woman of color to serve in the House of 
Representatives, Patsy Mink helped craft landmark legislation for women 
across the country during her 24 years in Congress. In the early 1970s 
Patsy played the key role in the enactment of Title Nine, which 
prohibits gender discrimination by federally funded institutions.
  When most people think of Title Nine, they think of women's sports 
and, the impact of Title Nine of women's sports can be clearly seen. 
Title Nine has increased the numbers of girls and women who participate 
in sports in high school and college.
  Even beyond school, we can see the impact of Title Nine in the 
impressive accomplishments of American female athletes at the Olympics, 
and when we turn on the TV to watch professional women's basketball and 
soccer games.

[[Page 12139]]

  But, we shouldn't forget that Title Nine has also been a major tool 
for increasing women's participation in other aspects of education, as 
well.
  Even as we stand here on the floor today Title Nine is being used to 
make sure that girls have equal access to classes which teach the 
skills that lead to high-wage jobs that women need to support 
themselves and their families.
  But, Title Nine was not Patsy's only contribution to the girls and 
women of America.
  Patsy also authored the Women's Educational Equity Act, which is 
still the primary resource for teachers and parents seeking information 
on proven methods to ensure gender equity in their schools and 
communities.
  The Women's Educational Equity Act represents the Federal commitment 
to ensuring that girls' future choices and successes are determined not 
by their gender, but by their own interests, aspirations and abilities.
  There has been no stronger voice in Congress for girls, women, and 
minorities than Patsy's, and it will do Congress proud to remember and 
honor her not only for her heritage but also for the enormous impact 
she made while she was here in Congress.
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the Asian 
Pacific American Heritage Month and to celebrate the lives and 
accomplishments of Asian Pacific Americans in our history. In 
particular, I want to recognize the contributions of Korean Americans 
to my district and commend them for their tireless work in improving 
the city of Los Angeles.
  Mr. Speaker, as you may know, Los Angeles is home to the largest 
concentration of Koreans outside of Korea, roughly 160,000. Located in 
my district, Koreatown is the hub of the Korean community and vital to 
our local economy. The rich and diverse history of Korean immigration 
is carefully documented by the Korean American Museum, from the first 
Korean arrival in the United States at the turn of the 20th century for 
agricultural production, to the most recent wave of Korean immigration 
marked by the passage of the 1965 Immigration Act.
  Just a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend the 
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus kick-off event and hear 
from many of the Asian American leaders in my district and beyond who 
discussed their community development projects. I want to take this 
opportunity to recognize some of the groups I met that day and the 
contributions they continue to make to our communities: the Korean 
Resource Center, the Korean Youth & Community Center, the Korean 
Churches for Community Development, the Thai Community Development 
Center, and the Asian American Healthcare Venture. I want to reiterate 
one of the key concerns expressed to me by some of those community 
leaders at the forum, which is the need for community and economic 
development projects that are geared toward Asian Pacific Americans. 
The diversity of the APA population presents unique challenges for 
housing and community development systems, and we must look for ways to 
better allocate scarce resources to deliver linguistic and culturally 
appropriate services.
  I strongly believe community development organizations must be 
sensitized to the history and experiences of the communities they serve 
in order to produce services that are linguistically and culturally 
appropriate. To that end Congress should look into federally designated 
funding for the APA community and economic development programs. We 
also need to look into better data collection and research at the 
national level to further understand the unique needs of the Asian 
American communities.
  I want to thank Congressman Wu and Congressman Honda, Chair and Vice 
Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, for 
organizing this special order. As we commemorate and celebrate the 
crucial role Asian Pacific Americans have played in the development of 
this Nation, we must also recognize the unique needs and challenges the 
12.5 million Asian Pacific Americans in the U.S. face today and work 
towards improving their future and the future of our country.

                          ____________________