[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7478]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to celebrate Asian Pacific 
American Heritage Month.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank a great leader, our colleague, 
Congressman Honda, and the Asian Pacific American Caucus, of which I am 
a very proud member, for organizing later this night a special order to 
honor the contributions of Asian Pacific Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, I cannot help but first recall and remind us of the 
great leadership of our beloved Congressman Bob Matsui, whom we all 
knew so well, who led the fight for justice and reparations for 
Japanese Americans who were interned in our own country.
  And it is in his memory tonight that I hope we will all reflect on 
the legacy and great contributions of not only Congressman Matsui, but 
so many Asian Pacific Americans who played a tremendous role in the 
development of our Nation.
  I would like to acknowledge the late Congresswoman Patsy Takemoto 
Mink, our first woman of color to serve in the United States House of 
Representatives. She was a trailblazer for Asian Pacific Americans and 
women and all people of color. And it is wonderful to see that her 
impact is felt and that her legacy continues. We miss her tremendously.
  APA Heritage Month is especially important to my congressional 
district. Asian Pacific Island American culture has a very large impact 
in the cities in my district. My district is the birthplace of Amy Tan, 
a Chinese American woman, and the New York Times best-selling author of 
the Joy Luck Club. Many have read that novel and its subsequent film 
adaptation. She has received countless acknowledgments, including the 
Bay Area Book Reviewers Award. Tonight, Ms. Tan's novels and short 
stories are part of high schools and universities literacy curricula 
nationwide.
  My district is also the birthplace of Fred Korematsu, born in Oakland 
to Japanese immigrants who challenged the World War II internment of 
Japanese American citizens. As an American citizen, Mr. Korematsu 
refused, he refused to go to an internment camp, but he was arrested. 
He was sent to one in 1942 and branded a spy by newspapers. He opposed 
the internment policy in the Supreme Court, but in its 1944 decision, 
the Supreme Court upheld that policy. Unbelievable.
  In 1983, Mr. Korematsu, appealed his conviction which a Federal court 
overturned, acknowledging that the government's case at the time had 
been based on misleading and racially biased information.
  President Bill Clinton awarded Mr. Korematsu the Presidential Medal 
of Freedom in 1998, honoring Mr. Korematsu for fighting for human 
rights and ensuring the very liberties that created this great Nation.
  Today, the legacy of Asian Pacific American leaders such as Ms. Tan 
and Mr. Korematsu, Congressman Matsui, Congresswoman Patsy Mink is 
apparent in the numerous and remarkable programs and initiatives in our 
communities and especially throughout my district.
  There are several that I would like to recognize, including Oakland's 
Asian Students Educational Services, also known as OASES. As the City 
of Oakland is one of three cities in the Bay Area that has the lowest 
high school graduation rates for Asian students, this organization 
works to decrease cultural gaps in education.
  I would also like to recognize the Oakland Asian Cultural Center. 
This center works by employing the belief that upholding cultural 
traditions and honoring cultural heritage are the core of maintaining 
healthy and liveable communities.
  My district is also home to several of the Nation's leading health 
care providers for the APA community. Asian Community Mental Health 
Services, for example, is an organization that offers access to and 
increases community acceptance of mental care, in which many APA 
communities remain taboo.
  Lastly, I would like to bring special attention to Asian Communities 
for Reproductive Justice and its executive director, Ms. Eveline Shen. 
Founded in 1989, ACRJ has been a long-time leader in ensuring that APA 
women and girls are equipped with the tools to make important decisions 
about their reproductive health. I commend Ms. Shen and the ACRJ's 
dedication to assisting women to obtain America's promise of liberty 
and justice for all.
  Mr. Speaker, again I would like to thank Mr. Honda and the APA Caucus 
for inviting me to participate later tonight in this special order. Let 
us continue to unite and pay tribute to Asian Pacific Americans and 
remember the importance of their outstanding contributions to our 
Nation.

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