Asian Pacific Heritage Month 
                                              Release No. 0160.97

Remarks
                              of 
             Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman
                 Asian Pacific Heritage Month 
                 Whitten Patio -- May 14, 1997

     Thank you, June, I'm honored to be here to kick-off USDA's observance of
Asian Pacific Heritage Month. I'd like to thank Congresswoman Patsy Mink for
joining us. We're talking about Asian American history, she's helping make it.
We're proud to have her as our keynote speaker today. 

     From politics to economics -- the arts to the military -- agriculture to
advanced technologies, Asian Americans have contributed greatly to the success
of this  noble experiment' we call America. 

     Especially now as our nation's geopolitical and economic interests shift
more toward the Pacific Rim, the role of Asian Americans in building a strong,
secure future for our country and the world has never been more important. 

     It's a tremendous positive sign that we see more and more Asian
Americans moving to the center of America's leadership -- from Washington
State's Governor Gary Locke, to Congresswoman Mink, to USDA's own Lon
Hatamiya, the head of our Agricultural Marketing Service, and this
department's first Asian-American administrator. 

     We now also have Dr. Jeremy Wu, the new Deputy Director of USDA's Office
of Civil Rights. Dr. Wu is USDA's first Asian American career senior
executive, and has been a strong voice for USDA's Asian American employees.

     I like firsts. As the Chinese saying goes,  the journey of a thousands
miles starts with a single step.' 

     But I also understand that these firsts are a long time coming here at
USDA. Our journey won't be complete until we have such a rich diversity up and
down our ranks that having a leadership that reflects the people we serve is
so commonplace that no one thinks twice about it.

     I know that we have a ways to go, but I won't let that be an excuse for
not setting out at an aggressive pace. 

     Pearlie Reed and his civil rights team are busy implementing USDA's
civil rights report. I've given them the green light on dozens of
recommendations that do everything from helping level the playing field for
socially disadvantaged farmers, to eliminating the backlog in civil rights
complaints,    to mopping up the sticky floor and shattering the glass ceiling.

     We are changing the culture of the Department of Agriculture. I know
that many of you have heard me say that before. I don't mind being a broken
record. Civil rights is my #1 priority. 

     I can't think of a better way to prepare USDA for a strong 21st century,
than by systematically ridding this department of the inequities and biases
that can only hinder our work and American agriculture in the coming
millenium.

     It is time for  One Vision -- One Mission -- One Voice' as your theme
today so aptly puts it.

     You know as we talk about heritage, it gets me thinking that people have
different takes on history and its relevance to the modern world. 

     Some believe those who don't study the past are destined to repeat it. I
look back at World War II and the internment camps and other dark moments in
history, and I know that we must learn from our history, and find a more
constructive way to deal with difference. 

     There are also those who study history in order to gain a greater
understanding of where folks are coming from -- not just geographically, but
culturally and personally. 

     History -- our heritage -- is a roadmap to how we got where we are
today, and why we see the world the way we do. 

     In a country so richly diverse as ours, understanding our individual and
collective histories couldn't be more important to forging a common destiny in
an increasingly diverse 21st century America. 

     I understand that there's a zen saying:  Man stands in his own shadow
and wonders why it's dark.' We cannot alter the past, but a brighter future is
ours for the making.

     So I hope that today, throughout Asian Pacific Heritage Month and beyond
-- that all USDA employees take time to contemplate America's diversity.

     Together, we can transform it transform it from the divisive force it's
too often been in our past to a constructive force for a positive and
unparalleled American future.

     Thank you.
                                #

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