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SAVE THE DATE! - 2010 AAPI House Party - May 2nd

curtis — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:39:29 +0000

On Sunday, May 2nd, please join Asian Pacific Americans for Progress as we host our annual State of Asian Pacific America House Party. Last year, attendees at house parties all across the country got to hear from such noted guests as Barack Obama's brother-in-law, Konrad Ng; the White House's Tina Tchen; Assistant Secretary for Veterans Affairs Tammy Duckworth and Congressmembers Judy Chu and Joe Sestak. We are currently lining up an equally impressive line-up so start preparing to host your party now!

WHAT: State of Asian Pacific America House Party 2010

WHO: Hosted by Asian Pacific Americans for Progress

DATE: Sunday, May 2, 2010

TIME: 4-6 pm EST, 1-3 pm PST, 10 am - 12 pm Hawaii

Cosponsored by the United States Student Association - National Asian Pacific American Student Caucus

HOSTING A PARTY

Consider hosting a party. It's easy. Just gather 12-20 friends, family members or co-workers and call into our conference call. You can even provide snacks or make it a potluck. On the call, each guest will speak for a few minutes and then take a question or two. Afterwards, we hope you and the attendees at your party will discuss what issues are important to you and then to write up a report and post it on the APAP website with pictures. This will become a record of the issues that AAPI's around the country are talking about. We'll even submit a report to the Obama administration.

CLICK HERE FOR "HOW TO HOST A HOUSE PARTY"

CLICK HERE FOR "SUGGESTED TIMELINE FOR ORGANIZING A PARTY"

CLICK HERE FOR "FAQ's ABOUT HOUSE PARTIES"

PROGRAM SCHEDULE (all times are Eastern)

4:00 pm - introductions, mingle with guests, serve food

4:30 pm - phone call with special guests TBA, including brief Q & A

5:00 pm - begin small group discussion with provided questions

5:45 pm - wrap up discussion

6:00 pm - post your pictures and stories on our website; submit your survey back to APAP

HOUSE PARTIES (as of March 16, 2010. More details to come)

To host a party, email curtis at apaforprogress.org

	HOST	Contact
CALIFORNIA
Berkeley	Mary Nicely
Los Angeles	APAP Los Angeles
Monterey Park	Henry Lo
Sacramento	Allisa Ko
San Francisco	APAP San Francisco
San Francisco	Grande Lum
COLORADO
Denver	APAP Colorado
D.C.
Washington	APAP Washington DC
FLORIDA
Orlando	Viet Nguyen
ILLINOIS
Chicago	Theresa Mah
INDIANA
Bloomington	Asian Cultural Center	mpoon@indiana.edu
MASSACHUSETTS
Boston	APAP Boston
MICHIGAN
Grand Rapids	Christina Fong	christina@ogreogress.com
NEBRASKA
Omaha	Chelsea Kawakami
NEVADA
Reno	Jesse Danen	private
Reno	Gabriel Matute Uy
NEW YORK
Binghamton	Calvin Prashad
Ithaca	Nathan Shinagawa
New York	APAP New York
Rochester	Kseniya Popov
OREGON
Corvallis	Sandy Tsuneyoshi
Eugene	Joseph Mak
Portland	Carmen Madrid
Portland	Kim Nguyen
PENNSYLVANIA
Bensalem	Ernie Gange	erniegange@aol.com
Philadelphia	Stella Tsai
TEXAS
Austin	Jaya Soni
Dallas	David Bruce Jones	private
Dallas	Vishal Chander
Houston	Gordon Quan
WASHINGTON
Seattle	Rahul Gupta
Seattle	NAPAWF Seattle
Seattle	Akemi Matsumoto	akemiseattle@hotmail.com
Spokane	Ping Ping
WISCONSIN
Madison	Daniel Allen, Nira Ly, Tim Yu
Milwaukee	Lorna Yeung

Anti-Asian Racial Slur Sparks Outrage at Chevron

spamfriedrice — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:20:11 +0000

I recently got this press release about a classic case of the powerfully negative effects of racial microaggressions and racial discrimination in the work place. After 35 years of abuse at Chevron, 3rd generation Japanese American John Suzuki is fighting back against the oil giant. Well... it's not like I needed any more reason to boycott Chevron! It's not like Mr. Suzuki was working for a responsible corporation! Here's some coverage about Chevron-Texaco's crappy record.

===

Chevron Corporation’s multi-million dollar “Human Energy” advertising campaign touts how much Chevron values people. Chevron’s website promotes the “Chevron Way” – the company’s commitment to complying with the law and placing “the highest priority on the health and safety of our workforce.”

The reality for John Suzuki, who worked at Chevron for over 35 years, was much different. An award-winning patent liaison in Chevron’s Law Department in Richmond, CA, Suzuki was forced to take early retirement this month rather than risk his health by returning to work under a supervisor who harassed and threatened him, and called him a “stupid Jap.”

Suzuki wanted to continue working at Chevron, but the company refused his doctors’ directives that he must be moved to a different department or else he would be at high risk of having a heart attack.

“Stupid Jap” Slur

The doctors had diagnosed Suzuki as being at high risk of another heart attack after he had at least two episodes of severe chest pains following incidents in which his supervisor, Alan Klaassen harassed him by yelling at him, making false accusations and threatening him.

After one such incident in January 2008, Suzuki went to his doctor, who told him that he had to reduce his workload or else he might have a heart attack. When Suzuki told Klaassen and a manager, Frank Turner, what his doctor said, Klaassen and Turner laughed at Suzuki.

Things came to a head in August 2009 when Klaassen again yelled at Suzuki, waved his fist in his face, threatened him and falsely blamed him for problems in the work. Klaassen also called Suzuki a “stupid Jap.”

Use of racial slurs by supervisors on the job violates federal and state anti-discrimination laws and laws prohibiting hostile and abusive work environments. As one federal appeals court noted in 1993, “Perhaps no single act can more quickly ‘alter the conditions of employment and create an abusive working environment’ . . . than the use of an [unambiguous] racial epithet . . . by a supervisor....”

Following the August 2009 incident, Suzuki again suffered severe chest pains. His doctors put him on medical leave and have been treating him since then. They told Chevron that he could return to work only when he was taken out of his hostile work environment and moved to a different department.

Chevron categorically refused to consider moving Suzuki to a different department. If Suzuki did not return to his department and his supervisor Klaassen, he faced termination, Chevron told him.

Suzuki got an attorney, John Ota of Alameda, CA, who pointed out to Chevron that under California law, the company must separate Suzuki from Klaassen, at the very least until Chevron did a fair and thorough investigation of Suzuki’s charges that Klaassen had insulted him with a racial epithet and otherwise created a hostile work environment.

Investigation or Cover-up?

Demanding that Suzuki return to work under Klaassen before Chevron had even investigated the matter assumed that Klaassen would be cleared, Ota noted, an indication that Chevron had no intention of conducting a fair and objective investigation as required by law.

Chevron refused to budge. Faced with termination and the possible resulting loss of his retirement benefits, Suzuki reluctantly chose early retirement on February 1.

Meanwhile, Japanese American and Asian American organizations, disturbed about Suzuki’s situation, began contacting Chevron to express their concerns.

Richard Konda, Executive Director of Asian Law Alliance in San Jose wrote Chevron on January 12, stating that it was “highly inappropriate and insensitive” for Chevron to demand that Suzuki return to work under Klaassen before completing its investigation.

Patty Wada, Regional Director of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) Northern California-Western Nevada-Pacific District, said in a January 22 letter that she was appalled to hear that Suzuki had been subjected to racial slurs by his supervisor.

Under pressure, Chevron hired an outside Japanese American attorney, Susan Kumagai, to investigate Suzuki’s charges. On her website, Kumagai describes herself as a specialist in “representing management” against discrimination charges.

Suzuki asked Kumagai and Chevron how many such investigations Kumagai had done in the past and in how many of those investigations, if any, she had concluded that a hostile work environment existed. Neither Kumagai nor Chevron responded to these questions.

Not surprisingly, Kumagai conducted a quick investigation and concluded that none of Suzuki’s charges could be substantiated. Chevron informed Suzuki of these results on February 16, but refused to provide him with a copy of Kumagai’s report.

In her hasty effort, Kumagai failed to even talk to some witnesses Suzuki said could confirm that he told them about Klaassen’s racial slur soon after it happened. Because in this, as in many other harassment cases, there were no witnesses to the actual harassment, such corroborating witnesses are often crucial to verifying the victim’s account of what happened.

The failure to interview corroborating witnesses, hiring as the investigator an attorney who defends management for a living, and Chevron’s refusal to provide Suzuki with a copy of the investigation report – these are all “signs pointing to a cover-up,” not a fair and objective investigation, says Ota.

Letter Writing Efforts

Suzuki is continuing to ask organizations to write Chevron on his behalf. What is important to him, he says, is “the principle of the matter – racial remarks like this cannot be tolerated.”

The points he wants organizations to make in their letters to Chevron are first, that Chevron conduct a fair and thorough investigation of his charges, an investigation by someone who has a history of doing evenhanded investigations, not by a management defense attorney.

Second, Suzuki wants Chevron to provide him with Kumagai’s investigation report, and also to provide the report when a fair and thorough investigation is completed.

Last, Suzuki asks that Chevron fire Klaassen if it finds that Klaassen did call Suzuki a “stupid Jap” and that Suzuki be allowed to return to work at Chevron in a different department.

Leaders of Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress (NCRR) in Los Angeles wrote to Chevron on February 10. Paul Osaki, Executive Director of the Japanese Community and Cultural Center of Northern California sent Chevron a letter on February 19.

Other organizations in Los Angeles, San Jose and San Francisco have also agreed to write to Chevron.

Those interested in contacting Chevron should write to: John S. Watson, Chief Executive Officer, Chevron Corp., 6001 Bollinger Canyon Road, San Ramon, CA 94583.

Did Nobel Winner Obama forget about Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders?

spamfriedrice — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:09:24 +0000

This just in! President Obama is generously donating his Nobel Peace Prize award money to a bunch of charitable organizations. Hooray! Congrats to the following orgs: Fisher House ($250,000), Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund ($200,000), College Summit ($125,000), Posse Foundation ($125,000), United Negro College Fund ($125,000), Hispanic Scholarship Fund ($125,000), Appalachian Leadership & Education Foundation ($125,000), American Indian College Fund ($125,000).

What's missing? Or better yet... Who's missing? Unfortunately, yet again, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are left out in the cold... AGAIN! Think about this... four scholarship funds (UNCF, HSF, ALEF, and AICF) are each getting $125,000 to help with their work in empowering African Americans, Latinos, American Indians, and youth in Appalachia (I'm gonna go out on a limb and say most, if not all of these youth, are White) in higher education. It would have been nice if he'd offered $125,000 to the Asian Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund, which is a partner org of the other scholarship funds.

Mr. President -- Almost two-thirds of us Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders voted for YOU! We voted for CHANGE! We voted to be recognized! You have Asian American family! I personally campaigned for you during primary season in California, Hawaii, and Nevada; during the general election, I campaigned for you in Nevada and Florida! I delayed progress toward my Ph.D because I felt it was critical to get you elected! I continue to defend the administration even when frustrated that the Democratic party continues to seem spineless. So when I got the press release from the White House Press Secretary celebrating the donation of your Nobel Peace Prize money... well, let's just say I cannot defend this oversight. I'm pretty tired of being invisible.

Yours truly -- Oiyan Poon, Ph.D. (yes, I finally filed last week!)

P.S. I know this is kind of trivial in the bigger scheme of things, and I'd like to see bigger things happen that benefit AAPIs, but I guess it gets really exhausting having to always say "Hey! We EXIST too!"

Hansen Clarke becomes seventh South Asian to run for Congress

curtis — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:26:38 +0000

Michigan State Senator Hansen Clarke, who attended the launch of APAP's Detroit Chapter last year, has just announced that he is running for Congress. Clarke, who switches from his run for Governor, becomes the seventh South Asian to run for Congress this year. All of them are Democrats.

State Sen. Hansen Clarke, D-Detroit, said today he's running for Congress to try to create jobs, setting up what could turn into another feisty primary fight for Democratic Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick.

"I want to bring prosperity back here," Clarke said in an interview. "I want to help create new jobs and help people reduce their debt and save their homes.

"We need a person in Congress who can create jobs in the region."

Clarke, born in Detroit, represents more than half of the 13th Congressional District, which stretches from Grosse Pointe Woods through Detroit to Wyandotte.

Kilpatrick, Michigan's only member of the House Appropriations Committee, has not filed for re-election, and her campaign didn't immediately respond to an inquiry about her plans.
The 64-year-old congresswoman has rarely missed votes in this Congress -- 3.6 percent -- and nearly always votes with the Democratic leadership, according to data compiled by the Washington Post.

First elected in 1996, Kilpatrick was recently in headlines when the House ethics committee cleared her of wrongdoing over two trips she made to the Caribbean for a trade summit.

In 2008, the veteran congresswoman experienced backlash from the text-messaging scandal engulfing her son, Kwame Kilpatrick, then Detroit's mayor. She found herself in a nail-biter of a three-way primary fight. She won, but with only 39 percent of the vote.
The 53-year-old Clarke, who is term-limited out of the Michigan Senate, will open a congressional campaign office this week.

According to his Web site biography, Clarke grew up in a working class neighborhood on Detroit's lower east side. He was 8 years old when his father died, and his mother supported him as a school crossing guard.

His artistic ability landed him a scholarship at Cornell University, where he received a Bachelors of Fine Arts in painting. He went on to earn a law degree from Georgetown University.

Elected to the Michigan House three times, Clarke defeated incumbent state Sen. Ray Murphy in 2002. Clarke was re-elected to the Senate in 2006.

Asked about the challenge of ousting an incumbent congresswoman, Clarke pointed to his defeat of the incumbent Murphy. He also dismissed campaign money advantages of incumbency.

He said he's raised "thousands," and expects to have no trouble raising enough money to defeat an incumbent.

Kilpatrick has raised $313,023 in this election cycle, according to her Federal Election Commission filings, and has $346,811 in available cash.

Clarke said he'll work to help businesses get loans. He also said that Michigan employers seek foreign skilled workers because of a lack of skilled workers in the state. He proposes drawing more heavily on community colleges to better prepare Michigan residents to be able to fill such jobs.

While it's always an uphill battle to unseat a sitting member of Congress, Clarke must've seen the writing on the wall with his race for Governor. We wish him well and will keep an eye out on his race.

Ami Bera and Raj Goyle make the list

curtis — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:10:47 +0000

Today, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced the first round of candidates selected for the prestigious “Red to Blue” program that targets GOP-held districts. It's awesome that the list includes two Asian American candidates: Ami Bera who is running in CA-03 and Raj Goyle who is running in KS-04.

“These candidates have come out of the gate strong and the Red to Blue Program will give them the financial and structural edge to be even more competitive in November,” DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen (Md.) said in a statement. “These candidates are generating excitement back home and are making the case to voters that their commitment to creating jobs and standing up for the middle class is far better than turning back the clock to the failed Bush policies of the past.”
The 13 candidates include Ami Berain California’s 3rd district; Paula Brooks in Ohio’s 12th district; John Callahan in Pennsylvania’s 15th district; John Carney in Delaware’s at-large district; Suzan DelBene in Washington’s 8th district; Raj Goyle in Kansas’ 4th district; Roy Herron in Tennessee’s 8th district; Bryan Lentz in Pennsylvania’s 7th district; Rob Miller in South Carolina’s 2nd district; Steve Pougnet in California’s 45th district; Dan Seals in Illinois’ 10th district; Tom White in Nebraska’s 2nd district; and Lori Edwards in Florida’s 12th district.
Two of those candidates are running in districts held by Democrats: Tennessee’s 8th and Pennsylvania’s 7th, a pair of competitive open-seat races.
According to the committee, candidates selected for the program this cycle must surpass “demanding fundraising goals” and demonstrate their political abilities before making the list. But now that these Democrats are in the program, the committee offers them financial, communication, grass-roots and strategic support.
The committee typically adds more candidates to the program as the cycle continues; however, the program likely will not be as big as in previous cycles because there are fewer feasible pickup opportunities for House Democrats after back-to-back wave elections in 2006 and 2008.
The program was so successful in previous cycles that the DCCC’s counterpart, the National Republican Congressional Committee, started its own ranking system of challenger and open-seat candidates this cycle.
By the end of the 2008 cycle, a DCCC official said the committee raised more than $26 million for the 63 candidates on the Red to Blue list — 27 of whom won their races. The DCCC boasted 56 Red to Blue candidates in the 2006 cycle and 27 candidates in the 2004 cycle.

With a tough political environment and the prospect of defending dozens of competitive seats, it's nice to see that two of the top prospects for a flip are from our community.

In addition, there's a strong chance that Manan Trivedi and Ravi Sangisetty could make the next round.

Superheroes within the APA community

eddlyhong — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:39:11 +0000

Ever since I totaled my car three days ago, I've been mostly confined to my local area in Los Angeles and passing my time by playing the guitar, working out, reading, calling multiple casting directors that I apologize for missing their auditions (missing a particular one broke my heart so I let the director know he could use me as a crew hand or extra), and...re-watching the entire Justice League cartoon series.

Nerd alert?? Okay yeah, I'm gulity as charged. While I'm not an avid comic book reader, I cannot lie...I am a huge fan of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, GI Joes, Transformers, Spiderman, X-Men, the Hulk, and so on and so on. I love what they represent and how they vanquish evil and I especially love how modern renditions of these characters make them complex and flawed characters, just like normal human beings.

But as much as I love these superheroes, I wish there were more superheroes who looked like me but not done in a way where they represent the insidious yellow peril but as fully fleshed out Asian/Asian-American heroes. What I did not know in my yearning for more superheroes that looked like me were that there are real-life Asian American superheroes who work behind the scenes to bring these classic heroes and villains to life as well as creating new superheroes who are of Asian descent.

Larry Hama. Bernard Chang. Greg Pak. Jerry Ma. Keith Chow. These are only few of many amazing Asian American comic book writers and illustrators who have crafted many of the heroes the American public has come to love and know. For this post though, I want to focus on Larry Hama and his legacy as a comic book writer and illustrator for the past 40 years.

If there is one particular American pop culture icon that Larry Hama has been a huge influence in shaping, it's his role as the writer of the Marvels-licensed G.I. Joe. Many of the characters were named after Hama's family, friends, and comrades who died during the Vietnam War, whereas others were named after historical figures. Classic characters such as Snake Eyes, Scarlett, Quick Kick, and many more were created by this man and these characters will continue to exist long after their creation. However, many people are not aware of this fact and for many Asian Americans who struggle to find role-models in the entertainment and comic book business, it must be said that Larry Hama stands tall along with other legends such as Stan Lee and Bob Kane.

So how will people know of Larry Hama and other Asian American artists who have made equally important contributions in their work? Who will show the history of such contributions so that other APA folks can get inspiration from and create the next legendary comic book character? In this day and age, there aren't that many museums and exhibitions that come into mind but this will all come to change when the ImaginASIAN exhibition takes place in Lafayette, Indiana on April 2nd - May 9th, 2010. Spearheaded by Kate Agathon, a graduate student of Purdue University, the exhibition accomplishes both as a silent auction and as a permanent display collection that will tour around the country and celebrate the experiences and works of APA artists.

Larry Hama is one of many contributors to this exhibition and has sent in two submissions: a pencil sketch of Snake-Eyes and one of the Baroness as well. Which one goes to the silent auction and which one goes to the permanent collection? The donations made from the silent auction will go to fund for APA materials in Purdue University and Indiana University libraries and so it could be argued that the more popular work of art should go to the silent auction so that it gets people to eagerly offer their donation. But at the same time, if the classic icon is part of the permanent collection, it is priceless and will become part of HISTORY and allow thousands of people to gaze upon the artwork and learn where and who it came from. Among the thousands of people will be Asian Americans who will look at these historical artifacts and before you know it, be imbued with a reassuring sense of history and placement that they can let their dreams go wild.

So which should go to the silent auction and be sold to the highest bidder? Which should become part of history and be part of the permanent APA collection? Snake Eyes or the Baronness?

If I had any silly input in this, I would make the tough choice and have Snake Eyes for the permanent collection. While his greater popularity would probably result in higher biddings and gain funds for the APA studies department in Purdue University, one must realize that once that artwork is sold, it is for the individual's viewing pleasure only. To people who are not even GI Joe fans, there are many who are aware of the silent deadly black ninja that is Snake Eyes and only GI Joe fans will know who the heck the Baronness is. Hell, I don't even remember what she looked like. For the Snake Eyes artwork to become priceless and not stay just in one person's home but travel around in multiple locations throughout the United States, even the whole world, its impact will be more meaningful.

The world will know that Snake Eyes, and many of the GI Joe characters, came to be because of Larry Hama.

Too Much At Stake for Complacency - A Call to Action for Immigration Reform

DreamActivist510 — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 02:19:37 +0000

Look at "those illegals,” my friend said jokingly while he was dropping me off to the Bart Station. He pointed at two Mexican immigrants standing against the fence. Although it was a joke, I was extremely angry. Yet, I was defenseless and vulnerable. I simply laughed with him and stayed casual as if nothing happened. Once he dropped me off, I wondered if he would treat me differently if he knew that I’m also “illegal.”

I was born and raised in South Korea until I was 11. When I was in South Korea, the country was facing economic crisis. I remember our family had financial difficulties and we were in deep trouble. Soon after, our family filed bankruptcy. The following year, my mom and my dad divorced. With my mom and older sister, we were barely surviving in our home country, South Korea.

On July 25, 2001, we came to the United States to seek a better life. I was twelve years old. But once we arrived here, we faced a different set of challenges because of our immigration status.

As a single parent, it was hard for my mom to raise me and my sister. She works twelve hours a day, seven days a week, sacrificing her time and energy to support my education and provide food on the table each day. Almost every two months, she has to look for a different job because of her immigration status. She often looks exhausted and overwhelmed after work.

Like my mom, my sister works full-time. Until recently she attended community college at the same time but because of financial difficulties, she had to drop out. My sister had the chance to attend more prestigious colleges and universities. Instead, she is 24 years old and working two shifts at a restaurant, mopping floors, and washing dishes, while her friends are experiencing college life.

I also work at a restaurant and attend college full-time. While I feel fortunate to work, sometimes I feel humiliated working “under the table” and getting paid such low wages. It’s extremely difficult and frustrating, but it’s the only option for me to pay for college.

During my senior year in high school, I learned that my visa had expired and I was living here without documentation. While my friends talked about colleges, I worried about whether or not I could even go to college. Despite all my hard work in high school, I didn’t have access to educational opportunities that most people take for granted.

Being an Asian American undocumented student, it was especially challenging to come out from the shadow, because of the cultural taboo and social discrimination in my own community. This isolation led to periods of depression.

Worst of all, I’m afraid of being deported. I have nightmares about I.C.E. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents knocking on the door to arrest my mom, sister, and me. I clearly remember one dream where I.C.E. agents chased after me in the darkness. As they surrounded me in a corner to arrest me, I woke up in a horror. I couldn’t go back to sleep. Every day, I search for a way out of these wicked nightmares.

One of the ways that I face my fear is that I’m speaking up.

Despite all the challenges I face, I’ve never given up my hopes of achieving higher education and living my dreams like everybody else.

Today, I have a 3.8 GPA while I actively involve in a community. I work hard and push myself to show that anything is possible in this country, despite my undocumented status. And I will continue to push myself to be a role model to other people, especially in the Asian American community.

There are thousands of Asian American undocumented students who are struggling to live a normal life just like me. Clearly, immigration is not only a Latino issue; it impacts everyone. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security report, about 11.6 million undocumented immigrants are living in this country. 1.2 million are Asian American. Moreover, a recent report by the University of California Office of the President revealed that 40 to 44 % of undocumented students in the UC system are Asian, of which 60% are Korean, 14% are Chinese, 10% are Filipino, 7% are Indian or Pakistani, 7% are Thai or other Asian descent.

Asian Americans are the second largest undocumented population, yet I believe we have not been as visible in fighting against discrimination and promoting immigration reform.

UCLA Labor Center, Kent Wong said, “These [undocumented] students risk themselves to speak out despite having no legal status and being subjugated to deportation, but greater risk is silence in the face of oppression and injustice!”

I knew I couldn’t just wait and hope for politicians to solve our problems. In spite of deportation, it is crucial that our voices get heard. We need to fight for our dreams that will determine our future. In this economic recession, immigrants and minorities will get the worst hit. However, we cannot simply give up and be silent.

How long do we have to wait for the immigration system to be fixed? Not long I’d say, if Latino, Asian American and others come out from the shadow and address this critical issue together. It is urgent for us to erase old traditional cultural taboos and move forward.

Korean American community needs to stand up. Chinese American community needs to stand up. Vietnamese American community needs to stand up. Pakistani American community needs to stand up. Japanese American community needs to stand up. Indian American community needs to stand up. All Asian American communities need to stand up to fight and push comprehensive immigration reform to pass in 2010.

Don’t be silent or ashamed to talk about immigration or your lives; we need you more than ever before. Comprehensive immigration reform will pass only if we stand united as one.

2010 is going to be a special year. It will be the year that the immigration reform will pass and we can all begin a new chapter in our lives.

The National Asian American Pacific Islander week of action from Jan. 12-20 is a collaborative effort among national, state and local AAPI organizations and allies to demonstrate the collective power and voice of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the comprehensive immigration reform debate. Coordinated outreach and events across the nation will engage community members in the broader Reform Immigration FOR America campaign and show Congress that the AAPI community is serious about demanding reform this year.

Ju Hong writes on behalf of NAKASEC (National Korean American Service & Education Consortium) and the Korean Resource Center.

Sen. Inouye seeking a ninth term

Kate — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:32:10 +0000

Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) recently announced his intentions to seek a historic NINTH term in the U.S. Senate.

Inouye, who last announced for re-election in 2004 during a routine speech at the state Democratic Convention, did it this time before 2,000 supporters, friends and political dignitaries at a $200-a-plate dinner last week at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
The Democratic icon, who once thought he might face a challenge from outgoing Republican Gov. Linda Lingle, has $3.2 million in his campaign chest for a race in which it turns out he has no significant opposition, and he continues to rake it in from his perch as chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee.
With most politicians I'd think it was a bit over the top, but in Inouye's case perhaps it's time for some recognition of his extraordinary story that is starting to take on significance of national historical proportions.
He won the Medal of Honor with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and has been in Congress for as long as Hawai'i has been a state, including 47 years in the Senate.
At 85, Inouye recently passed the late Sen. Ted Kennedy to become the third longest-serving senator in U.S. history, and he'll pass the late Sen. Strom Thurmond in June to move into second place behind 92-year-old Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia.
If Inouye is re-elected and maintains his good health, he could very well end up as the longest-serving senator ever.
I'm not a big fan of records based on longevity, but this one is truly remarkable. Inouye is one of the heavy-hitters in the Capitol — and not only as the Senate's most prolific pork-barreler.
He's been a significant player in Senate Democratic leadership for most of his career, enough so that Lyndon Johnson suggested him for vice president and he seriously contended for majority leader.
I first encountered Inouye when — as a freshman senator — he was the speaker at my Hilo High graduation.
I was fresh off of reading in my history books about the great senators who served our country — names like Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, Stephen Douglas, Everett Dirksen and Margaret Chase Smith.
Who would have guessed that the young fellow standing on the stage at the Hilo Civic Auditorium would serve longer than any of them?
It was like seeing Cal Ripken Jr. play in his rookie year — which I did while I was in Washington covering Inouye and the Hawai'i congressional delegation.

How far will the GOP go for the Latino vote?

Madhuri — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:53:02 +0000

(From the Restore Fairness blog) In the 2008 Presidential Election, Republicans won only 31% of the Latino vote, down from 40% of Latino votes they had four years earlier when George Bush took office for the second time. And based on exit polls, it seems apparent that the Hispanic vote played a large part in President Obama’s Electoral College victory and win over John McCain. Add to this the fact that from 1998 to 2008 the number of Latinos eligible to vote rose by 21% (from 16.1 million to 19.5 million), and factor in estimates that say that by 2050 the Hispanic population is expected to increase by 200% and you get a reasonable explanation why Republicans are beginning to panic about how to ensure support from the Latino community. Now that Republicans have woken up to the fact that they desperately need to secure Hispanic support, the question is how they intend to go about doing this, and whether they have it in them to go beyond the surface and address issues that resonate deeply with the Latino community.

Earlier this month, America’s Voice brought out a report that spotlights the growing power of the Latino electorate and suggests that candidates in all political races should keep a close eye on the issues that influence the Latino vote if they intend to remain viable in the House and Senate elections for 2010. The report, The Power of the Latino Vote in America, gives a detailed account of Latino voting trends, identifies 40 Congressional races across 11 states where Latinos are likely to made a huge impact in the November elections, and makes a strong argument for how deeply the issue of immigration reform will affect the Hispanic vote.

While it rates the economy as the top-most issue for the Hispanic population, the report makes it clear that immigration reform has played a key role in how the Latino voters made their choices in 2008, and will continue to do so. The report says,

Polling of Latino voters shows that the Republican Party’s image has been severely damaged by GOP lawmakers’ demagoguery on the issue, and that the vast majority of Latinos simply will not vote for a candidate who advocates mass deportation instead of comprehensive immigration reform…Politicians of both parties also need to approach the issue responsibly during their election campaigns. Heated rhetoric coupled with unrealistic policy solutions like mass deportation will turn off both the crucial Latino voting bloc and other swing voters, who are tired of Washington policymakers talking tough, but delivering little.

But life isn’t hunky dory for Democrats either. Moving forward, the report tells us that while Hispanics have been tending towards the Democrats for years, taking the Latino vote for granted would be a huge fallacy on the part of Democrat candidates. The recent victory of GOP candidate Scott Brown over Democrat Martha Coakley in Massachusetts was attributed to the fact that Coakley failed to reach out to the Latino vote base, and works as a good warning to Democrats who must show leadership and work towards ensuring that their campaign promises be kept in order to keep the support of the powerful Hispanic voter base. Moreover, the Latino-swing constituency, comprising of foreign born, naturalized U.S. citizens of Latino descent who represent about 40% of the Latino population, tend to be favorable to some of the Republican ideals such as the emphasis on “family values.”

On the day of it’s release, Janet Murguia, President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza, wrote an article in the Huffington Post in which she prescribed that this report should be bedside reading for any politician in America today. And looking at the activities within a segment of the Republican party in the past few weeks, it looks like many have taken her advice quite seriously. Tea Party extremism aside, a number of Republican candidates in states such as California and Texas, seem to have adopted a more favorable attitude towards immigration reform in order to gain the support of the large Hispanic voter bases. In Texas, George P. Bush, an attorney of Mexican descent and son of Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush has founded a political action committee, The Hispanic Republicans of Texas, aimed to promote Hispanics running for office. A number of Republican party strategists are researching social and economic issues that affect the Latino community. And in order to bridge the gap between the Hispanic community and Republican ideals, the Christian group, The Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles, plans to spend $500,000 on helping pro-immigration Republican candidates and promote conservative values in the Latino community.

Running a focus group that is researching economic and social issues that face the Latino community, Former Republican National Committee Chairman, Ed Gillespie wants to reach out to Hispanic voters on issues that are important to them. Gillespie blames the loss of Latino support on past “Republican rhetoric,” and says that the key lies in changing the “tone and body language” when addressing the issue of immigration.

We have to make clear to Latino voters that we care as much about welcoming legal immigrants into our country as we do about keeping illegal ones out.

Actions speak louder than words. So while the new GOP language on immigration is evident when Sarah Palin said on Fox News that conservatives needed to be “welcoming and inviting to immigrants” and recognize that “immigrants built this great country,” a lot more than that is necessary before the tides turn. When Republicans stop blocking all immigration reform bills introduced in the Senate and the House, then we will talk.

Photo courtesy of immigration.change.org

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A Conversation with Cambridge City Councilor Leland Cheung

curtis — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 18:47:09 +0000

APA for Progress Boston is proud to host a conversation with Cambridge City Councilor Leland Cheung. We'll talk with Leland about his political campaign, his early experiences as a city councilor, and political activism in the Greater Boston Asian community.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

7:30pm - 8:30pm

Boylston Hall, Harvard Yard

On Mass Ave, across the street from Qdoba (1280 Mass Ave)

From Sampan Newspaper: "Cheung was elected this past November as the city’s first Asian American to serve in its legislative body. In a crowded field of 21 candidates, the 31-year-old Cheung scored an impressive victory and unseated an incumbent from the nine-member panel. "Cheung’s election was not only a racial breakthrough, but also an encouraging sign for bridging the gap between the city’s transient student population and its longtime residents. Between working on a management degree at MIT and a policy degree at Harvard, he is the first student to successfully win the two-year post on the council. "Cheung’s campaign effectively used a combination of online social networking and door-to-door messaging to galvanize students, the Asian community (which makes up roughly 12 per cent of the city’s 100,000 population without counting students), and residents who resonated with his campaign themes of greening the city, job creation, and connecting students to the community."

To RSVP on facebook, go to: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=317149992325&ref=ts