NCAPA Weekly Roundup | June 27 - July 5 - National Council of Asian Pacific Americans

The latest NCAPA/AAPI news.

News and Updates

NCAPA submits testimony in Senate hearing with anti-Muslim focus: Read NCAPA National Director Chris Kang’s testimony as part of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing chaired by Senator Ted Cruz entitled “Willful Blindness:The Consequences of Agency Efforts to De-Emphasize Radical Islam in Combating Terrorism.”

Member organization APALA submitted testimony for the hearing also.
Check out a reflection piece on Senator Cruz’s hearing and Islamophobia written by new NCAPA intern Jason Fong here.

NCAPA and members submit testimony to DNC and RNC Platform Committees: NCAPA and several member organizations submitted testimonies to both the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Republican National Committee (RNC) to emphasize AAPI concerns.

Bill to improve AAPI data approved by Calif. Senate Policy Committees: The California Senate Health Committee voted to advance the Accounting for Health and Education in Asian Pacific Islander Demographics (AHEAD) Act, AB 1726. This bill would collect health and education data for smaller AAPI subgroups whose needs are often overlooked. AB 1726 is scheduled for a vote in August. Read SEARAC’s statement.

National AAPI call discusses U.S. v. Texas: NCAPA’s immigration committee, led by OCA and NAKASEC, held a call last week on the implications of the Supreme Court’s U.S. v. Texas ruling and what it means for the AAPI community. Congresswoman Judy Chu, Jose Antonio Vargas and the National Immigration Law Center spoke on the call.

NCAPA brown bag series highlights members’ work: The first topic of this summer’s NCAPA brown bag series for interns was health centers and their importance to AAPIs. Next Monday’s brown bag will cover protecting the voting rights of AAPIs and restoring the Voting Rights Act. Click here to RSVP.

NCAPA in the News

NQAPIA’s Glenn Magpantay wrote an op-ed in The Hill expressing disappointment after the U.S. v. Texas ruling and sent a message to Congress urging them to give the President’s Supreme Court nominee a fair hearing.

APALA’s Gregory Cendana and Pride at Work’s Jerame Davis wrote a joint op-ed in LGBTQ Nation about how AAPI and LGBTQ communities are impacted by mass incarceration, and why we must have national conversations about intersectionality.

The Atlantic’s Alia Wong wrote about the differing views of Asian Americans in the affirmative action debate. Mee Moua, president & executive director of AAJC, is quoted in the article and says that the faction of Asian Americans opposing affirmative action is misguided.

Take Action!

New

Help 18 Million Rising draft a letter to the Department of Justice addressing the FBI’s request for exemption from the Privacy Act here.

Ongoing

Register to vote and encourage others to register at www.apiavote.org/register
Join the open letter of AANHPI organizations in support of affirmative action: asianamericancivilrights.org
Show your support for Filipino World War II veterans: Support the letter as an individual here.
Share #MyAPALife with CAAM: Share a picture or video of your family, friends and the experiences that are important to you with the hashtag #MyAPALife, and watch the conversation unfold. View the social hub.

In Case You Missed It

NBC Asian America’s Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, after the recent anniversary of Vincent Chin’s death, speaks out about hate crimes and acts of gun violence committed against minority communities and explains how these incidents have impacted her on a personal level.

The New York Times’ Liz Robbins covered protests led by various immigrant advocacy groups, in which Asian Americans are starting to take a greater role, and fight against the “stigma to speak out” in the AAPI community. Members of the AAPI community stood in solidarity alongside Latino immigration reform organizations in criticizing the recent Supreme Court deadlock over DACA and DAPA, which had previously granted deportation relief for millions.

The Center for American Progress’ Sanam Malik wrote about the challenges and outreach needed to get more AAPIs to apply for DACA. NCAPA members NAKASEC and SAALT are among the AAPI organizations mentioned that are working to engage our communities around DACA.

Announcements

JACL Kakehashi Project application period open: The Kakehashi Project allows youth to travel to Japan with all expenses paid for about 8 days. The project allows youth to establish cross-cultural relationships with those in Japan. There are three trips to Japan yearly during the fall, winter and spring. For the fall trip, the application is due July 15, 2016. The application for the winter and spring trips is due Oct. 1, 2016. You can learn more about the Kakehashi Project here.

USCIS Filipino World War II Veterans Program applications open: Translations about the parole program are now available in Tagalog. Go to www.uscis.gov/fwvp to learn more.

Candidates needed for Appointments Project: The White House Presidential Personnel Office is continuing to develop slates for principal, assistant to principal, and functional positions. NCAPA and APAICS work with PPO in diversity outreach and are seeking individuals who are interested in agency appointment positions for various levels, roles and background experience. Please help us to identify ideal candidates for appointment who are AAPI. Once candidates complete the online application at https://apply.whitehouse.gov/, they should fill out this form, which will go to NCAPA and APAICS:http://goo.gl/forms/8Lnjv3G4oB

Events

Wednesday, July 6 @ 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. : SALDEF’s Langar on the Hill at Kennedy Caucus Room
Wednesday, July 6 @ 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.: WERQ Your Network: An Event for AAPI Interns & Leaders at National Association of Broadcasters
Thursday, July 7 @ 6:00 p.m.: CAPAL Resume Writing Workshop at AmeriCorps
Saturday, July 9 @ 1:00 p.m. ET: Kaya Leadership Program Google Hangout: Electoral Engagement
Monday, July 11 @ 12:30 - 1:30 p.m.: NCAPA Brown Bag: Protecting the Voting Rights of AAPIs. NCAPA office.
Tuesday, July 19 @ 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.: 6th Annual NAPABA Scavenger Hunt