NCAPA Weekly Roundup | April 18-25, 2016 - National Council of Asian Pacific Americans

APAHM CALENDAR: Download the PDF of the updated calendar here.

NCAPA Weekly Roundup | April 18-25, 2016

News and Updates

APAICS announces gala keynote: APAICS announced that President Obama will be the keynote speaker for the 22nd Annual APAICS Gala Awards Dinner on May 4 to share his legacy with the AAPI community. The gala honors individuals and corporations that empower AAPIs. This year’s honorees are Congressman Xavier Becerra — Lifetime Achievement Award; Aziz Ansari & Alan Yang — Vision Award; and Toyota — Corporate Achievement Award. Tickets must be purchased by Friday, April 29.

APALA Condemns the Sentencing of Former NYPD Officer Peter Liang in the Killing of Akai Gurley: APALA responded to the sentencing of Peter Liang with the message that Liang should have served jail time for the shooting of Akai Gurley. Liang’s sentence was reduced from a 15-year prison sentence to five years of probation and 800 hours of community service.

DAPA Gets Its Day in Court: AAJC’s Litigation Senior Staff Attorney Eugene Chay was in the Supreme Court during the oral arguments of United States v. Texas. Here are his takeaways.

NAKASEC kicks off AAPI video tour: NAKASEC launched their video tour in D.C. on the day of the Supreme Court’s oral arguments for United States v. Texas. The video tour features a pair of documentaries that focus on youth and their immigrant stories. The videos will be shown in at least 10 cities.

Sureshbhai Patel case update - Alabama police chief found in contempt of court: SAALT gave an update about the Sureshbhai Patel case, the Indian grandfather who was left partially paralyzed after a police officer used unreasonable force against Patel. Alabama Police Chief Larry Muncey has been placed on administrative leave after a federal judge found him in contempt of court on April 15.

NAKASEC Co-Sponsors Adoptee Citizenship Act Day of Action: With community members across the country, NAKASEC co-sponsored a day of action to advocate for a bill that would grant intercountry adoptees citizenship and the opportunity for those wrongly deported to come back to the U.S.

Republican Obstruction of Courts Could Be the Worst Record Since the 1800s: Read our director Chris Kang’s Huffington Post blog about the lack of circuit court judicial confirmations due to Senate Republican obstruction. The blog also ran in American Constitution Society.

NCAPA in the News

Immigration news:

Ahead of Immigration Ruling and Election, Citizenship Finds Increased Importance: NBC Asian America told the story of a family from the Philippines with mixed immigration statuses and their journey applying for citizenship. Chris Kang is quoted talking about how a sizable percentage of the undocumented population comes from Asian countries.

Fil-Ams join Supreme Court rally for Obama's immigration actions: INQUIRER.net ran a piece on Filipino American representation at last Monday’s Supreme Court rally to urge the court to move forward with the President’s immigration actions. NCAPA, OCA and AAJC are represented in the article, and even more NCAPA groups attended the rally.

Sinovision reports on DACA/DAPA rally: Chris Kang was interviewed by Sinovision about the importance and urgency of the President’s immigration actions for Asian Americans. The segment is in Chinese, but Chris is interviewed at the 1:20 mark.

Other news:

Doctors' message to Asian Americans: Watch out for diabetes even if you're young and thin: NCAPIP’s Screen at 23 campaign is mentioned in an LA Times article about the high diabetes rates of Asian Americans.

Take Action!

Sign the MPower Change Petition: Tell Southwest Airlines: End Discrimination Against Arab and Muslim Passengers

Share #MyAAPIStory: WHIAAPI is working with StoryCorps to share diverse stories from AAPIs. Find out how you can share yours here.

Sign the petition: Tell North Carolina Legislators: Repeal Anti-Trans Law!

Show your support for Filipino World War II veterans: Support the letter as an individual here.

Support State Data Disaggregation Campaigns: There are several states considering data disaggregation in their legislatures including California, Rhode Island, and Minnesota. Washington state just signed a bill into law on March 30. Please like and promote these Facebook campaigns to support these state initiatives:

MN Campaign Page on FB:https://www.facebook.com/All-Students-Count-MN-1058565654199762/
CA Campaign Page on FB:https://www.facebook.com/allCAcounts/
WA Campaign Page on FB:https://www.facebook.com/allstudentscount/?fref=ts
Also sign theAB 1726 petition to ensure AAPI communities are counted.

Share your family reunification story with NCAPA’s immigration committee to help immigrant families by advocating for the Reuniting Families Act.

In Case You Missed It

Smithsonian APA to host cultural lab on intersectionality: The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center revealed their Asian Pacific American Heritage Month theme as #CrossLines, a way to acknowledge intersectional identities. They will hold a culture lab May 28 and 29. RSVP here.

Hollywood's best Asian roles still go to white people:Vox released a video that shows the persistent whitewashing of Hollywood, as Asian roles continue to go to non-Asian Americans.

Announcements

Voter information from APIAVote: Maryland, Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania primaries are coming up tomorrow! Check out theAPIAVote websiteto find out where to vote, what’s on your ballot and more.

Friend of APPEAL to be guest on “The Doctors” this Wednesday: Rico Foz, a longtime friend of NCAPA member APPEAL, will be featured on the daytime talk show “The Doctors” on Wednesday, April 27. Rico is a cancer survivor and tobacco control advocate. Check your local listings to find out when the show airs.

NAKASEC announces summer youth empowerment program: The Summer Youth Empowerment Program (SYEP) is a six-week experience for local high school students in Northern Virginia who are interested in Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) issues and are ready to make a social impact. It runs from July 5 to Aug. 11. Encourage high school students you know toapply here.

Sell or buy APAICS raffle tickets: APAICS is offering a Southwest Airlines voucher to staff of any NCAPA member organization (individual must be on payroll) who sells $500 worth of raffle tickets. Raffle tickets are $25 or 5 for $100. The grand prize includes 2016 Toyota Prius Touring Three, sets of Southwest vouchers and Dell laptop. The drawing will be held on the night of the gala, Wednesday, May 4 and winner need not be present. Please call 202-296-9200 and speak with Hannah or Helen if you would like to sell raffle tickets or purchase.

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 an appointment positions for various levels, roles and background experience for agencies. Please help us to identify ideal appointment candidates who are AAPI. Once candidates complete the online application athttps://apply.whitehouse.gov/, they should fill out this form, which will go to NCAPA and APAICS:http://goo.gl/forms/8Lnjv3G4oB

Laos in the House debuts new website: Laos in the House, which is dedicated to storytelling and preserving the cultural history of Lao Americans, launched a new website and is photo stories. Share and learn more.

NCAPA Events

Thursday, April 28 @ 6:00-9:00 p.m.:NAPAWF 20th Anniversary Gala at the AFL-CIO in D.C.

APAHM

Finalized APAHM events can be found on the NCAPA website:http://bit.ly/NCAPA-APAHM16

Download the PDF of events here.

Other Events

Tuesday, April 26 @ 6:00 p.m.:CAPALtalk - Engaging AAPIs in the 2016 Elections and Beyond at AARP. NCAPA Director Christopher Kang and APIAVote Executive Director Christine Chen to speak.
Thursday, April 28 @ 12:30 - 2:00 p.m.: #JusticeReformNow: Celebrities for Justice & Voices of Impacted People in Senate Russell Room 325
Friday, April 29 @ 11:00 a.m.: Democratic Forum - “Achieving Health Equity: The Path Forward” at U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, Room HVC-215. Please RSVP to Matt Schumacher at [email protected] or at (202) 225-5735.