Mike Honda

"Norm is the first in many, many things. One of our responsibilities is that he doesn't end up being the last."

"In Asia, there are no Asians. ... In China, you say whatever your ethnicity is."

"Asian is probably a U.S. phenomenon. ... We became homogenized and disappeared."

"We've become scholars in our own history. ... We need to continue this kind of study."

"Asian-American studies should be a full-blown degree."

"That knowledge will let us become better Americans."

"Today we have new arrivals. Those children and those adults don't have the knowledge of the history of this country. ... To understand that is to understand the culture of this country."

"It's important for us to connect with other communities in this country."

"We are present in every state. In this gathering, we want to extend our politics ... and creating this network and ... draw this network closer together so that there is ... no one in this nation who won't know about our wants, our needs."

"Today our population has increased from 1996 to 2006 by 17 percent."

Honda poked fun at the Republicans, saying their presidential candidates all looked the same while the Dems had a diverse group of individuals.