"Arrested at 16 and tried as an adult for kidnapping and robbery, Eddy Zheng served over 20 years in California prisons and jails. Ben Wang’s BREATHIN’: THE EDDY ZHENG STORY paints an intimate portrait of Eddy—the prisoner, the immigrant, the son, the activist—on his journey to freedom, rehabilitation and redemption."

Join the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) and the Asian Prisoner Support Committee (APSC) to discuss this groundbreaking film and mark the anniversary of harmful immigration laws that eliminated second chances for people like Eddy Zheng. The 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) resulted in the rise of mass deportations that have separated millions of families.

SEARAC will release a report, “Prosecutorial Discretion in the Southeast Asian American Community,” to highlight the issue of unjust deportations. This event will be in conjunction with their annual “Leadership, Empowerment, and Advocacy Fellowship” (LEAF) Training. Panelists will talk about their personal stories and highlight the local work they are doing to support AAPI prisoner reentry. The event is hosted by the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC).

Date/Time: Wednesday, September 28, 4:30-7:00pm

Place: Rayburn House Office Building, Judiciary Hearing Room 2226

Speakers:
Rep. Juy Chu (CA-27)
Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-13)

Formerly Incarcerated Panel:
Eddy Zheng, Asian Prisoner Support Committee (APSC), Oakland, CA
Kristopher Larsen, Formerly Incarcerated Group Healing Together (FIGHT), Seattle, WA
Tung Nguyen, Santa Ana, CA

Co-sponsors:
AAPIs Beyond Bars, Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), Detention Watch Network (DWN), Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC), National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC), National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild (NIP/NLG), National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates, and South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)