senators daniel inouye and sparks massa nothinga introduced resolutions asking the president to declare the first 10 days of may as asian pacific heritage week. the selection of the month of may stems from the fact that may marks the arrival of the first japanese immigrants in the u.s. in 1843. . president carter made asian pacific heritage week an annual event and in 1990 president george h.w. bush proclaimed the entire month of may to be asian pacific american heritage month. madam speaker, they ve made great strides in the area of civil rights and public policy. led by such notable americans as patsy mink, the phishes asian american congresswoman. not to mention the current members of the president s cabinets, which includes three asian americans and an energy secretary steven chu, gary locke, and veterans affairs secretary eric shinseki. in closing, let us take a moment to recognize the contributions of the asian and pacific american community and celebrate such a rich c