Political Quotes

“I rise today in recognition of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. This annual commemoration offers the opportunity to celebrate and reflect on the rich history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Representatives Frank Horton of New York and Norman Mineta of California and later Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga, both of Hawaii, first introduced a resolution in 1977 to establish an annual commemoration of the contributions of this community. That first resolution proclaimed the first 10 days of May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Week. Congress passed a modified version of that resolution in 1978, which President Jimmy Carter signed into law. In 1990, Congress expanded Asian Pacific American Heritage Week to the entire month. Just 2 years later, Congress passed a final resolution permanently designating the month of May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. This timing is deliberate: It commemorates important milestones--the arrival of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad on May 10, 1869. The Asian-American population is the fastest growing population in the United States, having risen from 10.5 million in 2000 to more than 23 million in 2020. More than 1.6 million individuals identify as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. With these combined figures, the Asian-American and Pacific Islander, AAPI, community makes up almost 7 percent of the U.S.…”