Supporting H.R. the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of A National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. LOFGREN. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3525, the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture Act.

I am proud to represent a district that is home to hundreds of thousands of Asian Pacific Americans with the largest concentration of Vietnamese-Americans in the country. For years, I've seen firsthand how our Asian Pacific American community embodies the American experience. That is why, as chairperson of the Committee on House Administration, I convened hearing in 2020 to examine a previous version of this bill. It is also why, during this Congress, I have worked to ensure this bill made it to the House Floor for a vote.

During our 2020 hearing, witnesses testified to the troubling lack of knowledge of Asian Pacific American history and culture among American students and associated that lack of knowledge with a shortage of exposure, rather than with a shortage of Asian Pacific American contributions to the Nation. For example, witnesses noted--among many other startling datapoints--only 3 percent of sites in the National Register of Historic Places are associated with Asian Pacific American history, and studies of U.S. history textbooks show a shocking lack of content on Asian Pacific Americans. This is disconcerting, as Asian Pacific Americans have been in the United States since the early 19th century and, today, are the fastest growing demographic in the country. Asian-Americans built the Transcontinental Railroad and much of our Nation's agricultural infrastructure, fought in the Civil War, helped lead the fight for farmworkers' rights and made key breakthroughs in atomic science and more.

Unfortunately, notwithstanding all the ways in which Asian Pacific Americans have strengthened the United States, the community has repeatedly been subject to cruelty. From the Chinese Exclusion Act and Japanese internment to the spike of racism and violence we have all witnessed over the past several years, America must do better by the Asian Pacific American community. We must do everything we can to honor the history and culture of Asian-Americans. I can think of few better ways to do that than a museum dedicated to their story. By establishing a commission to study the potential creation of an Asian Pacific American museum, we will be taking a meaningful step toward achieving that goal.

I strongly support H.R. 3525 and encourage my colleagues to do so as well.

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