Mike Honda: “Thank you, Congresswoman Judy Chu. I want to thank you very much for initiating the resolution honoring Norm Mineta, but…”

“Thank you, Congresswoman Judy Chu. I want to thank you very much for initiating the resolution honoring Norm Mineta, but I want to make it very clear to the audience and to Norm that we are doing this not in anticipation of your demise. It sounds like almost a memorial, but it is to acknowledge you while you are around and you can appreciate it. And we want to let you know that we do appreciate all the work that you have done and the kinds of trailblazings that you have done. And so that is our way of doing it, and I want to acknowledge Judy for doing that. In terms of growth, today the AAPI community is quickly expanding. Currently, there are approximately 16.6 million AAPIs living in the United States. There are approximately 45 distinct ethnic groups within our populations speaking various dialects within each group. And it is certainly a diverse community, one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in the United States. By 2050, the Asian Pacific Islander community and population is expected to more than double and reach 40.6 million, or 9 percent, of our population.”