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Remarks Prepared for Delivery by
U.S. Secretary of
Labor Elaine L. Chao
DOL Observance of Asian Pacific American Heritage
Month
Frances Perkins Building
Washington, D.C.
Thursday, May 6,
2004
Thank you for that kind introduction, Surender [Ahir, President, DOL
Chapter, Federal Asian Pacific American Council].
Welcome to the Department of Labor's 13th annual celebration of Asian
Pacific American Heritage Month. This is always such a special event each year.
I want to thank the members of the Planning Committee for their hard work in
putting together this program.
As the theme you have chosen reminds us, we are celebrating "Freedom
for All, a Nation We Call Our Own".
On the national scene, for the first time in history, President George
W. Bush has appointed two Asian Pacific Americans in his Cabinet and more than
160 Asian Pacific Americans to non-career positions.
And I am proud that 17 Asian Pacific Americans hold top non-career
leadership positions at the Department of Labor-the highest number of any
federal government department.
The Department of Labor is committed to helping our community live the
American dream.
Next Monday, May 10th, the Department leads the way by hosting the
third annual Asian Pacific American Federal Career Advancement Summit. I
launched this Summit to provide opportunities for career employees to network
and acquire new skills to advance within the federal government.
This year's celebration of APA Heritage Month is also notable because
of a departmental first. The Department of Labor Asian Pacific American Council
[DOL-APAC] became an official chapter of the Federal Asian Pacific
American Council [FAPAC] in January! This is a historic achievement for
the Department of Labor and for our work force.
The mission of DOL-APAC is "to promote an appreciation of diversity at
the DOL, focusing on Asian Pacific Americans-their cultures and contributions".
DOL-APAC also seeks to "promote equal opportunity for all APAs at the DOL,
including opportunities for career development and advancement".
Providing opportunity has a special resonance with me personally
because, as you know, I came to America from Asia when I was eight years old.
My parents wanted to give their children the freedom and opportunity America
offers, and we are grateful for the blessings of this great nation every day.
That's why it's such a pleasure for me to award certificates of
recognition to the 5 DOL employees who founded DOL-APAC. They are:
- Surender Ahir from OSHA, who is President of FAPAC;
- Sandra Dillon, also from OSHA;
- Anna Hui, with the Office of the Secretary;
- Lynn Kim, from ESA, who is FAPAC's Vice President for Programs; and,
- Karin Weng, from EBSA, who is FAPAC's Secretary
Congratulations and thank you for your commitment to helping our
community.
And now I'll turn the program over to Mr. Ching, who will introduce a
very special performance.
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