May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Media Contact: David Thomas, 202.225.3072

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Lofgren offered the following statement for the Congressional Record today on the occasion of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

“Over 100 Members of Congress work together in the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus to promote Asian Pacific American issues and concerns, led by my long-time friend and colleague, Congressman Mike Honda.”

“Today and throughout the month of May, we celebrate the many contributions Asian Pacific Americans have made to the fabric of our communities and to this nation as a whole.

“In this Congress, there are five Asian Pacific Americans serving our nation and their communities as members of the House of Representatives and two Asian Pacific Americans serving in the Senate.   

“In the field of science and technology, Asian Pacific Americans have long contributed to our country, from Ellison Onizuka, the first Asian-American in space, to Flossi Wong-Staal and Dr. David D. Ho, for their work on HIV and AIDS.   Moreover, several Asian Pacific Americans have received Nobel Prizes for their accomplishments in science and technology.

“Hundreds of thousands of Asian Pacific Americans have also loyally served our nation in the military willing to give their life for the United States of America.  Asian Pacific American veterans of the Armed Forces number 284,000.  

“In sports, Asian Pacific Americans have helped bring home Olympic gold medals for the United States, including the first woman to win gold medals in the ten and three meter diving events - Filipina American Victoria Manalo Draves.

“Although it is important for us to celebrate Asian Pacific American heritage this month, we must not forget the plight that Asian Pacific Americans endure despite the community’s many accomplishments. 

“The pitfalls of immigration law and the backlog of immigration applications continue to prevent many Asian Pacific American families from reuniting for several years.    

“We must also not forget that the APA community suffers from greater poverty than non-Hispanic Whites, especially in the Hmong, Laotian, Cambodian, and Vietnamese American communities.

“We must work to ensure that Asian Pacific Americans are appropriately counted when our government collects data that will be used to understand the needs of the APA community. 

“We must make every effort to invite Asian Pacific Americans to participate in government to ensure that our government meets the needs of the APA community. 

“In commemoration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, I honor the contributions of millions of Asian Pacific Americans who have contributed to our nation and who I am sure will continue to contribute in the future.  But while I celebrate this month, I also renew my pledge to address the issues affecting Asian Pacific Americans around the country.”