Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate May 2004 as National Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
I am proud to represent the 29th Congressional District of California, a diverse and thriving area of our country where hundreds of thousands have come to raise their children and devote their talents to the community at large. Some of these families have been in the United States for many generations; others are newly arrived. But all of these Americans enrich the fabric of our society with unyielding patriotism and selfless devotion to their neighbors.
The 29th District is home to one of the largest Asian American and Pacific Islander populations in Southern California; almost one-fourth of my constituents are of Asian Pacific heritage. Notable among them are Assemblywoman Judy Chu, Assemblywoman Carol Liu, Asian Youth Center Executive Director May To and Alhambra Chamber of Commerce Board Member Gary Yamauchi; countless Southern Californians enjoy a better quality of life from the leadership provided by these public servants.
It is certainly timely and appropriate to honor Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the same month as the dedication of the National World War II Memorial in Washington. The foundation of that memorial was enshrined by the courage and gallantry of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team--Japanese American soldiers who formed the most decorated unit in U.S. military history. I cannot help but think that the fountains and reflecting pool of this new Memorial symbolically contain not only the tears of joy of millions freed from the chains of racism and imperialism, but also the tears of sadness of more than 110,000 Japanese Americans wrongly interned during the war. The deprivation of their liberty while their children were fighting for freedom in Europe is a story of injustice that should be long told to all American children.
But the military service of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to the United States actually began long ago. In fact, many soldiers of Asian descent fought bravely in the Civil War, only later to be denied the opportunity for citizenship by the draconian Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. When the United States was at its most divided and imperiled, these noble individuals took to battlefields far from their home of birth to protect the promise of the American dream for future generations. I am proud to be a sponsor of H.J. Res. 45, which would posthumously proclaim these soldiers as honorary citizens of the United States.
The various ethnicities, cultures and nationalities that compose the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities are bright stars in the wonderous evening sky that is our country. I thank and congratulate the many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for allowing us to share in their rich heritage.