[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12924]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 19, 2009

  Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today in celebration of 
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
  Asian Pacific American Heritage Week was first established in 1978 
through a joint congressional resolution. The first 10 days of May were 
chosen to coincide with two key anniversaries--the arrival in the U.S. 
of the first Japanese immigrants on May 7, 1843 and the completion of 
the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. Fourteen years later, 
Congress expanded the week to a month-long celebration.
  Today, I am proud to join with all Americans in celebrating the 
tremendous contributions of the Asian American and Pacific Islander, 
AAPI, community in to this country. The AAPI community is the fastest-
growing minority group in the United States. The Census Bureau 
estimates that by 2050 more than 33.4 million Asian Americans will live 
in the United States.
  I am extremely proud to represent several emerging AAPI neighborhoods 
in my District representing cultures from Vietnam, Korea and China just 
to name a few. In particular, the Chinatown neighborhood located in 
Oakland, California has grown and evolved into one of the most cohesive 
and vibrant business and arts communities in the, Ninth Congressional 
District.
  As we celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, I encourage 
the people of my district and this nation to learn about the rich and 
proud heritage of Asian Pacific Americans.

                          ____________________