Senator Tammy Duckworth

Apr 3

Written By Maki Hsieh

First Thai American woman elected to Congress, Purple Heart recipient, social justice leader

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YEAR INDUCTED
2022

CATEGORY
Law & Policy

Senator Tammy Duckworth is the country’s second female Asian American senator, elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016 to represent Illinois’s Eighth Congressional District. She is an Iraq War Veteran, and former assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs who previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives for two terms. A Purple Heart recipient, Duckworth was among the first Army women to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004. She lost both legs when her helicopter was struck. Tammy Duckworth was born in Bangkok, Thailand, to a mother of Chinese heritage and a father of British descent who did refugee work for the United Nations. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Hawaii and a Master of Arts in International Affairs at George Washington University. Senator Duckworth and her husband, Bryan, have two daughters, Abigail and Maile.

HALL OF FAME ESSAY

“I want to thank Founder Emeritus Karen Wong for nominating me to be inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame and the Class of 2022. It is a true honor to be considered alongside the many other Inductees before me who are incredible trailblazers, leaders, and activists for our community.

The Asian American story is part of our nation’s story. It’s woven into the fabric of our history. And I’ll never forget one of the pivotal moments when I realized the power of our nation’s diversity.

In the mid-90’s, as a young platoon leader and first Lieutenant, I participated in an Operation Bright Star — a NATO training exercise in Egypt. We were out in the desert with air crews from all different NATO countries when somebody went up to one of the guys in my crew to ask to look at our aircraft. At the time, I was the only commissioned officer in the unit who was a woman, and I was the only Asian American in a command position. So when one of the guys indicated that I was in charge and the people outside our unit had to talk to me to look at the aircraft, their reaction was “Who? The little Asian girl?” and their response was “Yep. She’s the boss.” At that moment, the power of America crystallized for me. Just the fact that our guys were taking orders from a woman — an Asian American woman — shows the ideals of our country, and how much everyone can contribute when America is living up to her promise.

And that’s one reason why, every day, I work hard in the Senate to help ensure every American, no matter their skin color, has an equal opportunity to succeed. Because while we have made so much progress to lift up the AA and HPI community, we’ve seen how some things have not changed for the better. Over these past few years, we have seen how those in our community who are elderly and women have endured senseless violence simply because they are Asian American. So what we must say clearly and unambiguously is that targeting the AA and HPI community for any violence is racist and wrong.

I have two daughters. One is seven, the other is four. I refuse to let either grow up in a nation where tomorrow is still marred by the same cycle of bigotry and violence that has plagued our nation for far too long. And while I’m glad we came together to get the COVID Hate Crimes Act signed into law, we must do more. I am proud to continue advocating for the needs of our AA and HPI community in Congress.

Today’s status quo does not need to be tomorrow’s reality. It is long, long past time to break the cycle of discrimination, otherization, and alienation. So thank you again for this honor. I promise I will never stop working to ensure that every Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander and every other person, regardless of race, can achieve their American Dream.”