May 23, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 87 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages S3098-S3099]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, each year during the month of May, Asian 
Pacific American Heritage Month calls us to celebrate and reflect on 
the rich history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. These 
communities draw from an incredibly diverse range of cultures, 
languages, and religions that all come together to make the United 
States a more vibrant nation. Whether as natives or as immigrants, 
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have long played a pivotal role 
in the history of the United States since even before its founding.
  Congress first recognized the contributions of Asian Americans and 
Pacific Islanders with the introduction of a resolution in 1977 by 
Representatives Frank Horton of New York and Norman Mineta of 
California and, later, Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga, both 
of Hawaii. This resolution proclaimed the first 10 days of May as Asian 
Pacific American Heritage Week. It took Representative Horton's 
reintroduction of a modified resolution in 1978 for Congress to pass it 
and for President Jimmy Carter to sign it. Presidents would then go on 
to issue annual proclamations for Asian Pacific American Heritage Week 
until 1990, when Congress expanded Asian Pacific American Heritage Week 
to the entire month, and President George H. W. Bush designated May 
1990 as the first Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. In 1992, 
congressional passage of a final resolution permanently designated the 
month of May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
  Since the beginning, the choice of the first several days and, later, 
the month of May served to honor the memory of the arrival of the first 
Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, as well as the completion 
of the Transcontinental Railroad on May 10, 1869.
  The Census Bureau estimates that there are more than 20 million Asian 
Americans and Pacific Islanders currently residing in the United 
States, and by many accounts, they represent one of the fastest growing 
minority groups. Almost 7 percent of Marylanders, more than 400,000 
people, identify as Asian American and Pacific Islander. Particularly 
in the counties surrounding Washington DC, Maryland has increasingly 
become home to communities of Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean, Filipino, 
Vietnamese, and Indian Americans. Over the years, they have contributed 
substantially to making Maryland a thriving State recognized for its 
leadership in business, education, culture, and many other fields. 
Asian Pacific Americans have been and always will be an integral part 
of our community.
  Archeological evidence indicates that humans first began to settle in 
the Pacific Islands, including those of Hawaii, Samoa, and Guam, which 
would later become part of the United States, thousands of years ago. 
In what was one of the first crossings of the Pacific Ocean from Asia 
to the Americas, Filipinos were aboard a Spanish galleon that landed in 
California in 1587. In the 17th century, the British East India Company 
brought the first South Asian Indians to the country as indentured 
servants. In time, the Colonies and, later, the United States would see 
continued influxes of immigrants from Asia and the Pacific, in addition 
to the arrival of the first men and women coming from China, Korea, and 
Japan in the 19th century. Many came as contract labor for plantations, 
factories, and, famously, the California Gold Rush and the 
Transcontinental Railroad. In the 20th century, immigration reforms 
coincided with the Cold War and a new wave of globalization to spur an 
unprecedented boom in arrivals from these countries and elsewhere in 
the region. As these populations continue to grow, it is crucial to 
recognize that Asian Pacific Americans have been in the United States 
for centuries. Their stories are a testament to how our Nation is one 
of immigrants that is made stronger, not weaker, through its diversity.
  Today, many of the iconic buildings we take for granted originate in 
the work of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Here in Washington 
DC, many might walk beside the majestic East Building of the National 
Gallery of Art without recognizing it to be the work of the famous 
architect, I. M. Pei, who passed away on May 16, 2019, at the venerable 
age of 102. Beginning with the Mesa Laboratory for the National Center 
for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, Pei built a distinguished career 
over several decades as an eager and ground-breaking artist. In 
addition to these buildings, Pei would also design the John F. Kennedy 
Presidential Library and Museum in Massachusetts, the Dallas City Hall, 
and countless other projects here and abroad, such as the Louvre 
Pyramid in Paris, France.
  Throughout their history, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have 
been and continue to be leaders. Indeed, one of the best demonstrations 
of this is the pivotal role Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders 
played in the Civil Rights era. Contemporaneous with the movements of 
the 1950s and 1960s, numerous Asian American and Pacific Islander 
activists and organizations advocated for the equality of all races and 
social and economic justice. In 1969, it was Yuji Ichioka who first 
coined the term ``Asian American'' and later taught the first course on 
Asian American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, in 
addition to founding the major advocacy group, the Asian American 
Political Alliance. Larry Itliong was a major figure in the American 
labor movement when he helped organize agricultural workers in the 
western United States to form the Agricultural Workers Organizing 
Committee, which would later merge with Cesar Chavez's organization to 
create the United Farm Workers.

  Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have committed themselves to 
serving their communities and the United States. For centuries, Asian 
Americans and Pacific Islanders have participated in almost every war 
the United States has fought. Although often serving in segregated 
units, these men and women enthusiastically fought for what had long 
been their country, serving as early as the War of 1812. In recent 
years, Asian American and Pacific Islander soldiers and support 
personnel have proved essential in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. 
Their sacrifices have been great; we should never forget them. For that 
reason, the President of the United States has awarded the Medal of 
Honor to numerous brave Asian American and Pacific Islander warriors.
  Many also have gone on to serve as dedicated public servants. Asian 
Americans and Pacific Islanders have held elected offices at the local, 
State, and national levels for over a century. Leaders such as Senator 
Hiram Fong and Senator Daniel Akaka made history when they became the 
first Asian American and Native Hawaiian, respectively, to serve in the 
U.S. Senate. I was honored to serve alongside Senator

[[Page S3099]]

Daniel Inouye, who became the highest ranking Asian-American politician 
in our Nation's history when he became the President pro tempore of the 
Senate. Beyond elected office, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders 
constitute an indispensable portion of the civil service at all levels 
of government. There, too, they have clearly demonstrated the 
commitment they have to their community.
  In addition to the many contributions made by individuals, Asian 
Americans and Pacific Islanders have also imprinted onto our society 
the marks of distinctive cultures. Though perhaps taken for granted 
today, many ubiquitous aspects of American life and identity ultimately 
derive from the men and women who brought pieces of their home 
countries with them when they came to the United States. From 
philosophy to religion and entertainment to cuisine, Asian and Pacific 
Islander cultures have helped influence and form the American way of 
life as we know it today.
  As minorities, many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have 
endured persistent forms of systemic racism that still have yet to be 
eradicated. Historically, countless individuals were denied the same 
rights as other Americans and were even excluded from citizenship. Laws 
barred many from working in certain fields and codified school 
segregation and prohibitions on property and business ownership. 
Immigration itself became a target of exclusionary policies that 
prohibited immigrants of certain ethnicities from coming to the United 
States. Widespread xenophobia, captured best by the ``Yellow Peril,'' 
dehumanized entire communities and instilled prejudice in the hearts of 
many Americans. This discrimination reached a peak when President 
Roosevelt ordered the incarceration of over 100,000 Japanese Americans 
in internment camps as war began with the Empire of Japan in World War 
II.
  Although we have made much progress in recent decades, we still face 
persistent issues of xenophobia, underrepresentation, and 
discrimination. Opportunities such as Asian Pacific American Heritage 
Month allow us to educate all Americans and spread the stories and 
perspectives unique to this community. We must do all that we can to 
bridge the divide by supporting policies and ideas of acceptance and 
equality. There is still much work to be done, but with the effort of 
all of our community acting together, I believe we can reach our goal.
  Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders represent more than just a 
demographic category. They are our neighbors and coworkers, our friends 
and family. They are small business owners and entrepreneurs who have 
helped transform our economy for the better. They are prize-winning 
scientists and researchers who have made countless discoveries that 
have advanced our knowledge. They are creative artists and performers 
who have captured our emotions and introduced us to innovative 
concepts. In short, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders represent an 
essential pillar of the United States. Their story in this country 
reaches back to its very founding, and it will only continue to shine 
on for the entire world to see, for they are, above all, Americans.

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