NCAPA Weekly Roundup | May 13 - 20, 2016 - National Council of Asian Pacific Americans

News and Updates

Responses to Rep. Peter King’s use of “Jap:” Last week, Rep. Peter King used the term “Jap” while on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and then defended his use of the slur. NCAPA leaders pushed back against this slur and wrote the pieces below.

Christopher Kang: Rep. Peter King Can’t Say “Japs” and Then Complain We’re Being ‘Politically Correct’ When We’re Angry
JACL’s Priscilla Ouchida: ‘Jap’ Is Beyond Political Incorrectness — It Is Hate Speech

Civil rights rule prohibits discrimination in Affordable Care Act: The Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services finalized an Affordable Care Act (ACA) rule, Section 1557, that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability in certain health programs and activities. National origin discrimination includes discrimination based on immigrant status and English proficiency, making this important for AAPIs. Read APIAHF’s statement, AAPCHO’s and our statement.

NCAPA health committee holds webinar on Asian Americans and diabetes: NCAPA’s health committee held a webinar about NCAPIP’s Screen at 23 campaign, which raises awareness about the recommendation that Asian Americans should be screened for diabetes at a BMI of 23. The slides and webinar are available on NCAPA’s website at ncapaonline.org/health.

APIAHF Marks National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day: APIAHF marked HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and National Hepatitis Testing Day, acknowledging that AAs and NHPIs are often overlooked in outreach and education efforts.

NCAPA members participate in mental health briefing on the Hill: CAPAC and the Congressional Mental Health Caucus hosted a briefing and panel to address the stigma of mental illness in AAPI communities. NCAPA leaders DJ Ida from NAAPIMHA and Myron Quon from NAPAFASA were on the panel.

APALA celebrates young leaders during APAHM: APALA is spotlighting young leaders who have contributed to the organization and the labor movement. Follow them on Facebook or Twitter to see the features.

Korematsu reenactment honors Japanese American civil rights leader: The Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Washington DC presented “A Man of Quiet Bravery” Thursday evening, a reenactment of Korematsu v. United States. Fred Korematsu resisted military orders removing Americans of Japanese ancestry to internment camps in World War II. The cast of the reenactment included two NCAPA leaders: Mee Moua of AAJC and Neil Horikoshi of APIASF. Fred Korematsu’s daughter, Karen Korematsu, also gave remarks.

Happy Asian Pacific American Heritage Month!: Follow along NCAPA’s Medium for member spotlights throughout the month. For a full list of APAHM events, go to the NCAPA website or download the PDF.

NCAPA in the News

Politicians, Community Leaders Denounce Rep. Peter King's Use of Derogatory Term: In NBC’s coverage, Chris Kang and Priscilla Ouchida were among the AAPI leaders to express outrage about Rep. Peter King’s use of an ethnic slur.

A Conversation on Race: The New York Times ran a series of videos about race, and Kevin Nadal of AAPA talked about microaggressions he experiences as an Asian American and Filipino American.

50 Asian American Stars in Politics:An Asian Fortune list of young AAPis involved in politics and public service included NCAPA immigration co-chair Kham Moua, of OCA, and APIAVote’s Alton Wang.

'Family Is Still Family': Bilingual PSAs Bring Support, Community to LGBT Families: NQAPIA’s family acceptance campaign launched in New York this week. NBC Asian America shared their multilingual video PSA series of Asian parents talking about their love for their LGBTQ children.

Health Organizations Focus on Voter Push with 'My Health, My Vote:’ AAPCHO launched a multilingual voter engagement and registration campaign called "My Health, My Vote" this week with its member community health centers. The initiative was covered by NBC Asian America.

Squeezed By Rents, Stagnant Incomes, Communities Find Solutions: Report: Read NBC Asian America’s article on CAPACD and CNHA’s report launched week. The report surveyed AAPI and Native Hawaiian neighborhoods dealing with being displaced from their homes and businesses because of rising costs of living.

Take Action!

AAPI Solidarity Sign On to end ICE raids. Sign ons due 12pm ET by May 23.
#RedefineSecurity with NQAPIA: Join events around the country, and share how you #RedefineSecurity on social media.
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. 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 the AB 1726 petition to ensure AAPI communities are counted.

In Case You Missed It

National Park Service awards $2.8 million to Japanese Confinement Sites: The National Park Service awarded grants aimed to fund educational programs, projects and memorials to tell the story about the more than 120,000 Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during World War II.

Google celebrates Yuri Kochiyama’s birthday: Yesterday, Google celebrated Asian American activist Yuri Kochiyama’s 95th birthday with a Google Doodle.

What The Government’s Latest Asian-American Health Report Got Wrong: CDC published a report that Asian Americans are healthier than other ethnic groups, but a Huffington Post blog highlights the health disparities and problems across different Asian American subgroups.

Announcements

Advancing Justice | AAJC 2016 Youth Leadership Summit (YLS) Application: AAJC’s Youth Leadership Summit is a three-day leadership development program for high-achieving college students. The 2016 Summit, will bring 25 student leaders to Washington, D.C. for three days of advocacy trainings and leadership development workshops focused on civic engagement. Applications are due by May 24.

NAKASEC’s 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 by May 29.

Apply to be part of South Asian Americans Leading Together's 2016 – 2017 Young Leaders Institute: The 2016-2017 YLI cohort will work to elevate the narratives of immigrants impacted by the confluence of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiment and those whose interests have not always been reflected in the broader immigrant rights discussion. Participants will build relationships with campus groups and local organizations to implement a project during their academic year. Applications are due by May 31.

Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project (DVRP) community survey: DVRP is surveying the Asian/Pacific Islander community in the District on their 1) understanding of sexual assault and 2) awareness of the District’s services available for survivors. Participants must either live, work, or go to school in DC and identify as Asian or Pacific Islander. If you have 2-3 minutes to spare, please take the survey here.

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