[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 24087-24088]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       A TRIBUTE TO IRIS S. CHANG

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 17, 2004

  Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in memory of Iris Chang, a 
courageous historian, author and champion of Asian and Asian American 
history, human rights and historical redress. During her brief yet 
remarkable professional career, Iris touched the lives of countless 
people, shedding light on past injustices and atrocities that had been 
forgotten or ignored. In her personal life, she was a loving wife and 
mother, a close friend and an inspiration to many. Iris is survived by 
her husband, Dr. Brett Douglas, her son, Christopher Douglas, her 
parents, Shau-Jin and Ying-Ying Chang, and her brother, Michael Chang.
  Iris Shun-Ru Chang was born on March 28, 1968 in Princeton, New 
Jersey. She studied journalism at the University of Illinois, and 
received her Master's in Science Writing from Johns Hopkins University. 
While at Johns Hopkins, Iris was commissioned to research the life of 
Tsien Hsue-Shen, a Chinese American scientist who was deported to China 
during the Communist scare of the 1960s and

[[Page 24088]]

subsequently founded China's ballistics program. Her research led to 
her critically acclaimed debut, The Thread of the Silkworm, which 
addressed the paranoia and racism of the McCarthy era.
  As a historian and an activist, Iris fought passionately for 
historical justice and reconciliation. Her book, The Rape of Nanking, 
chronicled the horrific capture of Nanking during Japan's invasion of 
China in 1937, and was instrumental in educating the international 
community about Japanese military atrocities during World War II--human 
rights violations that had gone unwritten and unacknowledged for 
decades. Her efforts to seek redress for the crimes at Nanking brought 
her in conflict with the Japanese government and communities worldwide, 
but Iris was unwavering in her commitment to justice and truth.
  In addition to her books, which decried social and historical 
injustices against the Asian and Asian American communities in the 
United States and internationally, Iris was also a member of the 
Committee of 100, a national nonpartisan organization of Chinese-
American leaders who work to address issues important to the Chinese-
American community. For her work, she earned the Peace and 
International Cooperation Award from John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur 
Foundation, and was named ``Woman of the Year'' by the Organization of 
Chinese-American Women.
  Iris will be remembered for her work and service to the community. 
Certainly, the millions of people whom she touched through her writings 
and her activism will not forget the moral vision she brought on past 
injustices to the international community and the public impact of her 
work in promoting peace between peoples of differing races and 
backgrounds. Her fierce pride of her Chinese-American heritage 
empowered others with the certainty that they were truly Americans 
despite their ancestry. Our community has lost a role model and close 
friend; the world has lost one of its finest and most passionate 
advocates of social and historical justice.

                          ____________________