Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, again it is my pleasure to be here today to speak on behalf of this resolution authorizing the printing of this rich history of the Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Congress. It is also timely, as we now have eight Members of Asian and Pacific Islander descent serving in both the House and the Senate in the 107th Congress. Thirty-two Asian Pacific Americans have served in the United States Congress from 1903 to the present, including 13 Resident Commissioners from the Philippine Islands elected to the United States Congress from 1907 to 1946. Currently six serve as Members to the House of Representatives and two serve as U.S. Senators. The first Asian American elected to Congress was Dalip Singh Saund, a Democrat from California. Saund was a Punjabi Sihk who immigrated to the United States from India and fought for Asian Americans to have the right to be naturalized. This led the way for his election to the United States House of Representatives in 1954 and opened the door to other Asian Americans.”