CAPAC Releases ‘Spill the Tea’ Episode with Senator Mazie Hirono

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) released the ninth episode of its “Spill the Tea with Chair Meng” video series with Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI), who is the first Asian American woman from Hawaiʻi and the only immigrant currently serving in the U.S. Senate.

In the episode, Senator Hirono, a longstanding origami enthusiast, teaches Chair Meng how to fold a bookmark using origami paper while discussing the importance of arts and education programs that support millions of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander students across the country.

Excerpts from the episode are below.

On how Senator Hirono’s immigrant background shapes her advocacy:

“I was brought up on a rice farm in Japan with my grandparents and I knew nothing about America, Hawaiʻi, to say the least. And English is not my first language either. So, being an immigrant very much informs who I fight for and why, and who I fight for are the people who I say do not have the power or don't have the voices that need to be heard. So my hope is that, by my advocacy, I can be that voice for everyone,” said Senator Hirono.

On celebrating AANHPI culture and diversity:

“I know that one of the first executive orders that President Trump issued upon being inaugurated was to direct all his departments to get rid of anything that would be deemed supportive of DEI. So since then, he's put a stop to money that's going to minority-serving institutions—Institutions that serve Black Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders. So the University of Hawaiʻi is impacted. There's about $300 million in federal grants that go to these minority-serving institutions...and so CAPAC is really important. This is the time for us to fight back even more and to celebrate our culture and diversity,” said Senator Hirono.

Watch the full video HERE.

Tune in to future episodes by following CAPAC on Instagram, Facebook, X, Bluesky, and Threads.

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