Mr. Speaker. the roots and traditions of America demand that we stand committed to the preservation of nationality groups and ethnic identities. We are a country of immigrants. and it was our national loyalties that helped our fathers. grandfathers. and greatgrandfathers adjust to the American lifestyle. We have preserved our sense of community through our ethnic roots. and we retain our ethnic loyalties and our sense of community solidarity. During Captive Nations Week we commemorate the unique values of the "old countries." There are presently over 100 million people in those nine Central and Eastern European nations who see their personal and national identities threatened by demands of conformity and attempts at assimilation. Captive Nations Week is an attempt to tell these people that we recognize the unique contributions they have made to American life. We know of the sense of identity and stability they provided for the new immigrants on our shores. and because their values have become our values. we must resist attempts to deprive them of their identity. Our strength is founded in their diversity. and our character is derived from their ethnic loyalties.
Keywords matched
immigrants