Asian American Heritage Month

ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH -- (House of Representatives - May 11, 2004)

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 have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the subject of my 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 recognize the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and commemorate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker. Today I join my distinguished friend from California, Mr. HONDA, and the rest of my colleagues on the occasion of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

During this month, we recognize and celebrate the important contributions Asian Pacific Americans have made to our great country.

Mr. HONDA, as the leader of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, has helped all of us learn more about the concerns and issues facing the Asian American and Pacific Islander Community and I salute his work on these issues.

I would also like to commend the leadership of Representative ROBERT MATSUI, who has devoted his time and energy not just to the excellent representation of his constituents, but also to assisting the Democratic Caucus as chairman of the Democratic Congressional campaign committee.

Mr. Speaker, this year's theme, "Freedom for all, a nation we can call our own", speaks to both the hopes and the challenges Asian Pacific Americans face in America.

Asian Pacific American families, whether they have lived in this country for generations, or have recently emigrated, have worked as farmers, teachers, and business people, pioneering in the sciences and arts, and serving with distinction on the battlefield.

But achieving the American dream is not always easy for any group of immigrants seeking to establish roots in the United States.

Asian Pacific Americans have fought to overcome discrimination, language and cultural barriers, and even internment by their own government.

Today the Asian Pacific American Community is rightly proud of their rich heritage and the innumerable contributions they have made to the development of our nation.

During the last century, as America's frontier expanded west, hundreds of thousands of Asian citizens worked to build the first transcontinental railroad.

And Chinese and Japanese immigrants answered the need for laborers and agriculture workers in California and Hawaii.

The descendants of these settlers are now leaders in virtually every industry in the United States, from medical research to music education to professional athletics.

In fact, Asian Pacific Americans have the highest proportion of college graduates of any race or ethnic group.

Mr. Speaker, there are now more than 11 million Asian American and Pacific Islanders in America, comprising 5 percent of the total U.S. population.

Over 213,000 Asian Pacific Americans live in my home state of Maryland.

Immigrants from the countries of Asia and native peoples of Hawaii and the Pacific Islands form one of the fastest growing minority groups in the United States today.

And Asian Pacific Americans have the most diverse background of any minority population, tracing their roots to almost 50 different countries and ethnic groups.

The impressive list of notable Asian Pacific Americans is far too lengthy to read here.

To name just a few: First, The Honorable Patsy Mink, the first Asian Pacific American woman elected to Congress, who many of us had the honor to know.

Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianole, who in 1903 was the first native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander to serve in Congress.

Maya Lin, the accomplished architect, whose striking memorial to those killed in Vietnam lies close by on the National Mall.

Yo-Yo Ma, the internationally acclaimed cellist.

Tiger Woods and Michelle Kwan, both young champion athletes.

Charles Wang, chairman emeritus of Computer Associates and co-owner of the New York Islanders.

Jerry Yang, who co-founded Yahoo.com in his 20s.

In every profession, it seems, Asian Pacific Americans have made their mark.

Mr. Speaker, let me again say that it gives me great pleasure today to recognize the significant advances and contributions made by the Asian Pacific American Community to our country during Asian Pacific Heritage Month.

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