Council of Asian Pacific Americans (CAPA)

Jun. 6: NaFFAA Urges Support For Family Amendments to Senate Immigration Reform Bill

NaFFAA Urges Support For Family Amendments To Senate Immigration Reform Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 6, 2007 Contact: Jon Melegrito, Tel. 202-361.0296               Marites Cardenas Branigin, Tel. 703-715-8879             With the U.S. Senate poised to vote on a compromise immigration reform bill (S.1348) next week, the National Federation of Filipino American Associations has joined other civil rights organizations in calling for improvements to the measure as a condition for supporting it.             "While we welcome the move to provide undocumented immigrants a path to legalization, we are deeply troubled by drastic changes to this proposed legislation that would do away with family-based visa preferences," says NaFFAA National Chair Alma Kern. "The American people want Congress and the White House to affirm our nation's commitment to strong family values by fixing a broken system that has separated family members for as long as 23 years."             Noting that these separations have impeded the full integration of immigrants in U.S. society, Kern adds that America has benefited immensely from the time-honored policy of family reunification. "Unified families are more stable and will most definitely invest in building communities here in the United States. It has been demonstrated over the years that strong communities strengthen cultural diversity, which is the foundation of our country's greatness."             Among the amendments overwhelmingly approved by the Senate two weeks ago during floor debate was a bill introduced by Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI) that would fast track the immigration of eligible children of Filipino World War II veterans. "We thank Sen. Akaka for continuing to work hard on behalf of our veterans," Kern says. "We hope that the 87-7 vote for this amendment will also translate into a solid support for the Filipino Veterans Equity Act." Two companion bills - H.R. 760 and S. 57 - are currently pending in both the House and the Senate.             NaFFAA is calling on Filipino American community leaders and their members to urge their senators to support amendments that would either preserve or improve the current family visa system and put families first. The Menendez-Hagel Amendment would change the "cut-off" date for legal immigrant applicants from May 1, 2005 to January 1, 2007, the same "cut-off date" set for the legalization of undocumented immigrants; the Clinton-Hagel-Menendez Amendment will re-categorize spouses and children of legal permanent residents as "immediate relatives," thereby eliminating the cap on the number of visas available to these family members; the Dodd-Menendez Amendment would increase the annual cap of green cards from 40,000 to 90,000 for parents; and the Obama-Menendez Amendment would "sunset" or repeal the point system after five years of implementation. The Senate bill proposes a merit-based point system to replace the current systems of family-based and employment-based immigration.             Kern is encouraging the Filipino American community this week to call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. "You will be directly connected to your senators' offices. Urge both your senators to support the amendments described above.  This is very critical to our community."

Social Service Provider position with MQVNDC

Social Service Provider with MQVN CDC
MQVNDC is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, strengthening, and developing affordable housing, economic development and education in order to enhance the quality of life for Vietnamese Americans residents of New Orleans East and beyond.

Job Description 

Many public and private agencies are unable to provide linguistically and culturally appropriate help for community members.  This is a particularly vulnerable population, as most Vietnamese adults are first-generation refugees and immigrants who speak limited English and have minimal transferable job skills.  There is also a lack of public transportation in the area with appropriate language access.  This is especially discouraging for elders in the community who need access to hospitals or government agencies that are located miles away.

The Social Services Provider will assist Vietnamese Americans in Viet Village (Versailles) who speak little or no English in social services. Services include but are not limited to translating applications/documents, assisting in resolving FEMA-related issues, making phone calls to electric or water companies on the individual's behalf, and assisting in applying for Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security benefits, or Road Home applications.  Also, the Social Services Provider will work with MQVN CDC to help organize recreational activities for the elderly.   

The Social Services Provider will report to MQVN CDC's Executive Director.

Qualifications

• Fluency in Vietnamese and English

• Good organizational, communication and interpersonal skills
• Knowledge and experience working in and involving diverse communities
• Ability to communicate the organization's mission and vision
• Work with other staff at MQVN CDC to coordinate efforts and ensure open lines of communication
• Remain updated with Katrina-related information released by the city or state

Application Procedure

Position will be open until filled.

Interested parties should forward a resume and cover letter to Susan Do.  Materials can be sent via email to: susando@mqvncdc.org or delivered in person to 4626 Alcee Fortier Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70129.  If you have questions, please call Susan Do at 504-255-9170.

Asian/Pacific Islander Youth Promoting Advocacy and Leadership (AYPAL) site coordinator position for Filipinos for Affirmative Action

AYPAL Site Coordinator for Filipinos for Affirmative Action
Deadline: June 21, 2007
STARTING DATE: ASAP or July 1, 2007
HOURS: 100% FTE
Project Overview: Asian/Pacific Islander Youth Promoting Advocacy and Leadership (AYPAL) is a collaborative project of six agencies serving API youth in six ethnic and neighborhood based sites that promotes youth leadership and activism on social justice issues.
TO APPLY: Send resume with cover letter to Filipinos for Affirmative Action, 310 8th St., Ste. 306, Oakland, CA 94607, or via email to: Lgaledo@filipinos4action.org

Duties and Responsibilities:
* Act as advisor and supervisor to a Leadership Team of 6 high school interns.
* Work with Leadership Team to recruit 30-50 youth to form a community based after school Youth Leadership Organization (YLO).
* Act as advisor and ensure positive group dynamics for the YLO that meets at least once per week.
* Help train interns and YLO members leadership skills, community organizing and political analysis.
* Work with the YLO, the Leadership Team, the Project Director, the Executive Director to select, and other site coordinators to plan and implement one youth-led community campaign per year.
* Work with the Leadership Teams of other YLOs to explore collaborative opportunities on community campaigns and possible arts projects.
* Supervise 1 or 2 hourly staff who are mentors to the youth
* Document, evaluate and keep accurate participation and progress records for individual members of the YLO.
* Be available at youth center for drop-in youth support
* Work collaboratively with other site coordinators, including development and implementation of popular education curricula, leadership training plans
* Support FAA's mission as directed by FAA's executive director
Qualifications:
* Minimum one year experience with API youth development and/or youth organizing and knowledge of their issues
* Demonstrated involvement with API community in Oakland and understanding of community organizing principles
* Demonstrated supervisory and leadership experience, and administrative and reporting skills
* Commitment to the empowerment of historically underrepresented constituents, including young people, people of color, poor people, immigrants and refugees, women and LGBT communities
* Good oral and written communications skills with youth and adults
* Bilingual and bicultural a plus, but not required
* Must have valid California driver's license, $100,000/$300,000 insurance coverage and access to a car
* Able to work flexible hours (some Saturdays and evenings)

"Why Asian Pacific Americans are important to Michigan and the US?"

H. Sook Wilkinson, Ph.D
Chairperson 
Governor’s Advisory Council on Asian Pacific American Affairs
Keynote Address
Fifth Annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration at the Capitol

May 15, 2007
East Steps of the State Capitol
Lansing, Michigan

Why Asian Pacific Americans are important to Michigan and the US?

          I’m standing here today as a proud Korean American and as an Asian American.

          I truly consider this an honor to be among all of you this morning.  As I look out over our audience, I see we have a diverse array of people from all walks of life and personal histories who have joined us on this very special occasion.

          I see my colleagues from the Governor’s Advisory Council on Asian Pacific American Affairs and the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.  I also see some of our state’s and community’s most esteemed political leaders, social, cultural and academic leaders. I also see our next generation of leaders and everyday citizens

who have come to share this special moment for the Asian Pacific American community. I thank you all for attending today.

          I want to extend a special Thank You to the Hon. State Rep. Hoon-Yung Hopgood.  Rep. Hopgood is the Chairman of the important House Transportation Committee.  He is also considered one of the most effective and innovative leaders on educational issues in the state.  He has been an outstanding leader in ensuring that issues pertinent to our communities receive the attention they deserve. As soon as he won the election in 2002, he started this celebration at the Capitol.  That was 5 years ago.  As you can see, this celebration has grown in size and scope.   Thank you so very much Representative Hopgood for your leadership.

          Also, I want to thank to you, Rep. Hopgood, and the planning committee members for asking me to address this event today. This  is an incredible honor. I also would like to acknowledge and thank all the political leaders from the House and the Senate who are co-hosts for this event.  To have over 40 senators and representatives co-host this event is historic.  My heartfelt thanks to all of you.

          Like so many of you here today, I came to America as a young person, looking to stat a new life in a new country.  My story may not be all that different from many of you.

          As a new college graduate in Korea, idealistic with many ideas as to how the world should be, I decided to come to the U.S.  Of course, it wasn’t that easy to find the right opportunity.  Through the Peace Corps, started by Pres. Kennedy, I was offered a position as a teacher of Korean language to the Peace Corps trainees who were getting ready to go to Korea to serve as Peace Corps volunteers. When I came to the US, I had $100 in my pocket, and a promise of a job for 3 months.  Not a very promising start by any measure.  But I was just happy that I had the opportunity.  I had no fear or worries about the future.  That’s the beauty about being young and naïve.  I’ve never regretted that decision and I’m very thankful for all the opportunities I’ve had.

          I’ll tell you a little story about how naïve I was.  On my very first day in America in 1970, I vividly remember landing at the LA airport all by myself with two huge pieces of luggage that we called Immigrant grow bags.  I didn’t know how to navigate the airport to go from one terminal to another.  I finally found a porter who could help me.  I had heard something about a tipping system in the US.  In Korea, we don’t have a tipping system.  Out of my $100, I was trying to figure out how much would be the right amount to tip.  In my head, I was converting Korean money to US dollars to make sure that it was a fair amount.  Finally I arrived at a figure of 25 cents, a quarter.  I was so proud of myself for figuring it out.  I thanked the porter and put a quarter in his hand.  He looked at it, looked at me, and without a word, gave me the quarter back.  I thought it was so incredible.  How did he know that I really needed that money more than he did!  I thanked him profusely.

          Fast forward this story to now, 37 years later.  I had never imagined that I’d be standing in front of you, on the steps of the State Capitol, at an event such as this, delivering a keynote address. I know I owe this incredible honor to many people.

          We are grateful to all of our community leaders who’ve worked diligently over the years to illuminate the growing influence and the needs of the APA community.  However, it is the everyday citizens of our state, who go to school, or work, or stay home and raise our children – to whom this day – and this month - is really dedicated.

          Because it is from there where leadership emerges; it is there from which our community gathers its strength.  I owe this day to all of our mothers, fathers and relatives who came to this country to pursue a better life for their children.  Or for some of us; even the parents who stayed behind in the lands of our birth, but sacrificed everything to ensure that we could receive the education needed to leave our homes and travel thousands of miles to this place called “America,” and create a new life for ourselves.  The success of the APA community is something we all should take great pride in. It is a reflection not only of the fortitude of our community and our traditional commitment to our children’s success, but most importantly, it honors our parents and all of those who have sacrificed so much so that we might succeed.  I wish my parents were here to hear me say this.

         Still it is never immodest or vain to take a moment to reflect on some of the accomplishments and contributions our community has made to America and to this beautiful state of Michigan as we continue to grow in population and influence.

          Indeed, we take pride in the fact that the State of Michigan now has more than 208,000 Asian Pacific American residents among its population.  This represents more than 30 countries and major religions of the world including Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism, to name a few.

          Nationwide (according to the latest U.S. Census reports) there are roughly 14.4 million people in this country who claim to be of Asian heritage.  Between 2004 and 2005, we recorded the second highest rate of growth, right behind the Hispanics. The 3% growth over that period added 421,000 more people to the APA population.

          By the year 2050 the U.S. Census projects that 33.4 million U.S. residents will identify themselves as single-race Asians. We would comprise 8 percent of the total population.   That turns out to be a 213% increase between 2000 and 2050.  What’s the projected rate of growth in the general population for that period? 49 %. 

          So, what does this mean in terms of US economy and businesses?  Here’re some statistics.

          It’s compelling to note that there were over 1.1 million businesses owned by Asian-Americans in 2002.  That’s an increase of 24 percent from 1997, just over 5 years.  This data is based on the Survey of the Business Owners of the Economic Census.  The rate of increase in the number of Asian-owned businesses was about twice that of the national average for all businesses.   These businesses together had an annual payroll of $291 billion and generated more than $326 billion in business revenues.

          What type of business are they in?

          Again from the Economic Census of 2002, about one in three Asian-owned firms operated in professional, scientific and technical services, as well as Other categories such as personal services, dry cleaning business, and repair and maintenance of equipment and machinery.   Another third engaged in retail trade, healthcare and social services, and accommodation and food industry businesses. It’s interesting to take a moment here and see how Michigan compares to the overall US data. 

          In Michigan, out of 15,337 Asian-owned businesses, the largest number of them were in healthcare & social services (21%), next in Other category of dry cleaning, personal services, repair and maintenace (17%), and next in professional, scientific and technical services (15%).  That accounts for more than half of the total number of businesses.  The next categories of business were accommodation and food industry (10%), then, retail trade (10%) and real estate industry (6%).  Michigan ranks 13th in the country in APA population and 14th in Asian owned businesses.

          So what does this all mean for Michigan and the US?

          It means with our nation’s rapidly growing ethnic population, the Asian Pacific Americans will be playing a linchpin role in our nation’s economic future. Right now, minorities – that means, Asian, Hispanic, and African Americans currently comprise less than a third, about 28%, of the U.S. population. By 2050, they are expected to increase to nearly 50%.  And that current data and demographic projections show the growing size of the minority population, and reflects its increasing impact in the marketplace.

          Nationwide, Asian, Hispanic, and African Americans collectively already control 18 percent of the nation’s disposable income. And the combined buying power of these three groups expanded from $629 billion in 1990 to $1.3 trillion in 2000.

          By the year 2045, total minority purchasing power is expected to reach $4.3 trillion - accounting for 32% of overall purchasing power in the U.S.  Savvy business leaders have already begun to network and invest in this burgeoning market.

          With all that said, what contribution can we, you and I, make in this fast changing society as an everyday citizen?

          These businesses need people to make things work at all different levels.  They need us.  We must be prepared to learn to work productively and creatively with individuals from a multitude of races and ethnic, religious, and cultural histories. Only in appreciating THAT fundamental fact will we be able to maintain America's global competitiveness in the increasingly diverse and interconnected world economy.

          But equally if not more importantly, learning to appreciate and respect each other’s differences and cultures will also lead to better race and ethnic relations in our state and nation.  So it is not merely in the best interest of our economy that we learn to work cooperatively with one another. Our social contract as Americans in one of the most diverse nations on this planet requires it of us.

          It is not just a moral or economic imperative. Our very survival as a properly functioning and stable country depends upon it. And we - as citizens and leaders in our communities - have a special responsibility to our state and nation to help it grow and accept these changing realities in a positive way.

          Your presence here today and continued work with all the various councils and organizations in the Asian Pacific American community, is a demonstration of your commitment to the positive growth of our state and nation.

Thank you very much.

THE VINCENT CHIN CASE REMEMBERED 25 YEARS LATER

Do you remember the details of the Vincent Chin case, the watershed Asian American civil rights case from 25 years ago? And what were the lessons learned from that important case? This article is to fill you in on the details and those lessons.

The Facts

On June 19, 1982, Vincent Chin, a 27 year old Chinese American was with three of his buddies for a bachelor party at the Fancy Pants Bar in Highland Park a few days before his upcoming wedding. By the end of the evening, Vincent Chin had been beaten by two white auto workers with a baseball bat and Chin was clinging to life, only to die four days later.

Vincent got into an altercation with Ronald Ebens and his stepson Michael Nitz. Vincent and his friends, and Ebens and Nitz were told to leave the bar. Ebens got a baseball bat from the trunk of his car, and Vincent and his friend Jimmy Choi ran away. Ebens and Nitz drove around for 30 minutes looking for Vincent. Ebens and Nitz caught up to Vincent Chin on Woodward Avenue outside a nearby McDonald’s. While Nitz held Vincent, Ebens beat him with several swings of the baseball bat. Vincent Chin died on June 23, 1982after he was taken off life support.

In a State criminal proceeding Ebens and Nitz were charged with second degree murder, but later plead guilty and no contest respectively to manslaughter in a plea bargain. Without any prosecuting attorney present at sentencing, Wayne County Circuit Judge Charles Kaufman heard only from defense attorneys and sentenced the men to only three years probation and a $3,000 fine.

The Chinese American community and soon the whole Asian American community were outraged at the lenient sentence. On Leong President and honorary mayor of Chinatown Kin Yee called then OCA-Detroit Chapter president Roland Hwang for a meeting to talk about the sentence. Combining the efforts of two groups would be a stronger force for the case. Hence, at that meeting at On Leong Hall, American Citizens for Justice, a newly formed Asian American civil rights group was born with a name to show broad support for justice for Vincent. Kin Yee, Marisa Chuang Ming, Helen Zia, and Roland Hwang were the first officers.

Attorney Liza Chan filed a motion to reopen the sentence, claiming misrepresentations were made during sentencing in front of Judge Kaufman. Appeals to reopen the sentencing in the State appellate courts were not successful. Later on, after investigation by American Citizens for Justice, and journalists, it was learned Racine Colwell one of the dancers in the bar overheard Ebens say “Nip”, “Chink”, and “because of you mother fuc---s, we’re out of work.”

Research revealed that the most viable option for justice for Vincent Chin was the pursuit of federal civil rights charges against Ebens and Nitz. Lily Chin, the mother of Vincent met with the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights William Bradford Reynolds, the FBI agreed to investigate the case, and a federal criminal trial proceeded. The federal trial before U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor resulted in a guilty verdict against Ronald Ebens and a 20-year sentence. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the verdict citing trial errors. Later, a change of venue motion was granted, and the case was moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. At a second trial in Cincinnati, Ohio, a jury found Ronald Ebens not guilty of a civil rights violation in the killing of Vincent Chin.

Lessons Learned

Those lessons are summarized below:

1.   Identifying and interviewing all of the witnesses is crucial.

We cannot assume that law enforcement will always identify all of the facts and the motivations for an assault. Here, police investigation was lacking. The detective did not interview the dancers at the Fancy Pants where such interviews would have revealed the motivations of Ebens and Nitz, what was said, and what occurred about a half an hour before the beating.

2.  Coalition building is important.

After the sentence of probation, American Citizens for Justice and the APA community could not get a meeting with the then-county prosecutor William Cahalan. It took the intervention of New Detroit, the urban coalition that arose from the 1967 Detroit Riot, and the Detroit Organization of Black Organizations, for a meeting to occur with the prosecutor.

The importance of coalitions cannot be overemphasized. Moving ahead twenty years after the beating death of Vincent Chin, representatives of New Detroit, the Detroit Branch of the NAACP, the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee Michigan branch, and the Anti-Defamation League, all participated in the 20^th Year Remembrance in Detroit.

3.  Pressure brings results.

Federal involvement is most often discretionary. Usually cases are left for local prosecution. The application of local hate crime tack on statutes (in Michigan, it is 2 years additional or $5,000 fine) is discretionary with the local prosecutor. Without community pressure, a local prosecutor may not apply the hate crime provision. Federal interest in a particular case or a set of facts likely will not arise without community pressure and media attention on a case, pointing out the egregiousness of the case facts, or the unfairness of the sentencing result without Federal involvement.

4. Sentencing is a crucial part of the case.

The county prosecutor’s office did not treat the sentencing hearing as a very important part of the justice process. The cases were treated as complete after the plea bargain. Assistant prosecutors at the time of the Vincent Chin case routinely did not appear at sentencing. Since the Chin case, the county assistant prosecutors have more often appeared at the sentencing phase.

5. The media has an important role.

ACJ was very fortunate to have journalist Helen Zia, then a writer for the Detroit Free Press and Metropolitan Detroit, and later managing editor of Ms. Magazine, as its first secretary and later president. It was Helen who was able to gain the attention of the news desks of the media in Detroit and later the attention of a writer for the New York Times.

Without the scrutiny of the media, it is quite possible the later investigations in the case, the involvement of the FBI, and the Department of Justice decision to proceed with a civil rights trial involving an Asian American victim, all might not have occurred.

6. The victim’s loss must be a matter of record.

At the time of the Vincent Chin case, the impact of the victim’s death was not a matter of record. The Chin case became a cornerstone for the state statute that gives representatives of the victim’s family an opportunity to make a statement about the impact of the loss on the victim’s family at sentencing.

7. Changing venue changes results.

We now know after the Rodney King case how a change of venue (in that case to suburban Simi Valley from Los Angeles) can vastly affect the results of a case after a jury trial. The same held true in the Vincent Chin case when the second federal trial of Ronald Ebens in Cincinnati, rather than in Detroit, resulted in a not guilty verdict, rather than guilty.

8.  The activists can wear different hats.

Many of the activist volunteers in the Vincent Chin case went on to wear different hats so their advocacy could take place in different forums. The Asian American Bar Association of Michigan came into being during the Vincent Chin case. Many of the same volunteer attorneys were involved in ACJ and the founding of the Asian American Bar. Attorney Harold Leon, who appeared in the movie “Who Killed Vincent Chin?” went on to become the first president of the Asian American Bar Association of Michigan in 1985.

9. The case leaves a lasting legacy.

The legacy of the Vincent Chin case lives on today. What must we as leaders and activists remember?

Organize. To be ready to fight harassment and hate violence, the APA community wherever it may be must be organized. That is the matter of importance for OCA ¡V to have chapters in every state and every metropolitan area where sufficient numbers of Asian American reside.

Coalition build. Wherever there is an opportunity to identify and work on civil rights issues and to develop a common agenda, whether it is harassment, hate violence, or immigration reform, OCA and its chapters should explore working with other civil rights organizations, both locally and nationally.

Contact the Media. Never be afraid to contact the media with your story of harassment, discrimination or hate violence. If the case goes unreported, it will have an unsatisfactory result. Each chapter should identify its media point persons hopefully ahead of time, and identify media outlets that are willing to run those stories.

One hopes that the lessons of the Vincent Chin case will be remembered anytime an incident of intolerance, ethnic or racial discrimination, or hate violence occurs and comes to the attention of the OCA, or any OCA chapter.

Roland Hwang is a past president of the OCA-Detroit (1983). He most recently served as vice president of the chapter (2005-06). He served as the first Treasurer (1983), and later as President of American Citizens for Justice (1992-94). He serves as an attorney for the State of Michigan. He was appointed a hearing referee for the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, and was a past member and chair of the Michigan Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. He can be reached at hwangr@aol.com 

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The views expressed in the editorials are solely of the individual author and are not necessarily those of the Council of Asian Pacific Americans or its members.
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