NCAPA Weekly Roundup | May 6 - 13, 2016 - National Council of Asian Pacific Americans

News and Updates

Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program announced: The White House and Department of Homeland Security announced its Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program, which will reunite these aging veterans with their family members who are stuck in the visa backlogs. Read the NCAPA statement with quotes from NaFFAA and AAJC, as well as AAJC and OCA’s statement. NCAPA and AAJC are also included in Senator Mazie Hirono’s press release.

Legislation to remove term “oriental” from federal law heads to President: The Senate passed legislation this week to remove outdated terms such as “oriental” from federal law. The bill is expected to be signed soon by the President. Read more in our statement.

President Obama makes keynote remarks at 22nd Annual APAICS Gala Awards Dinner: The President spoke at last Wednesday’s APAICS Gala and emphasized the diversity of the AAPI population. Watch the full speech here.

NCAPA joins letter-a-day campaign to Congress: Earlier this month, NCAPA sent a letter to Congress as part of a month-long campaign to show the importance of immigrant, refugee and Muslim communities. The Friends Committee on National Legislation led this effort and compiled the letters here.

Bill introduced preventing Muslim exclusion: Rep. Don Beyer introduced a Freedom of Religion (FOR) Act to ensure that immigrants and refugees would not be excluded from visiting or immigrating on the basis of their religious beliefs. This bill is in response to recent suggestions of banning Muslims from entering the U.S. Read OCA’s statement in support of the bill. In addition to OCA, NCAPA and members AAJC, CAPAW, NAPABA, NAPAWF, NAKASEC, SALDEF, SAALT, SEARAC were also part of a broader coalition of groups that showed support.

National CAPACD & CNHA release report on displacement: A new report from National CAPACD and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement highlights the challenges of displacement in communities of high AANHPI populations who live in areas where the cost of living is rapidly increasing. The report includes policy recommendations and real-life examples of communities addressing problems of displacement. Read our APAHM spotlight on this report and download it here.

New federal grant available for AAPI data disaggregation: Last week, the US Department of Education (ED) announced a new federal grant for states to improve their data collection and dissemination. SEARAC and NCAPA’s education committee is helping to promote the grant.

Data ignores health care challenges for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders: Jeff Caballero of AAPCHO writes about how Affordable Care Act and health care data, including that in a recent Department of Health and Human Services report, is not disaggregated. Because of this, we do not know challenges faced by the more than 50 ethnic groups that represent AANHPIs.

Health and Human Services finalizes ACA civil rights provision: Today the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published the final rules on Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which outlines civil rights protections in health care. APIAHF issued a press release in support.

Christopher Kang makes keynote remarks at Census Bureau APAHM event: The Census Bureau held an event for APAHM in which our director Chris Kang spoke about the invisibility of AAPI communities and why we should tell our stories. In his remarks, he said the Census acts as a civil rights tool, exposing the needs of our communities.

Happy Asian Pacific American Heritage Month!: Follow along NCAPA’s Medium for member spotlights throughout the month. So far, SEARAC, NCAPIP, SALDEF, NQAPIA and OCA have been featured. For a full list of APAHM events, go to the NCAPA website or download the PDF.

NCAPA in the News

New Immigration Rule Enables Filipino WWII Vets to Reunite with Family: NBC Asian America wrote about the new program to unite Filipino World War II veterans with family members who they’ve been separated from due to immigration backlogs.

Obama to Asian-American Community: 'You Are Part of the Lifeblood of This Nation:’ NBC Asian America also covered the President’s remarks at the APAICS Gala, and National Director Chris Kang is quoted saying that he hopes the AAPI community will be encouraged to realize our political power.

Bill to Remove 'Oriental' from Federal Law Passes Senate, Heads to Obama: NCAPA is included in an article highlighting the Senate’s passage of the bill removing “oriental” and other outdated terms from federal law.

Take Action!

#RedefineSecurity with NQAPIA: Join events around the country, and share how you #RedefineSecurity on social media.

Supreme Court Vacancy sign-on letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Grassley: The Senate Judiciary Committee has continued to refuse to hold a hearing and a vote on Chief Judge Merrick Garland. Please see Jiny Kim’s email to the general listserve for a new letter to Senator Grassley. Email Jiny at [email protected] to sign on by today, May 13.

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

The Holocaust Was Not So Long Ago: Rep. Judy Chu’s op-ed recalls the demonization of several groups throughout our history and how 74 years after Executive Order 9066 ordering Japanese American incarceration, and days after Holocaust Remembrance Day, similar xenophobic rhetoric is being used today.

Even The White House Is Over Asians Being Labeled As The ‘Model Minority:’A Huffington Post piece outlines why the model minority myth is so dangerous and about the White House’s new initiative to promote the urgent need for AAPI data disaggregation.

Not all Pacific Islanders are Hawaiian: Let’s Talk about Micronesia: Former OCA intern with CAPACD Jes Philip wrote a piece about the invisibility of the Micronesian community. In the blog, she writes about advocating for the Micronesian community, the diversity of the Pacific Islands and a brief history of Micronesia.

New Smithsonian Digital Exhibition Honors Japanese-American WWII Veterans: Smithsonian launched a digital exhibit that hours Japanese American soldiers who fought during World War II.

Social Security’s Commitment to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders: In celebration of APAHM, a Social Security blog highlights how Social Security is making changes to address the needs of diverse communities. Chris Kang’s blog from Lunar New Year is also featured.

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.

Comcast celebrates APAHM: Comcast is featuring a collection of Asian American content across Xfinity On Demand platforms, including a selection of CAAM films. Learn more at xfinity.com/Asia.

Apply now 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.

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.

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

APAHM

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

Other Events

Monday, May 16 @ 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. EST: Type 2 Diabetes in Asian American and Screen at 23 webinar hosted by the NCAPA Health Committee. RSVP: http://bity.ly/NCAPAhealth

Tuesday, May 17 @ 12:00 p.m., 122 Cannon House Office Building: CAPAC and the Congressional Mental Health Caucus is hosting a briefing on mental health and the AAPI community featuring Myron Dean Quon (NAPAFASA), DJ Ida (NAAPIMHA) and Marla Henriksson (SAMHSA). RSVP: [email protected].

Thursday, May 19 @ 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. EST: SEARAC is hosting an informational webinar on the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and its relevance to AAPI stakeholders.

Friday, May 20 @ 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: Voting Rights Forum in Los Angeles. CAPAC Chair Judy Chu, along with CHC Chair Linda Sanchez, and Reps. Lucille Roybal-Allard and Karen Bass will be hosting a voting rights forum in Los Angeles on May 20th from 10 am - 12 pm, at the East Los Angeles College. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla and Stewart Kwoh from Asian Americans Advancing Justice-LA will also be participating in the event.