NCAPA Weekly Roundup | March 21 - 28, 2016 - National Council of Asian Pacific Americans

News and Updates

NCAPA joins call for unity, against anti-Muslim hate: Following the tragic events last week, Muslim Advocates renewed their call for unity in a letter that NCAPA and 13 members joined. The letter shows solidarity with Belgium and Turkey and condemns divisive political rhetoric against American Muslims. JACL admonished proposals to patrol Muslim neighborhoods, and APALA also had a statement in response to hateful rhetoric from political leaders.

Sixth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act: Health advocates, Congressional Democrats--joined by NCAPA and member staff, and Americans celebrated the sixth anniversary of the enactment of the ACA on March 23. APIAHF’s Kathy Ko Chin wrote a Huffington Post piece about the next steps people should take after they get covered, and APIAHF also released a statement celebrating enrollment successes and looking ahead.

NCAPA urges support for California data disaggregation bill: NCAPA strongly supports the Accounting for Health and Education in API Demographics (AHEAD) Act, which would disaggregate more AAPI groups in certain health agencies and higher education in California. Learn more on SEARAC’s campaign page and in NCAPA’s statement.

Where we stand with a vacancy on the Supreme Court: AAJC’s Eugene Chay explains in Medium how an empty seat on the Supreme Court has an impact on cases that affect our communities, including immigration relief, affirmative action and equality of representation in voting.

Jasjit Singh announces transition from SALDEF: Executive Director of SALDEF Jasjit Singh is stepping down from SALDEF to join the Obama Administration as the senior policy advisor in the Center for Faith-based Neighborhood Partnerships in the U.S. Department of Justice. Jasjit served on NCAPA’s 2014-2015 executive committee and has been with SALDEF for seven years. We thank Jasjit for his work with SALDEF and NCAPA and congratulate him as he continues to be an advocate for our communities.

Hawaii State Senate passes resolution to “Screen at 23:” Hawaii became the first state to formally adopt diabetes screening guidelines for Asian Americans set by the American Diabetes Association.The state also endorsed NCAPA member NCAPIP’s Screen at 23 campaign, which raises awareness of the fact that Asian Americans should be screened for diabetes at the body mass index of 23, instead of the average 25 BMI. More than half of Asian Americans with diabetes are undiagnosed. Read more.

SEARAC mourns for Vue, Manso-Perez families: SEARAC issued a release about the murders in Wisconsin earlier this month of Phia Vu, Mai K. Vue and Jesus R. Manso-Perez.

Calling for #Justice4MrPatel: SAALT and 18millionrising held a Google Hangout with updates about the case of Subreshbhai Patel. Patel is a grandfather from India who, while visiting his son in Alabama, was left partially paralyzed after a police officer slammed him to the ground. Mr. Patel’s son, Chirag, gave an update on his father’s condition, and leaders from community groups talked about ways people can help Mr. Patel and gave additional perspectives on police brutality. If you missed it, watch the broadcast here.

APALA president writes on understanding the wealth gap: APALA President Johanna Puno Hester wrote a piece outlining ways the model minority myth harms AAPIs in relation to the wealth gap.

NCAPA in the News

What the Constitution says about SCOTUS noms: NCAPA’s Christopher Kang joined MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell and Ari Melber to discuss the expectations the U.S. Constitution places on the Senate when considering a Supreme Court nomination. Watch here.

Asian-American Organizations Join Call for Unity Following Attacks in Belgium, Turkey: NBC Asian America reports on how AAPI organizations including NCAPA responded to the recent tragedies.

Hundreds rally as Supreme Court weighs Obamacare contraceptive mandate: NAPAWF’s Nimra Chowdhry was interviewed by Cronkite News about access to birth control. Last week, the Supreme Court heard a challenge to the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that group health plans provide contraceptive coverage to women at no cost.

Take Action!

Sign the AB 1726 petition to ensure AAPI communities are counted. (Deadline: April 4)
Sign the NQAPIA petition to tell the Department of Homeland Security to stop profiling.
Sign the AAJC petition to tell the Senate Judiciary Committee to stop the obstruction of President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee.
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

Mainstream media ignores AAPIs, again: Following this weekend’s caucuses, Karthick Ramakrishnan wrote a blog about how the media didn’t report on AAPI voters, despite the fact that in Hawaii, AAPIs account for two thirds of the electorate.

NBC Asian America to debut new video channel: NBC Asian America will soon release documentaries featuring AAPI voices and stories. Look out for “Self-Starters” to premiere tomorrow, Tuesday, March 29, with new episodes posted every Tuesday.

Announcements

Student awards available for research that contributes to Asian American psychology: NCAPA member the Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA) has a grant and scholarship available. The grant is for a doctoral student doing research that contributes to Asian American psychology, and the scholarship is for an undergraduate or graduate student proposing a research project focusing on the mental health of Asian American college students. (Deadline: April 1)

3rd Annual Art as a Voice call for submissions: The Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project (DVRP) is looking for poetry, music, visual art, craft or objects from one’s own cultural identity as part of their annual Art as a Voice event to speak out against abuse. Contact Marie Ramos at [email protected] by April 14. The event will take place April 2 in D.C., and they are also looking for volunteers.

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 at https://apply.whitehouse.gov/, they should fill out this form, which will go to NCAPA and APAICS: http://goo.gl/forms/8Lnjv3G4oB

NCAPA Events

Wednesday, March 30 - Thursday, March 31: Advancing Justice Convention in Los Angeles
Saturday, April 2 @ 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: 18th Annual Cherry Blossom Freedom Walk in D.C.
Saturday, April 9 @ 6:30-11:00 p.m.: NQAPIA Community Catalyst Awards in D.C.
Tuesday, April 12: Rally in support of AB 1726 in Sacramento. More details to come.

Other Events

Monday, March 28 @ 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.: American University Asian American Student Union Professional Speed Dating Event
Tuesday, March 29 @ 12:30 - 2:00 p.m.: Facts vs. Myths: The Truth About Federal Criminal Justice Reform at U.S. House Visitor Center, Room 201. For more information and to RSVP, please contact Zack Brown at [email protected].
Wednesday, March 30 @ 12:00 - 1:15 p.m. ET: Harnessing the Talent of DACA and Unauthorized Students at the K-12 Level. At CAP in D.C. or Livestream.
Monday, April 18: DACA/DAPA Rally at SCOTUS. More details to come.