Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Floor Speech

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Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, I rise today, in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Every year, throughout the month of May, the people of the United States join together to pay tribute to the contributions and achievements of generations of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, AAPI, who have enriched the history, culture, and traditions of this country.

Today, there are approximately 23,000,000 AAPis in the United States, representing more than 45 distinct ethnic groups and speaking over 100 language dialects. As the fastest growing minority population, the AAPI community continues to have an increasing impact on our national discourse. There are now 20 AAPI members of Congress, and a record number of AAPIs are serving in State and Territorial legislatures across the Nation.

This year, as we celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month amid a pandemic, we recognize the over 2,000,000 AAPIS working on the frontlines as healthcare professionals, first responders, transit operators, and in supermarkets and other essential service industries. Every day, these heroic individuals risk their lives to protect the health and safety of Americans during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

We also reflect broadly on the achievements and contributions of the AAPI community in the areas of politics and government, education and the arts, music, writing and literature, sports, business, medicine, and law. We pay tribute to the leaders before us, who overcame great adversity and paved the way forward.

We honor great statesmen like Daniel Kahikina Akaka, the first person of Native Hawaiian ancestry to serve in the U.S. Senate. Throughout his nearly four decades in Congress, Senator Akaka worked to change the public's perception of the AAPI community and helped to preserve and restore Hawaiian language, culture, and traditions. Although he recently passed away, Senator Akaka's spirit as a true champion of aloha endures.

We also remember influential labor organizers like Larry ltliong, Peter Velasco, and Philip Vera Cruz, who in 1965, led the Filipino- American farmworkers to strike alongside Cesar Chavez, demanding better pay, benefits, and working conditions. The Delano Grape Strike was one of the most pivotal civil rights and labor movements in American history. It opened doors for immigrants and people of color and inspired countless others to stand together and demand their rights.

Around the time that the Filipino-American grape workers began their strike in 1965, Congress enacted the Immigration and Nationality Act, INA, also known as the Hart-Celler Act. This landmark legislation overturned discriminatory race- and nationality-based immigration policies that previously barred immigration from Asia. The INA established new policies based on reuniting families and attracting skilled professionals and helped refugees fleeing violence or unrest, notably those escaping war-torn Southeast Asia. By opening the United States to immigration from Asia, Africa, and Latin America, the INA's enduring legacy includes diversifying the demographic makeup of our country.

This month, I introduced a resolution in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. While we commemorate the contributions of the AAPI community, this pandemic has tested the strength of our nation. Anti-Asian racism and attacks are on the rise, stoked by those in the highest levels of government. This recent surge in discrimination and hate crimes against the AAPI community demonstrates how much work must still be done to achieve full equality. As a country of immigrants, we must now, more than ever, embrace the rich diversity of our communities, and stand up for the civil rights and equal treatment of all Americans.

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