NCVA eREPORTER
- March 15, 2005
In this NCVA eReporter:
EVENTS
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
JOBS/INTERNSHIPS
TIPS/RESOURCES
NEWS
******************
EVENTS
UNION BANK OF
CALIFORNIA
AND
KCET
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration
2005 Local Hero of the Year Awards and Reception
Union Bank of California and KCET are looking for nominations
for the Asian Pacific American Heritage Local Hero Awards to be
held in mid May. Please nominate Asian Pacific American men and
women who have made significant contributions in the following
areas: arts, business, community activism, social services
and/or education. The awards committee is looking for
outstanding, unsung heroes from Southern California to recognize
during this month. KCET will produce and broadcast a short video
profile of each of the selected honorees. Ideally, we are
looking for unsung heroes who have not received any or much
recognition for their accomplishments and contributions, and
have made a significant impact to their profession and
community.
Nominations are due on Thursday,
March 31, 2005.
Please use the attached nomination form. Families can be
nominated as well as individuals. We encourage you to nominate
multiple candidates in each of the above five categories.
Please keep nominations confidential. All candidate
nominations should include the attached nomination form,
bio/résumé, and other supporting information.
PAST HONOREES
KCET had the privilege of honoring the following leaders during
last year’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month celebration:
Community Activism
Munson Kwok/Suellen Cheng
Chinese American Museum
Arts
Linda Mabalot
Visual Communications
Social Services
Nancy Au
Western Region Asian Project
Social Services
Chanchanit Martorell
Thai Community Development Center
ABOUT THE EVENT
The Asian Pacific American Local Heroes are selected for their
commitment to enrich the community and positively influence the
lives of those around them. KCET recognizes their collective
contributions of determination and courage, as well as the
inspiration they offer others. The event is part of a series of
programs sponsored by Union Bank of California to recognize the
contributions of many unsung heroes from ethnic communities
across California.
CONTACT INFORMATION
For additional information, please contact KCET at
323-953-5298
or via e-mail at
mrobb@kcet.org. Note, candidate nominations can be faxed,
emailed or mailed to Michael Robb at KCET as indicated on the
candidate nomination form. Thank you!
NOTE
Due to the overwhelming response, KCET and Union Bank of
California are under no obligation to notify individuals of
receipt of nomination materials, whether nominations will be
used in the selection process, or the final outcome of the
nomination, if not selected as a winner. Thank you for your
understanding.
******************
APIA U: LEADERSHIP 101
Leadership Trainings for all Asian Pacific Islander American
college students
Sponsored by the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) and
Funded by State Farm®
A useful tool in organizing for campus and social change
Come join what thousands of students have already been apart of.
In the coming weeks and months there will be APIA U: Leadership
101 Trainings all over the United States. We want you to be
there. You can find out more information and to register online,
please go to
www.ocanatl.org and click on Programs.
Sign up quickly, some of our trainings already have 50 people
registered – don’t miss out. The mission of these leadership
trainings is to provide Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA)
students an environment to develop leadership and organizing
skills that are relevant to APIA students on campuses and in
communities. The 1-1/2 day training will bring together
students throughout the region to share experiences and develop
tools to effectively serve as a catalyst for change and
activism. The training is also
FREE.
Here are the upcoming dates and locations…
Brown University
March 12-13, 2005
(Less than 20 slots left – sign-up today!)
University of Washington - Seattle
April 2-3, 2005
Vanderbilt University & Middle Tennessee State University
April 9-10, 2005
Michigan State University
April 16-17, 2005
University of Central Florida
April 16-17, 2005
University of California - San Diego
April 16-17, 2005
University of California – Santa Cruz
April 23-24, 2005
Washington, DC
Summer 2005 (Site to be determined)
BACKGROUND:
APIAU: Leadership 101 wants to help the students integrate the
tools to address cultural and societal influences, develop
effective leadership and initiate positive change and activism
on campus and in the community. The program also hopes to
develop regional bonds among students and campuses as well as
Asian and Pacific Islander American leaders on college campuses
across the country. At each training, 60 students register to
participate in this day and a half of activities. In order to
achieve the goals for the weekend, two facilitators guide the
student leaders through hands-on exercises, presentations and
discussions, which will enhance their comprehension of the
concepts. By bringing students together to share their
experiences in this safe and supportive environment, they can
begin to develop a broader shared vision, enabling them to move
forward as a powerfully positive force. APIA U: Leadership 101
welcomes all Asian and Pacific Islander American undergraduate
students who are interested in leadership development, civic
responsibility, involvement with APIA student organizations and
networking with other APIA student activists. The training is
absolutely free. A $5 deposit is required to secure your
registration; checks will be returned at the end of the
training. Breakfast, lunch and a night reception are provided.
Students are responsible for their own transportation and
accommodations.
(www.ocanatl.org)
******************
NATIONAL CANCER
INSTITUTE
Men Needed to Participate in Online/Phone Focus Group
The National Cancer Institute (NCI),
a federal agency that is part of the National Institutes of
Health (NIH),
is
looking for men who are interested in reviewing and discussing a
new website on cancer risk.
If you:
* Are a male of any race or ethnicity
* Have not had cancer
* Are over age 40
* Speak fluent English
* Can use the Internet through an Internet browser and the
telephone at the same time
* Would like to participate in an online/telephone focus group
on cancer risk on March 29 (8pm Eastern/7pm Central) or
March 30 (8pm Mountain/
7pm Pacific)
Please call us toll-free at:
1-888-249-0029
We will ask you a few questions and add you to our database with
your permission. If you qualify, we will contact you at a later
date for scheduling. To be eligible, you should not be a health
professional. All participants in a discussion group will be
paid for their time. Participating in a study involves a total
of 2 hours.
******************
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
WOMEN’S
EDUCATIONAL EQUITY ACT PROGRAM
Department of Education
Faith-based and other organizations may apply for a grant under
the Women's Educational Equity Act Program for projects that
increase the number of low-income women and girls pursuing and
excelling in advanced courses in mathematics or science, and
entering highly skilled careers in which they have been
underrepresented.
A total of $2,519,942 will be awarded for 14 to 15 grants.
Individual award amounts will range from $125,000 to $250,000.
*Letters of intent are due
April 1, 2005
and applications are due April 18, 2005.* Complete details can
be found in the program announcement at:
(http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/E5-819.pdf)
******************
PUBLIC AWARENESS IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES COOPERATIVE
AGREEMENT
Department of Justice
Faith-based and other organizations that can demonstrate an
understanding of victimization issues, have experience in
providing victim services and advocacy, and have the needed
capacity to conduct a public awareness campaign, are invited to
apply for the Public Awareness in Underserved Communities
Cooperative Agreement. The Office for Victims of Crime will give
favorable consideration to applications that have partnerships
between a victim service organization and one or more ethnic
community-based or faith-based organizations with close ties to
the targeted audience.
Successful applicants will plan and develop public awareness
campaigns on the topic of victimization that is targeted to
underserved populations with limited English proficiency. The
campaign should be linguistically and culturally appropriate and
include local ethnic media venues.
A total of $350,000 will be awarded to ten grants. Applications
are due
April 14, 2005.
The solicitation for applications is at:
(http://www.ojp.gov/ovc/fund/pdftxt/solicpublicawareness.pdf)
******************
DC FOLK
AND
TRADITIONAL ARTS MINI-GRANT
Dear D.C. artists, arts and cultural supporters, and
organizations,
The next deadline for submitting applications for the DC
Commission on the Arts & Humanities' Folk & Traditional Arts
Mini-Grant is April 7th! Help spread the word that the
Commission is offering quick response small-scaled grants to
D.C. based artists, dancers, musicians, scholars, and
organizations practicing or supporting folk traditions.
The amount of support for the Folk & Traditional Arts Mini-Grant
ranges from $500 to $1000 dollars and can be put towards a range
of activities, including public programs, performances,
lectures, etc. You can obtain more information at the following
link:
http://dcarts.dc.gov/dcarts/cwp/view,a,3,q,528167.asp
A workshop to assist you in preparing your application will be
held on
March 24, 2005
at
6:00 pm. The workshop will be held at the DC Commission
on the Arts Humanities' offices at
410
8th Street, NW, Fifth Floor, Washington, DC. No reservation is
required.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions
about the application, the grant, or the funding potential of
project ideas. Also, if you have ideas for other people or
organizations I should contact, please let me know (or feel free
to forward this email). We're eager to increase the number of
applicants and lend assistance to some of the traditional
artists and/or organizations showcasing folk art in D.C.
We hope to receive your grant application (postmark dates of
April 7th are fine too). Thanks in advance for your help
spreading the word!
Sincerely,
Mary Eckstein
Folk & Traditional Arts Consultant
DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities
202-724-5613
(http://dcarts.dc.gov/dcarts/cwp/view,a,3,q,528167.asp)
******************
SUPPORT FOR MILITARY
FAMILIES
Newman's Own Award
Newman's Own Award, administered by Fisher House Foundation,
offers a challenge to volunteer organizations which support our
military: Present an innovative plan supporting military
families and receive a share of grant awards to carry out that
plan. Grants will be awarded to volunteer organizations for
developing the most innovative programs to improve the quality
of life for military families. The submission judged to be the
most outstanding will receive a $10,000 grant, with the
remaining $40,000 apportioned to other competing organizations.
The application deadline is
April 30, 2005.
(http://www.fisherhouse.org/programs/newmans.shtml)
******************
FUNDS FOR WOMEN SEEKING JUSTICE IN THE WORKPLACE
United Methodist Church: Call to Prayer and Self-Denial Offering
Fund
The United Methodist Church's Call to Prayer and Self-Denial
Fund supports projects that are of special concern to women,
children, and youth. In 2005, applications will be accepted from
national and international groups that fit the theme of "Women
Seeking Justice in the Workplace." Half of available funds will
be directed towards projects in the U.S. and half will support
international projects. In the U.S., the primary focus will be
on improving the living wage. Internationally, the focus will be
on economic justice. Small-scale, community and church-based
programs and projects are supported. The application deadline is
August 15, 2005.
(http://gbgm-umc.org/umw/wdnews.cfm?articleid=2885)
******************
SUPPORT FOR A SUSTAINABLE
AND
JUST
SOCIAL
AND
NATURAL WORLD
Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation
The Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation provides support to grassroots
organizations and movements committed to a sustainable and just
social and natural system. The Foundation's funding priorities
are shaped by a view of the Earth as one community, an
interconnected web of life in which human society is an integral
part. Priority is placed on efforts that protect the health and
environment of communities threatened by toxics, advance
environmental justice, promote a sustainable agricultural and
food system, ensure quality reproductive health care as a human
right, and foster an environmentally sustainable New York City.
Nonprofit organizations throughout the U.S. are eligible to
apply. Letters of inquiry are accepted year-round.
(http://www.noyes.org/)
******************
SUPPORT FOR HEALTH,
FOOD
SYSTEMS/RURAL DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH
AND
EDUCATION, AND PHILANTHROPY
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
The mission of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation is to help people
help themselves through the practical application of knowledge
and resources to improve their quality of life and that of
future generations. The Foundation supports nonprofit
organizations with projects of national and international
importance in the following program areas: health, food systems
and rural development, youth and education, and philanthropy and
volunteerism. Support is provided in the U.S., Latin America
and the Caribbean, and six southern Africa countries. The
Foundation also provides local support in Battle Creek, MI.
Pre-proposals are accepted throughout the year.
(http://www.wkkf.org)
******************
FUNDING FOR
HUMANITIES ENDOWMENTS
National Endowment for the Humanities Challenge Grants
NEH challenge grants are intended to help institutions and
organizations nationwide to secure long-term improvements in and
support for their humanities programs and resources. Awards are
made to museums, public libraries, colleges, research
institutions, historical societies and historic sites, public
television and radio stations, universities, scholarly
associations, state humanities councils, and other nonprofit
entities. Challenge grants most commonly augment or establish
endowments that support humanities activities in education,
public programming, scholarly research, and preservation.
Because of the matching requirements, these NEH awards also
strengthen the humanities by encouraging nonfederal sources of
support. The 2005 application deadlines are May 2 and November
1.
(http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/challenge.html)
******************
FOCUS ON PROGRAMS
FOR FAMILIES
Target Community Giving Program
The Target Community Giving Program supports nonprofit
organizations in the communities where the company's stores are
located. There are currently stores in every state except
Vermont, Alaska, and Hawaii. The company's grants focus on the
following three areas: accessible arts for families, family
violence prevention, and early childhood reading. Most grants
average between $1,000 and $3,000. Applications will be accepted
between March 1 and May 31, 2005, with early application
encouraged.
(http://target.com/target_group/community_giving/local_giving.jhtml)
******************
INNOVATIONS IN MANUFACTURED HOMES (I'M HOME) CALL FOR PROPOSALS
CFED is soliciting proposals that address barriers to
asset-building in the manufactured housing (MH) sector.
Successful organizations will receive either implementation
grants of up to $150,000 or catalyst grants of up to $50,000 to
leverage additional outside funds and to directly support
efforts to improve the ability of low- and moderate-income
families to build wealth and attain greater financial security
through ownership of manufactured homes. Concept papers are due
April 15, 2005.
(http://www.cfed.org/focus.m?parentid=314&siteid=317&id=323)
******************
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS INVITES
PROPOSALS
The National Association of Secondary School Principals is
inviting proposals from public middle level and high schools
serving large numbers of low-income students and
underrepresented minorities (greater than 40% of student body)
to apply for a $5,000 mini-grant to implement a special
initiative aimed at strengthening ties between their schools and
their students’ neighborhoods and communities. The application
deadline is April 15, 2005.
(http://www.principals.org/s_nassp/sec.asp?CID=568&DID=48228)
******************
DEMOCRACY FUNDING CIRCLE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
The Ms. Foundation for Women is a leading advocate for the
issues that touch women’s lives, from reproductive rights and
violence in our communities to gaining access to resources to
care for our families’ well-being. The Foundation aims to
promote a vision of an inclusive American society by
strengthening women’s voices in progressive movement building
through its
Democracy Funding Circle. The deadline for submitting proposals is April
11, 2005.
(http://www.ms.foundation.org/)
******************
2005 AETNA FOUNDATION REGIONAL COMMUNITY HEALTH GRANTS PROGRAM
The Aetna Foundation seeks to help build healthy communities by
funding initiatives that improve the quality of life where
company employees and customers work and live. The Foundation's
Regional Community Grants Program aims to address critical
health issues in communities within Aetna's six business
regions. The program will focus on reducing racial and ethnic
disparities in health care. Applications vary by region; visit
the website above for regional deadlines. The next deadline is
March 31, 2005 for the West region.
Grant requests ranging from $25,000 to $50,000 that address one
of the following areas will be considered:
1) Cultural Competency: Training and education for health-care
professionals, including culturally appropriate End-Of-Life care
training. Preference will be given to organizations that require
this training and can demonstrate participation and pre-and
post-training results.
2) Disease prevention, awareness, and delivery of culturally
sensitive care and services related to children's oral health,
community-based screening, treatment, and/or family education
initiatives regarding the importance of dental care; diabetes
initiatives targeting individuals and families with prevention
and healthy behavior modification messages to help combat the
growing incidence of type 2 diabetes in children and adults; and
screening, education, and outreach efforts to enhance early
identification, diagnosis, and treatment of depression in youth
and adults.
(http://www.aetna.com/foundation/communitygrants/2004_rfp.htm)
******************
FOX FAMILY FOUNDATION OFFERS FUNDING FOR CHILDREN
AND
YOUTH SERVICE PROGRAMS IN LOS ANGELES
AND
SANTA CLARA COUNTIES, CALIFORNIA
Deadline: May 1, 2005
The Frieda C. Fox Family Foundation (
http://www.fcfox.org/ ) has announced a Request for
Proposals for children and youth-service programs in Los
Angeles and Santa Clara counties, California.
The Fox Family Foundation, which supports nonprofit
organizations with programs and projects that maximize the
potential of children and youth, is accepting applications and
letters of inquiry from highly successful, results-oriented
programs that improve and expand the learning environments of
children. Special emphasis is placed on target populations from
economically and socially disadvantaged families, and programs
that actively promote positive interactions between children,
youth, and adults through multi-faceted parent/mentor/staff
involvement and embrace professional development and training
for those who deal directly with children or create their
learning environments.
The typical grant will range between $10,000 and $40,000.
Initial application is by a short letter of inquiry and a
one-page application form (downloadable from the foundation's
Web site). Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with an
application deadline of
May
1, 2005, for this funding cycle.
(http://www.fcfox.org/)
******************
CALIFORNIA WELLNESS FOUNDATION SABBATICAL PROGRAM INVITES
APPLICATIONS
Deadline: April 22, 2005
Applications are being accepted for the California Wellness
Foundation's (
http://www.tcwf.org/ ) Sabbatical Program.
The program offers grants of $30,000 to California non-profit
health organizations to provide their executive directors with a
paid leave of three to six months. The organizations will also
receive up to $5,000 each for the professional development of
managers and staff who assume extra responsibilities in the
absence of sabbatical awardees.
(http://www.tcwf.org/press_room/sabbatical_program/index.htm)
******************
COMMUNITY-CAMPUS PARTNERSHIPS FOR HEALTH INVITES APPLICATIONS
FOR SERVICE-LEARNING INSTITUTE
Deadline:
April 15, 2005
Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (
http://www.ccph.info/ ), a nonprofit organization that
promotes better health through partnerships between communities
and institutions of high education is accepting applications for
its 8th annual Introductory Service-Learning Institute, which
will be held June 17-20, 2005, in the Cascade Mountains of
Washington State.
The Summer Service-Learning Institute is designed for both new
and experienced service-learning practitioners (faculty, staff,
and community partners). National experts in service-learning --
health professional faculty who have incorporated community
service into their courses and community leaders who have
developed service-learning partnerships with health professions
schools -- serve as institute presenters and mentors.
Past institutes have drawn participants from a wide variety of
disciplines and professions, including medicine, dental
hygiene, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, public health, physical
therapy, pre-health professions, residency, and social work
programs, as well as those from public health agencies and
community-based organizations that have service-learning
partnerships with such programs.
Applicants are encouraged to apply early, as space is limited to
twenty-three participants.
(http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/servicelearning.html)
******************
JOBS/INTERNSHIPS
AADAP,
INC. CURRENT
JOB
OPENINGS SUMMARY
AADAP, Inc. (Asian American Drug Abuse Program) Serves people
throughout the Los Angeles County in substance abuse treatment.
Not only does AADAP provide substance abuse for counseling;
AADAP has expanded its services to include employment services
for youth and adults, HIV/AIDS outreach and education and
tobacco education. We have been together since 1972 with our
motto and philosophy grounded on, "People Need People," and the
"Family Concept."
We currently have several positions open and we are looking for
motivated people wanting to give back to our communities.
Please apply to Dean Nakanishi, Administrative Director by
e-mail to (dnakanishi@aadapinc.org)
or by fax to
(323)
295-4075 or mail to AADAP, Inc.,
5318 South Crenshaw Blvd.,
Los Angeles,
CA
90043. If you are interested in a full job description, please
call Jon Fukuda at
(323)
293-6284 or e-mail Jon at (jfukuda@aadapinc.org).
You can also check our website at (http://www.aadapinc.org/careers/).
Intake Counselor (TC):
We currently have an Intake Counselor position open. This
position will work in our first historical program the
Therapeutic Community Unit (TC Unit). We are looking for
someone with a clinical background to make appropriate
assessments on bringing in new clients for the TC Unit. This
position will also involve client recruitment. We are requiring
bilingual Korean skills. Salary is commensurate with experience.
Counselor (Olympic Academy):
AADAP is proud of our first Youth Residential Treatment
Program that opened May of 2002. We had a terrific first couple
of years! We are looking for a full time Counselor to direct
and monitor the structure of the Youth Residential Unit, and
ensure that all staff team decisions governing resident
treatment needs are adequately enforced. We prefer bilingual
Asian languages to be able to communicate Asian families.
Salary is commensurate with experience.
Night Case Worker (Olympic Academy):
Our Youth Treatment Program is also in search of a Night Case
Worker. The Night Case Worker directs and monitors the evening
structure of the Youth Residential Unit, and ensures that all
staff team decisions governing resident treatment needs are
adequately enforced. Bilingual Asian language skills needed.
Salary is commensurate with experience.
Counselor (Outpatient Drug Free):
We currently have a Counselor in Outpatient Drug Free Program.
The Outpatient Drug Free Program has been in existence with our
agency for the past twenty years. This job is hands on with
facilitating drug and alcohol issues on a Outpatient basis. The
position involves case management, advocacy, conduct crises
intervention and to provide support services. We are requiring
bilingual Korean skills. The starting salary range is from
$26,400 to 42,905.
Counselor (Drug Court):
We currently have a full-time and part-time bilingual Spanish
Counselor in our Drug Court Program. This program was created
through State Proposition 36. Counselors will work through the
Inglewood Municipal Courts. This is a challenging position
facilitating clients treatment and being responsible to give
recommendations to local judges. The position involves case
management, advocacy, conduct crises intervention and to provide
support services. The starting salary range is from $26,400 to
42,905.
Clinical Supervisor:
AADAP has been approved for a new grant to serve youth for
substance abuse treatment on an outpatient basis in the South
Bay area. We are seeking a Clinical Supervisor to coordinate
day-to-day operations for clinical case management for a youth
substance and mental health outpatient treatment facility.
Salary is commensurate with experience.
Clinical Social Worker (PT):
We are also seeking a Clinical Social Worker on a part-time
basis. We are seeking someone with a minimum of a Masters in
Social Work. The Clinical Social Worker will be responsible to
conduct case management, outreach, intake, direct service, and
case management services to youth and their families with the
SPA
8 Adolescent Intervention and Treatment Program. Salary is
commensurate with experience
Intake Worker (Bridges):
This position is in one of our units that deal directly with
youth in the inner city. The goal of this unit is a prevention
program from substance abuse, gang violence and other negative
behaviors. We currently have an Intake Worker on a part-time
basis for our Bridges program. The Intake Worker conducts
outreach, screening and intake, and provides administrative
support to program staff. Salary is commensurate with
experience
AADAP INC IS AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER AND
ADHERES TO HIRING PRACTICES IN ACCORDANCE WITH FEDERAL
AND
STATE REGULATIONS.
(http://www.aadapinc.org/careers/)
******************
CHHAYA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
POSITION
Chhaya Community Development Corporation (Chhaya CDC) is a four
year old community-based organization based in Queens, NY
dedicated to meeting the housing and community development needs
of South Asian Americans. Chhaya CDC (www.chhayacdc.org)
was established in October of 2000 as an affiliate organization
of Asian Americans for Equality; As of December 2004, Chhaya CDC
is an independent 501(c) 3.
Chhaya CDC, specifically, seeks to meet the urgent need for
housing assistance and social services in the New York
metropolitan area by means of strategic partnerships, legal
assistance, tenant advocacy, education and outreach on housing
rights and opportunities. Currently, Chhaya programs are
primarily focused in the areas of predatory lending, and lead
poisoning awareness.
Having established a solid organizational foundation, Chhaya CDC
now plans to establish new offices in the Jackson Heights area
of Queens, NY, refine our programs and add additional staff in
the next year. We are seeking a new Executive Director with
strong program, fundraising and interpersonal skills to grow the
organization. The position is available immediately.
Responsibilities include:
* Work with Board of Directors to raise funds through individual
donors, foundations, public support, and corporate foundations
* Define organizational direction, policy agenda and program
strategies in collaboration with board of directors and staff
* Act as spokesperson for the organization
* Generate community support through the building of
relationships with community and religious leaders.
* Build relationships with community leaders and partner
agencies throughout New York City.
* Raise awareness and support around community issues through
organizing of conferences; bringing together community leaders,
policy makers, elected officials, funding institutions, and
mainstream and ethnic press.
* Develop and implement programs, prepare budget projections and
supervise staff.
Qualifications:
* A minimum of 5 years of experience in community development or
related field; Masters in Public Policy, Public Administration,
or related area a plus
* Familiarity with issues related tenant rights, homeownership,
predatory lending, and immigrant and South Asian Community
* Strong Management Skills
* Strong communication and fundraising skills
* Ability to work with diverse groups
* Ability to speak a South Asian Language a plus
Salary: $50,000 - $70,000; Commensurate with experience
Please send inquiries, resume and cover letters to
chhaya_edsearch@yahoo.com or call
(917)
306-8033.
Chhaya CDC is an Equal Opportunity Employer
(www.chhayacdc.org)
******************
DOL SECRETARY’S INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
The
Student Internship Program provides students with the
opportunity to learn about how federal government agencies
operate and to interact with the leaders of various agencies
within
DOL.
Students can participate in weekly brown bag lunch discussions,
attend agency presentations, and work on projects assigned to
them by their agency. Previous interns have had opportunities to
work in a variety of areas including public affairs,
speechwriting, and outreach programs. Students will also be
delegated general administrative duties, and should have strong
writing and research skills.
“I started this intern program at the Department to provide
young Americans with unique opportunities to serve their country
by learning about the federal government.”
— U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao
For more information about the program and the application
process, please visit
http://www.dol.gov/_sec/media/internprogram.htm
Please contact:
Melissa Naudin
Internship Coordinator
naudin.melissa@dol.gov
202-693-6490 — Phone
202-693-6144 — Fax.
(http://www.dol.gov/_sec/media/internprogram.htm)
******************
APAPA's
FIRST ANNUAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM is requesting your help
to spread the words out!
This Internship is vital to
API
American's future because it will provide
API
Americans with a pool of potential great future leaders. These
leaders will be interned at our Capitol, in Federal, State and
Local legislators' offices, then mentored and trained by APAPA
to become great leaders to represent us in our Government and
Public Affairs offices. In order to merge API Americans into
the main stream of America and to be recognized by our
legislators as the main source for internship right here in the
Capitol, we must make this program a success. So, please help
us to spread the news.
What:
APAPA Internship / Scholarship Program - 10 college or
high-school senior students for $1,000 each for 6-week intern of
15 hours minimum per week at one of the Capitol offices.
Application (Visit website for application)
Deadline
4/1/05. Fill out attached forms and mail in, or fill out online at
www.apapa.org.
Any questions please write
info@apapa.org, or
mayue@comcast.net . Thank you for your support and
participation.
C. C. Yin
APAPA Founder / Chair
Mayue Carlson
APAPA-CEF President
Internship Program Chair
(www.apapa.org)
******************
ASIAN
PACIFIC ISLANDER SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM
Program Coordinator
The mission of the Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Program
(API
SBP) is to assist the development of small- and micro-businesses
in Los Angeles, especially those of low income immigrants, with
particular focus on: Chinatown, Thai Town, Koreatown, Historic
Filipino Town, and Little Tokyo business communities.
API
SBP
is a five year old collaboration of Chinatown Service Center,
Little Tokyo Service Center CDC, Thai CDC, Koreatown Youth and
Community Center, and Search to Involve Pilipino Americans.
Position: Program Coordinator
Main responsibilities: Work with Director in writing proposals
and managing grants from government, corporate and foundation
funding sources, managing staff team of professionals,
coordinating events such as the Asian Small Business Expo.
Oversee program data collection and preparation of monthly and
annual reports. Analyze program performance. Prepare general PR
and marketing materials. Assist Director in other aspects of the
program.
Qualifications:
Requirements: Undergraduate degree and minimum 2 years solid
work experience in a professional environment; strong writing
skills; dedication to micro and small business development /
community economic development; strong interpersonal skills;
strong computer skills MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Photoshop,
graphics lay-out programs (i.e. PageMaker, Publisher, Quark).
Sense of humor!
Experience in the following areas a Big Plus: Grantsmanship;
event coordination including sponsorship recruitment and
relationship management, planning and execution; management
experience in a team environment; familiarity with domestic
microenterprise industry; creative problem solving; solid
marketing skills.
Compensation:
Salary Low to mid-thirties, benefits include full medical, 12
paid holidays, paid vacation etc.
Hiring Schedule:
Resumes are being accepted now in anticipation of filling
position by mid-April, 2005. Selected candidate will become an
employee of the Little Tokyo Service Center CDC.
Send resume and cover letter by email or mail. No phone calls,
please.
Cooke Sunoo, Director
Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Program
C/o Little Tokyo Service Center CDC
231 East Third Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
csunoo@ltsc.org
(www.apisbp.org)
******************
For Immediate Release
March 11, 2005
For More Information
Contact: Daphne Kwok 202/296-9200
APAICS ANNOUNCES SODEXHO USA HEALTH POLICY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
Applications are now available for the Asian Pacific American
Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) 2005-2006 Sodexho
USA Health Policy Fellowship Program. The Fellowship Program is
designed to provide an opportunity to an individual committed to
the Asian Pacific Islander American community and health policy,
and who plans to pursue a career in health policy. The
Fellowship has been generously funded by Sodexho USA.
Applications can be downloaded from the APAICS website,
www.apaics.org. Candidates can also request an application
by e-mail by sending a message to
apaics@apaics.org. Applications must be postmarked by
April 1, 2005.
The fellowship is for nine months, from September 2005 to May
2006. APAICS will provide a stipend of $20,000 to cover travel
arrangements, housing and personal expenses. A separate stipend
will be provided for basic health insurance coverage. In order
to receive the full-stipend, the fellow will be required to
participate in mandatory APAICS events, submit a report of
activities, and complete an evaluation at the end of the
program.
Applicants must meet the following requirements:
* Hold a graduate or bachelor's degree from an accredited
educational institution with a minimum cumulative grade point
average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale). A minimum of 3.5 in major
coursework is preferred.
* U.S. citizenship or legal permanent residency by September 1,
2005.
* One year of relevant work experience.
Candidates will be evaluated by the following criteria:
* Demonstrated interest in the political process.
* Demonstrated commitment to public policy health issues and
Asian Pacific Islander American community affairs.
* Demonstrated leadership abilities.
* Excellent oral and written communication skills.
For further information, please contact the APAICS office by
e-mail at
apaics@apaics.org, or call our office at 202/296-9200.
-30-
The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS)
is dedicated to increasing participation of individuals of Asian
and Pacific Islander heritage at all levels of the political
process, from community service to elected office. For more
information,
http://www.apaics.org/.
(www.apaics.org)
******************
TIPS/RESOURCES
THE CENTER FOR COMMUNITY-BASED
AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AT AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
A place to find resources, share ideas, strengthen connections,
and be strategically creative.
(http://www.nonprofitaustin.org/)
******************
NEWS
GRANTEE SPOTLIGHT – ASSOCIATION OF VIET ARTS
A Quarterly Publication of the Arts Council of Silicon Valley
In 1991, a small group of individuals came together and created
an organization dedicated to cultivating, nurturing and
promoting Vietnamese American arts. In 1992, the
Association for Viet Arts (AVA) was created and became the
first nonprofit Vietnamese organization in the Bay Area. Now
nearly 15 years strong, AVA’s goals are to provide opportunities
for Vietnamese American arts to present their work, open
dialogues for cultural understanding, bridge Vietnamese and
American cultures, and sustain the arts through arts education
for children and youth in the community.
AVA also provides a forum for Vietnamese American performing,
visual and literary artists and coordinates arts education
programs for children and youth. In addition,
AVA
presents two to three major programs each year: a performance
event and/or visual arts exhibition and art workshops for
community children and youth.
A grantee of ACSV for over 11 years, Hoa Glassey, Treasurer and
Co-Founder of AVA discusses the impact the grants from Arts
Council Silicon Valley have provided, “Fundings from the Arts
Council has permitted
AVA
to continue our art workshops and maintain the quality of our
programs. This is especially true for the last few years when we
have seen our fundings decreased by 50%. Without the fundings
from the Arts Council, we would have to cut the free art
workshops for children and youth.”
The Vietnamese American community that AVA serves numbers more
than 120,000 people, nearly 10% of the total Bay Area
population. With the rise of second generation Vietnamese
Americans, the arts have become an important consideration for
the community. Many Vietnamese American parents have an interest
in making art a part of their children’s education and
development, but are not able to afford arts education or are
not aware of the available resources.
As
AVA continues to build upon momentum, Hoa envisions
that “AVA will take further steps to provide long term,
meaningful art education to young people and to nurture
well-rounded individuals who in turn will help to enrich the
community around them.”
AVA is an important part of the South Bay community, serving as
the first and only nonprofit tax-exempt Vietnamese arts
organization in the Bay Area. Over the past 12 years,
AVA
has produced more than 30 events with a combined audience of
more than 3,500 people.
To learn more about Association of Viet Arts, you can visit them
on the web at:
http://www.vietarts.org/
(http://www.enewsbuilder.net/artscouncilsv/e_article000362627.cfm?)
******************
March 2, 2005
THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 1965: 40 YEARS AFTER “BLOODY SUNDAY,” A
PROMISE STILL UNFULFILLED
By Wade Henderson
civilrights.org
The Right to Vote With No 'Ifs,' 'Ands' or 'Buts.'
Forty years ago this coming Sunday, on March 7, 1965, Americans
were stunned by the spectacle of law enforcement officers
brutally assaulting more than 500 non-violent civil rights
marchers attempting to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma,
Alabama. The protesters had set off on a 54 mile trek to the
state capitol in Montgomery to dramatize the call for voting
rights and highlight the deadly police shooting of 26-year-old
Jimmy Lee Jackson two weeks earlier. It all ended suddenly in a
cloud of tear gas and a swarm of billy clubs when state troopers
and mounted sheriffs' deputies descended furiously on the
marchers. That night, ABC television interrupted their premier
broadcast of Judgement at Nuremberg, a film about Nazi racism,
to air the images from Selma nationwide.
The events of "Bloody Sunday" repelled the nation, energized the
civil rights movement, and advanced President Lyndon B.
Johnson's demand for "the goddamnedest toughest voting rights
act" that his Attorney General, Nicholas Katzenbach, could
devise. Speaking of his commitment to push desegregation,
Johnson told then Vice President Hubert Humphrey, "I want all
those other things - buses, restaurants, all of that - but the
right to vote with no ifs, ands or buts, that's the key." Five
months after Selma, a bipartisan Congress passed the Voting
Rights Act and President Johnson signed it into law on August 6,
1965.
The Voting Rights Act at 40 Years
The
VRA has become one of the most successful civil
rights laws in American history. In the 40 years since its
passage, it has guaranteed millions of minority voters the equal
opportunity to participate in elections and have their voices
heard. It ended literacy tests, poll taxes and other
purposefully prejudiced mechanisms that had long poisoned the
well of our democracy. The right to bilingual election materials
has been established in language minority communities across the
country. And the end of deliberately discriminatory at-large
elections, as well as the creation of majority minority
legislative districts, has created tremendous opportunities for
racial and ethnic minorities to elect candidates of choice to
thousands of federal, state, and local offices in all parts of
the country.
In 1964, there were only approximately 300 African Americans in
public office nationwide, including just three in Congress.
There are now more than 9,100 black elected officials, including
43 members of Congress, the largest number ever. The
VRA also has opened the political process for many
of the more than 6,000 Latino public officials that have been
elected and appointed nationwide, including approximately 260
elected at the state or federal level, 27 of whom serve in
Congress. And Native Americans, Asians and others who have
historically encountered harsh barriers to full political
participation also have benefited greatly.
The Voting Rights Act: America's Continued Need
While considerable progress has been made since Bloody Sunday 40
years ago, violations of the
VRA
are still a persistent feature of the American political
landscape. Sadly, the nation has yet to achieve the
constitutional goal of equality of political opportunity and the
ideal of "one person, one vote," is still just that - an ideal:
* For many decades, African American voters in Louisiana have
faced an unbroken pattern of hostility to their political
participation. Since passage of the VRA, no Louisiana state
House of Representatives redistricting plan submitted to the
Justice Department for review has been precleared. Undaunted by
this tradition of noncompliance, Louisiana officials controlling
redistricting in 2003 deleted those provisions in the state
redistricting guidelines that set out Louisiana's obligations
under the
VRA. Next, the State chose to spend taxpayer money
to protect a redistricting plan that was designed to diminish
the political opportunities of African-American voters.
* The efforts of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S.
Department of Justice and minority voter advocates resulted in
favorable pre-trial rulings from the federal court, which caused
Louisiana to withdraw its original plan and restore a district
where African Americans had an opportunity to elect a candidate
of choice. While there are indeed many African American elected
officials in Louisiana, this example clearly demonstrates how
attempts to undermine minority voting power in Louisiana
continue to the present day.
* Statewide redistricting plans also have been used to
drastically reduce Latino political influence. In Texas, for
example, the legislature redistricted the State House of
Representatives in 2003 to eliminate one Latino-majority
district and reconfigure three others so that Latinos could no
longer elect their candidate of choice. Using the special
provisions of the
VRA,
and aided by federal opposition to the new legislative plan,
Latino advocates were able to restore the districts and maintain
political opportunity for the Latino voters of Texas.
* Latino and Asian American voters in Texas have faced other
forms of discriminatory treatment which have been remedied using
the Voting Rights Act. In 2003, Bexar County officials tried to
undermine Latino voting strength by deliberately failing to put
polling places in areas that were accessible to Latino voters.
Using the Voting Rights Act, advocates won important relief in
federal court which enabled Latino voters to more easily get to
the polls. That same year in Harris County election officials
violated the Voting Rights Act when they failed to provide
bilingual voting materials in Vietnamese. It wasn't until
community leaders and the Department of Justice intervened that
election officials agreed to follow the law. A
Vietnamese-American candidate later won a local legislative
seat.
* Supporters of an incumbent on the city council of Bayou La
Batre, Alabama, challenged Asian-American voters during a
primary contest as part of a concerted effort to racially target
and intimidate supporters of a Vietnamese-American candidate.
The Department of Justice launched an investigation and barred
challengers from interfering in the general election. The first
Asian-American was then elected to city council.
* In 2004, a federal court determined that South Dakota
discriminated against Native American voters by adopting a
redistricting plan three years earlier that packed Indians into
a single district in order to remove their ability to elect a
representative of their choice to the state legislature. The
illegal plan altered the boundaries of two counties, Shannon and
Todd, thereby "packing," or over concentrating, Indian voters so
they comprised fully 90 percent of District 27. In the process,
the District was made one of the most overpopulated in the
state. South Dakota also refused to submit the redistricting
plan to the U.S. Justice Department for preclearance, as
required by law. After four Native American voters sued the
state, the U.S. District Court invalidated the 2001 legislative
plan on the grounds that it illegally diluted Indian voting
strength. In its detailed 144-page opinion issued in 2004 the
court also found that there was "substantial evidence that South
Dakota officially excluded Indians from voting and holding
office."
The 2007 Reauthorization:
The Voting Rights Act was never meant to be a quick fix. As
President Johnson foretold: "the battle [is] not over." In 2007,
three crucial sections of the Voting Rights Act will expire
unless Congress votes to renew them. These include:
* A requirement that states and local jurisdictions with a
documented history of discriminatory voting practices submit
planned changes in their election laws or procedures to the U.S.
Department of Justice or the U.S. District Court in Washington,
D.C. for preclearance. A bipartisan Congressional report in 1982
warned that without this provision, discrimination would
reappear "overnight."
* Requirements that communities with concentrations of voters
who are Limited English Proficient provide them with bilingual
election assistance including bilingual ballots, election
materials, and pollworkers.
* The authority to send federal examiners and observers to
monitor elections.
The expiring provisions of the Voting Rights Act remain
essential to ensure fairness and equal opportunity for
minorities in American politics. Notably, four Republican
Presidents – Nixon, Ford, Reagan and George H.W. Bush – have
supported reauthorization of key parts of the law in the past:
1970, 1975, 1982 and 1992, respectively. The Act has also
consistently won the bi-partisan support of federal lawmakers,
with Congress voting 389 to 24 to pass the 1982 extension.
In one sense, the Voting Rights Act stands as a model of
democratic inclusion, bridging the gap between our foundational
ideal of political equality and the continued persistence of
exclusion. On a more basic level, the VRA also stands as a
powerful tool to check the persistent impulse to discriminate
that has plagued our nation since its founding.
At a time when America is vigorously engaged in promoting the
ideal of multi-ethnic democracy in Iraq and across the globe, we
need to ensure that lawmakers preserve and strengthen the
necessary tools to ensure the continued success of democracy
here at home. Reauthorization of the 1965 Voting Rights Act is a
first step.
(http://www.civilrights.org/issues/voting/details.cfm?id=28738)
******************
March 8, 2005
THE DIVERSE FACE OF ASIANS
AND
PACIFIC ISLANDERS IN CALIFORNIA
Last Friday's event launching The Diverse Face of Asians and
Pacific Islanders in California in San Francisco was a
resounding success! Over 150 people attended this free event at
the PG&E auditorium to learn about the tremendous growth and
diversity of the Asian and Pacific Islander (API)
communities and to hear the perspectives of some of the most
distinguished Asian and Pacific Islander community leaders in
California and the nation.
In addition to an informative presentation on API demographics
in the Bay Area by the report's co-author, Kimiko Kelly, the
event featured Assembly Member Judy Chu - who spoke eloquently
about the usefulness of the report to policy makers and how it
can be a tool for community empowerment. Dr. Chu's inspiring
speech was followed by a lively panel discussion with Bill
Tamayo of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Karen
Narasaki of the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium
and Sandip Roy of New California Media. These engaging panelists
shared their cutting-edge local, statewide and national
perspectives on the changing demographic and policy landscape of
the API community.
The Asian Law Caucus hosted the San Francisco launch event with
our affiliates, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center of
Southern California and the National Asian Pacific American
Legal Consortium. There are three more report launch events to
come - March 10 in Fresno, March 16 in San Diego and March 23 in
Orange County. If you would like more information on these
events, please e-mail us at
alc@asianlawcaucus.org. You can also download a copy of The
Diverse Face of Asians and Pacific Islanders in California from
our web site -
http://en.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=23034674&u=209375.
It's easy for you to stay informed of community advocacy alerts
and Asian Law Caucus events. If you have not already, please
sign up for our mailing list by going to --
http://en.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=23034674&u=209376.
Thanks to supporters like you, the Asian Law Caucus can be a
strong voice for the issues and concerns of the diverse API
communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. We hope to see you at
our 33rd Annual Dinner celebration in April, which will feature
Professor David Cole of Georgetown University speaking on human
rights. Please plan to join us and make a generous donation so
that we can continue to make our voices heard.
Sincerely,
Phil Ting
Executive Director
939 Market Street, Suite 201
San Francisco, California 94103-1730
(www.asianlawcaucus.org)
******************
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARCH 8, 2005
CONTACT:
GEM P. DAUS
(202) 466-7772
SOCIAL SECURITY CHANGES, MEDICAID CUTS IMPERIL ASIAN PACIFIC
AMERICANS
Asian Pacific American community leaders and health providers
today warned that President Bush's 2006 Budget, which contains
serious cuts to Medicaid and other programs relied upon by many
in the community, would leave many in serious health risk. They
called upon Congress to protect these programs at a time when
the most vulnerable among us-low income, immigrants, refugees,
children, seniors, parents and pregnant women-are increasingly
reliant on these programs to protect their health.
The Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) and
the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations
(AAPCHO) explained these risks at a briefing on
March 8, 2005 in Washington, D.C.
*"The stereotype of Asian Pacific Americans as being a 'model
minority' without serious needs has led to very serious problems
being ignored, especially in the health care field," said Dr. Ho
Tran, CEO and President of APIAHF, "There are 1.2 million Asian
Pacific Americans that need Medicaid to take care of their
health needs and any cut in that program will threaten their
health and their well being."
Community health centers and other institutions that help APAs
overcome the lack of health insurance, trained bilingual service
providers, trained interpreters and laws isolating many
immigrants will also be compromised if Medicaid funds are
reduced.
*"2.5 million APAs are without health insurance," added Dr.
Tran, "Even a relatively small health crisis may be beyond their
means or could place them in poverty if they are not already
there. They need the protection that these programs provide or
the costs to our country will be much greater later on."
While not yet included in the federal budget, Social Security
changes will also have a disproportionate impact on APAs.
Social Security is the only source of income for 28% of APA
seniors, compared to 17% for all seniors. Any reduction in the
payments provided to these seniors could be disastrous. Average
payments to APAs in 2001 was $716. As APAs living beyond the
age of 65 have higher life expectancies, any changes in Social
Security must not reduce or weaken our promise to provide
support in their later years.
The Department of Health and Human Services has a discretionary
budget of more than 65 billion dollars, yet only 1% is devoted
to eliminating health disparities in racial and ethnic
populations that make up one-third of the United States.
Congress hopes to pass a budget resolution this month. Dr. Tran
had this message for them, "Don't balance the budget on the
backs of APAs and immigrants."
(www.apiahf.org)
******************
March 9, 2005
SUING THE
CIA:
THE AGENCY HIDES FAR MORE THAN IT NEEDS TO HIDE, SAYS VIETNAM
SCHOLAR LARRY BERMAN
By Mike McKee
The Recorder
Vol. 129; No. 46; Pg. 1
As a renowned expert on the Vietnam conflict, Larry Berman knows
volumes about opposition to U.S. government policies.
Now, he's leading a fight of his own.
For more than a year, the UC Davis professor has been seeking
access to president's daily briefs, or PDBs, for three scattered
days during Lyndon B. Johnson's administration.
Berman says the documents would shed light on the Tet offensive
and other lingering mysteries of the Johnson administration. But
the feds claim the documents contain sensitive material
essential to national security, and they've refused to release
them.
Refusing to take no for an answer, Berman has filed suit against
the Central Intelligence Agency, the guardian of all PDBs, to
get the documents he wants and to try to change the agency's
blanket policy of refusing to declassify the daily briefs of any
presidential administration.
"I don't want to sound corny, but I really do believe that the
release of these documents is a legitimate part of historical
inquiry," Berman said. "Litigation in this case is the only
course left open to me."
The 53-year-old political science professor filed suit in
Sacramento federal court in December, and his attorneys in the
San Francisco office of Davis Wright Tremaine say they're
working out a briefing schedule with the CIA. They hope the case
will be heard in court by early May.
"We think the
CIA's
policy of blanket closure needs to be challenged," said partner
Duffy Carolan. "There is so much information that can provide
perspective for the public's broader understanding of history."
"You can't help but repeat history," partner Thomas Burke added,
"if you don't know what your history was in the first place."
Washington, D.C.-based Justice Department attorney Caroline
Lewis-Wolverton, who is defending the
CIA,
referred calls to the agency's press office. Spokesman Charles
Miller couldn't be reached for comment, despite several
attempts.
PDBs became a hot issue this past year when President George W.
Bush resisted the 9/11 Commission's efforts to obtain a brief
from
Aug. 6, 2001.
That document, titled "Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in U.S.,"
was declassified last April and included information about the
Islamic terrorists' clandestine plans.
The commission also got to look at a PDB, called "Bin Ladin
Preparing to Hijack U.S. Aircraft and Other Attacks," prepared
for former President Bill Clinton on Dec. 4, 1998.
Presidential briefings began in 1961 as the "president's
intelligence checklist," said Meredith Fuchs, general counsel
for the National Security Archive, a Washington, D.C.-based
public interest law firm and research agency dedicated to
enforcing the Freedom of Information Act. The checklists,
renamed the president's daily briefs three years later,
essentially recount world activities culled through intelligence
or news sources from around the globe.
"It's the one thing you can point to and say, 'The president
probably read this document,'" said Fuchs, whose group is
serving as co-counsel for Berman.
Berman's lawyers say they're not trying to argue that the CIA
shouldn't be allowed to conceal some documents or even redact
information if necessary.
"We're asking for the government to look at it on a case-by-case
basis, rather than denying access across the board," Carolan
said. "There may be cases where security needs to be maintained
due to national security, but when you are talking about PDBs
that are over 30 years old, we doubt that's the case."
Even the State Department's Historical Advisory Committee on
Diplomatic Documentation has criticized the CIA policy, most
recently in a 2002 report about being denied access to PDBs from
the administration of former President Richard Nixon.
"The committee must continue to deplore the CIA's blanket denial
of declassification of the PDBs, especially those that are 30 or
more years old," the report stated. "The PDBs for the Nixon
period should be included in [historical records]."
Berman, who is in his sixth year as director of the UC
Washington Center - which provides students and faculty an
opportunity to work and live in D.C. - first contacted the
CIA
by letter on March 3 of last year. He requested PDBs from four
dates - Aug. 6 and 8, 1965, and March 31 and April 2, 1968. [He
subsequently dropped the Aug. 8 request.]
In a letter dated April 15, Alan Tate, the acting coordinator
for information and privacy, denied access, stating that the
documents contained "inherently privileged, pre-decisional and
deliberative material for the president." A later administrative
appeal by Berman was also rebuked.
In filing suit, Berman admits, he's eager to "shatter the myth"
that concealment of all PDBs is essential to national security.
As part of his case, Berman provided the court with eight
redacted PDBs from the Johnson administration that had been
released by the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and
Museum in Austin, Texas. Five were from June 5-9, 1967, at the
height of the Six Days War between Israel and several Arab
states.
The intelligence in the documents isn't shocking, but provides
an interesting look at what the president was being told at a
crucial time in history. Not only was the Mideast war taking
place, but both the Vietnam conflict and the Cold War were in
full rage.
"The Soviets are finding it hard to conceal their shock over the
rapid Egyptian military collapse," one brief states, with one
Russian military man allegedly wondering how they could have
gotten themselves into "such a mess."
Another says the Vietnamese are trying to create the illusion of
"a war no one can win," while yet another makes the almost
comical report that the U.S. embassy in Cairo "was not set on
fire as reported in this morning's Washington Post."
While such statements might not seem important on their own, to
scholars they could shed light on other decisions.
"It may not be innocuous to someone who's in the know," said
Burke.
The Vietnam era's continuing influence on current politics, he
said, is reflected by last year's intense debate over Democratic
presidential nominee John Kerry's military service and
allegations that President Bush used connections to escape the
war zone.
"It is fair to say that the more current the bulletin, the more
likely there is sensitive information," Burke said. "But, at
some point, everybody would agree it's just history. The point
is that you shouldn't have to wait 100 years."
The case is Berman v. Central Intelligence Agency, S-0402699.
(www.law.com)
******************
March 9, 2005
HOUSTON Oi! OH,
IT’S SOUTH VIETNAM
Kevin Southwick,
Nha Magazine
“I’m a born-again Texan.” - Lan Cao
The aroma of pho ga, the murmuring of a pop song from
Viet Nam, the comings and goings of Vietnamese families in and
out of stores and restaurants chattering in Vietnamese. A
sultry, shifty, humid sky, rice fields and oceans not an hour
away…No, my friend, you’re not in Sai Gon. You’re in Houston,
Texas! Make yourself at home with the thousands of Vietnamese
Houstonians!
And what a home: the oil and gas capital of the U.S., the
largest medical center in the world, the NASA Space Center, a
thriving arts culture, and the second largest population of
Vietnamese people in America outside of Los Angeles. The
unofficial count is now over 100,000 in a metropolitan area of
five million, the population of Sai Gon.
It has three Vietnamese radio stations and one cable TV station,
several bookstores, uncountable restaurants, and two major
international airports from which you can hop back to Viet Nam
on almost any day of the year. Many here do.
And most recently, plans are brewing for an official designation
of part of Midtown as “Little Saigon.” Yes, the Vietnamese have
indeed arrived.
Just how did this come to be?
The Cradle of Midtown
“I’m a born-again Texan,” says Nicole Cao, a banking officer who
arrived here in 1976 with bittersweet memories of her homeland.
“I did not just lose a country and scores of relatives. I lost
my identity.” But with hard work, she made a new one. In 1979,
she and her new husband, a budding pharmacist, managed to buy a
large, old, vacant building and open a pharmacy. The deserted
area of town was largely abandoned by businesses. Asian gangs
were a problem.
To create a customer base, she and her husband gave free office
space to doctors whose customers then began to buy from Cao’s
Milam Pharmacy. Meanwhile, the first Midtown Vietnamese grocery
store attracted more Vietnamese from outside the area. Holy
Rosary Catholic Church had already begun offering two Vietnamese
masses every Sunday, drawing many to the area.
“I went to the owners of nearby properties and they laughed when
I told them we should work together to fight crime.” They
underestimated Nicole Cao. She joined efforts with several
business owners who also wanted security. And with Steve
Bancroft, pastor of Trinity Episcopal Church on Main Street, she
formed the Midtown Redevelopment Association, which helped raise
money and awareness in the community.
Several small Vietnamese shopping centers sprung up. The city
council took notice and had
Vietnamese street
signs put up in the area: Nguyen Hue, Hai Ba Trung, Tu Do, Phan
Thanh Gian. A huge real estate revival took off in 1999 and
trendy town homes soon popped up all around Midtown.
But Cao isn’t stopping there. Based on a remake of Kelly Park in
San Jose, California, she’s promoting a redesign of Elizabeth
Baldwin Park. “It’ll have jogging and walking trails,” she says,
pointing to an artistic rendering, “and a small focal point of
Vietnamese interest.” Parts of the park will pay tribute to
other ethnic groups as well.
And of being a Viet-Houstonian, Cao says, “Houstonians welcome
you as someone interesting. They’re accustomed to seeing and
living near people from different cultures.”
Down the Southwest Corridor
But Midtown was just the beginning. The Vietnamese population
began following many of the Chinese businesses to the southwest
along a corridor defined by Bellaire Boulevard and the Southwest
Freeway which lead 25 miles out towards Sugarland, a
middle-class enclave with a 23 percent Asian population.
“This is a big city and it’s getting bigger,” says Pierre
Nguyen, who owns two video rental stores catering to
Vietnamese-only speakers. Customers come and go from his store
with not one or two, but whole bags of rented videos. He opened
the first store in Mekong Center, a small Midtown shopping
center, then followed the Vietnamese market to Bellaire
Boulevard with a second store across from the landmark Hong Kong
Mall. The Vietnamese center of gravity was shifting dramatically
to the southwest.
Pierre says that Vietnamese investments have cycled upwards from
convenience stores, cleaners, and small shops to real estate,
shopping centers, and pharmaceuticals. “Vietnamese people are
moving here from the northern U.S. and California. Houston is
still affordable, but who knows what real estate values will be
in five years. It’s a good place to invest. In the next five
years the Vietnamese community will be huge,” says Nguyen
proudly.
“Here, the new Vietnamese immigrants can follow the same path as
us: work, save, start a business, study English.”
“My family received no government help at all. Now we own office
buildings, a pharmaceutical products company, an immigration
service company, and other small businesses.”
And the culture is being preserved. “The older generation was
thinking ahead by teaching their children Vietnamese language
and culture at home, at churches and temples. I speak Vietnamese
to my six-year-old son. He’ll pick up English at school,” says
Nguyen.
Woman Warrior
“I have no fear,” says business owner Pamela Ngo Tranpark. Her
dauntless spunk and business acumen are the modern equivalent of
those women warriors of Vietnamese folklore.
“I was six when my family left Viet Nam and I remember the boat
trip where we almost didn’t make it.” At the depths of the
ordeal, she said, her father prayed and pledged to build a
temple in the U.S. if they survived.
“When we came to Houston, my parents worked at menial jobs in a
dangerous part of town to support six children. I organized my
siblings to run the household. When our parents came home we
would have them sit, massage their feet, feed them and clean up
after dinner. And they said our job was to make straight A’s.
Our family valued education.”
That was years ago. Now Tranpark’s parents own a shopping center
in Midtown. She’s a thirty-something successful realtor and
mortgage broker and Midtown booster. Tranpark is instrumental in
the current push for an official “Little Saigon” designation of
part of Midtown. “I want a tangible community symbol of our
culture, the Vietnamese culture I know and grew up in. That was
the only thing I could hold on to. It’s my roots. And I want it
to continue for my children.”
Tranpark’s business is a family effort. Her father and siblings
work with her. “My father has always reminded us of our family
motto: If we’re one chopstick, anybody can break us, but if
we’re two chopsticks nobody can break us.”
And that temple? It’s one of the largest Buddhist temples in the
U.S.
The Object of Academia
Steve Kleinberg, a prominent sociologist at Houston’s Rice
University, has been tracking Houston demographics for several
years with a special eye on the growing Asian community and its
interesting effect on the city.
“Houston’s Anglos are now a minority population. The city has
become a land of immigrants for the first time since 1914.”
He recognizes the challenges of Vietnamese in Houston in a
high-tech economy.
“The Greeks, Polish and Italians who came with fifth-grade
educations could follow a path to a professional job, though it
may have taken three generations. Today the Vietnamese don’t
have an (national) economy that allows them to step up. It’s a
tremendous challenge in education and they know it. Not all of
them make it.”
“Now in the second generation you see successful hardworking
Vietnamese with all the pressure and sacrifices from the first
generation.”
Are Vietnamese accepted more today among Americans? “There are
positive stereotypes that Americans have that the Vietnamese are
a model minority. That can be a hindrance.”
“The Vietnamese today come into a Vietnamese community that can
help them. They’ve all come from battling communism, just like
the Cubans. They reach out to each other, pay attention to each
other’s kids. Now there are many social economic resources
available, a lot of social capital.”
Cultural Survival
While making slow but steady economic progress, there is also a
pointed effort on many fronts to preserve Vietnamese culture by
providing social, educational, and community services: the
Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce, the Vietnamese Culture and
Science Association (see the March/April 2004 issue of NHA
Magazine) Research Development Institute and several budding
political action committees.
The Asian Pacific American Heritage Association addresses the
same concerns for a wider group of Asians and has within it a
Vietnamese group.
Home is Where the Heart is
The Vietnamese came to the U.S. with much the same disposition
as that fabled Thy Kieu, in search not only of home but of heart
and soul. Houston Vietnamese have not merely survived but have
prospered. The city feels their cultural and economic impact,
their love for homeland, freedom, and their American brethren.
Quintessentially American, yet still Vietnamese in language,
manner and pride, in Houston they have reached a critical mass
where a collective heart abounds, tying each to each, sister to
brother, parent to child, to make Houston more than just a mere
place of refuge, more than a home. It’s a staging ground for
bringing the future to the thriving new generations in their
homeland.
For this is Houston. In the future, anything can happen.
(http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=8959a76f696e63b7926b689020738747)
******************
March 11, 2005
PROFESSOR JOHN TSU - EDUCATOR, ADVOCATE FOR ASIAN AMERICANS
By Joe Garofoli, Chronicle Staff Writer
A
funeral will be held Saturday for John Bosco Tsu, a Millbrae
resident who was a lifelong educator, national leader in the
Asian American community, presidential appointee and mentor to
many generations.
Professor Tsu died Feb. 26 at Seton Medical Center in Daly City
of heart failure. He was 80.
Professor Tsu was born in China's Jilin province in 1924. After
studying in Japan in his youth, he received his law degree from
the University of Tokyo Law School in 1946.
Soon after graduating, he immigrated to the United States, where
he received a master's in political science from Georgetown
University in 1949 and a doctorate in political science from
Fordham University in 1954.
While a professor at Seton Hall University in the late 1950s and
1960s, he helped pioneer teaching the Chinese and Japanese
languages in elementary and secondary schools in the United
States.
In 1965, he married Susan Fu, an accomplished artist.
In the early 1970s, he met future President George H.W. Bush at
the United Nations, and the two became friends. Professor Tsu
would later become a presidential appointee of Republican
Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and George
H.W. Bush. In 2001, President George W. Bush named him chairman
of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and
Pacific Islanders.
"Dr. Tsu was one of the great leaders of the Asian Pacific
American community, and a tireless advocate for our inclusion in
government, in education, and in American society as a whole,"
said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norm Mineta, who knew
Professor Tsu for decades, dating back to Mineta's political
career in California.
In a speech in July honoring Professor Tsu with a Special
Tribute Award at the International Leadership Foundation in
Washington, U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao detailed his
accomplishments in helping others.
When President George H.W. Bush appointed him as co-chair of the
Presidential Personnel Advisory Committee, Chao said, Professor
Tsu recommended more than 150 Asian Pacific Americans for
appointment. In 2001, Chao said President George W. Bush asked
Professor Tsu to help with appointments of more than 210 Asian
Pacific Americans to positions in his administration.
In response to Professor Tsu's death, Chao said: "Always a
champion of education and the power of ideas, Dr. Tsu constantly
looked for ways to provide greater opportunities and access to
mainstream America for the Asian American and Pacific Islander
community."
That spirit continued after he moved to the Bay Area in 1977 to
direct the Multicultural and Bilingual Program at the University
of San Francisco. He became a tireless advocate for Asian
Americans, friends said, attending events not just of Chinese
American community groups, but of Japanese, Filipino, Vietnamese
and other nationalities.
"Any Asian American in the Bush administrations was either
recommended by Dr. Tsu, or he pushed hard to get them there,"
said Albert Chang, a friend of 30 years.
Partially in response to the Communist takeover of China,
friends said, Professor Tsu became an avid supporter of the
Republican Party once he moved to the United States. "Dr. Tsu
was the elder statesman, the guiding light of the Republican
Party in the Asian American community," said Donald Casper,
former chair of the San Francisco Republican Party.
More than anything, friends and colleagues say, Professor Tsu
was a lifelong educator. He served as a regent at John F.
Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill and was a professor,
department head and visiting scholar at such institutions as
Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and the Hoover Institution at
Stanford University.
Professor Tsu is survived by his wife.
A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Duggan's
Serra Mortuary,
500
Westlake Ave. in Daly City. A burial service will follow at Holy
Cross Memorial Park.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. April 9 at Cathedral
St. Mary of the Assumption,
1111 Gough St.,
San Francisco.
(http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/03/11/BAG8OBNF671.DTL)
******************
March 11, 2005
'The children were unarmed' -- Human rights violations continue
against Hmong in Laos
By
Marion Lang, Correspondent
The Dunn County News
No translator was needed to understand the sorrow and grief
expressed by a Hmong-American woman from Menomonie struggling to
maintain control as she spoke about the continued killing of the
Hmong in Laos. She pleaded for the United States government to
intervene and save the lives of thousands of Hmong soldiers and
their families still living in the remote jungles of Laos.
The speaker was one of 60 people, including representatives of
Senator Herb Kohl and Congressman Ron Kind, participating in a
conference called "Genocide Against Hmong People," held March 5
at the Menomonie Public Library. Conferences have also been held
in Green Bay, Appleton and Madison.
Organized by Lao Human Rights Council, the conference presented
disturbing information about human rights violations and war
crimes against the Hmong in Laos and the killing, since 1975, of
300,000 Hmong by the Laotian and Vietnamese governments.
A joint statement on Laos, written by the Lao Human Rights
Council and the Wisconsin Lao Veterans of America, was issued,
urging the United Nations and the United States to find
solutions to the problems faced by Hmong still living in Laos.
Dr. Pobzeb Vang, executive director of the Lao Human Rights
Council, labeled the killing as "genocide and ethnic cleansing
like that of the Nazis against the Jews." He accused the Lao and
Vietnamese of using chemical weapons, stated that the White
House, State Department, United Nations, and American Red Cross
must be pressured to address violations of human rights against
over 20,000 Hmong soldiers and their families still living in
the jungles of Laos.
Vang said there is an immediate and pressing need for medical
assistance, food and basic human aid. He suggested that
additional actions include one or more of the following:
* Create a safe zone within Laos
* Establish refugee camps in Thailand
* Allow resettlement of these Hmong to the United States
* Hold the Lao government accountable for human rights
violations.
Filmed on
May
19, 2004, a videotape recently smuggled out of Laos was
presented as evidence of atrocities committed by Lao soldiers
against Hmong children. The graphic tape depicts the effects of
a horrific crime allegedly committed by a group of Laotian
soldiers who attacked, raped, tortured and killed five young
people, four girls and a boy, ranging in ages from 13 to 16.
According to witnesses, several groups of people were searching
for food, among them a photographer who was visiting the
encampment of Hmong, when the incident occurred. Several other
young people were seriously injured but escaped. Others hid
until the shooting stopped and a Laotian army helicopter
photographed by the video camera, flew from the scene.
Amnesty International, an international human rights
organization, has issued a report about the incident, calling
the attacks "war crimes," and stating that the "attacks violate
the most fundamental principals of international human rights
and humanitarian law."
The statement also notes that the "children were unarmed."
In the report Amnesty states, "The Lao authorities must, as a
matter of utmost urgency, permit U.N. agencies and independent
monitors unfettered access to those rebels who have recently
reported to have surrendered. They must also permit humanitarian
agencies to provide medical and food assistance to those injured
as a result of this and other military actions against the
rebels."
Vang, who has worked for more than 18 years on behalf of Lao
human rights issues, has met with both the U.N. High
Commissioner for Refugees and the High Commissioner for Human
Rights in Geneva, Switzerland. He has also presented evidence of
human rights abuse to the Thai ambassador to the U.N.
Vang cited recent support from the mayors of Appleton, Madison
and Green Bay, who issued proclamations supporting efforts to
bring "these remaining Hmong to freedom." He also praised
Wisconsin's Congressional delegation, saying they had shown
strong support, but added that without broader support from a
majority of senators and representatives -- and particularly
without the support of the White House -- the dire situation for
the Hmong remaining in Laos will not change.
According to a statement issued by Senator Kohl and read at the
conference by his representative Marjorie Bunce, "the State
Department is taking the evidence on the video tape very
seriously."
Kohl also cites the Lao government as an obstacle, stating,
"restrictions put in place by the Lao government prevent policy
makers, journalists, and humanitarian groups [from having]
access to the situation on the ground, making it very difficult
to determine the facts surrounding the treatment of the Hmong."
After many years reporting human rights violations and war
crimes, however, neither the While House, State Department nor
the U.N. has condemned the Lao government or taken action to
help the Hmong in the jungle region, Vang said.
The soldiers and their families, about whom Vang and the Hmong-American
community are concerned, are the remaining Hmong, who, from the
1960s through 1975, fought for the
CIA
alongside American soldiers against the Communists in a "secret
war" in Laos.
Pang Blia Vang, president of the Wisconsin Lao Veterans of
American explained, "Along with American soldiers, we worked
side by side, like brothers."
When the war in Laos and Vietnam ended in 1975 and the
Communists won, thousands of Hmong realized they could no longer
live safely in Laos and fled to refugee camps in Thailand. Since
that time, the Hmong resettled in the U.S., Australia , France
and other nations.
Presently Wisconsin, along with Minnesota, is home to one of the
country's largest Hmong populations. Most recently, under a
special State Department program, 20,000 Hmong who had been
living for many years on the grounds of a Buddhist monastery in
Thailand began the process of resettling in the United States.
Menomonie resident Kong Vang explained, "There was an oral
agreement between the Hmong and the Americans. We would support
the Americans in the war and the Americans agreed if the war was
lost to help us leave Laos. I am beyond frustration. I feel
helpless. I feel that because we have no money or power, my
voice has been marginalized."
Pobzeb Vang asked, "Why, after 30 years, hasn't the United
States intervened in Laos? Why has the United States done
nothing to stop the killing or condemn the human right
violations occurring in Laos? I want to know when.
Today? Tomorrow? The next 30 days? The next 30 years? It cannot
be soon enough. Time is running out."
(http://www.dunnconnect.com/articles/2005/03/11/news/news03.txt)
******************
March 13, 2005
US TRAVEL BAN PROPOSED FOR VIETNAMESE OFFICIALS BEHIND RELIGIOUS
PERSECUTION
WASHINGTON (AFP)
- The Bush administration is being urged to impose a travel ban
on government officials in Vietnam who commit religious
persecution as among sanctions to punish the country for its
dismal religious rights record.
The State Department for the first time last year blacklisted
Vietnam as a "country of particular concern for egregious,
ongoing, and systematic abuses of the freedom of religion and
belief."
The designation carries with it the possibility of sanctions if
the Vietnamese government fails to address concerns about
religious freedom abuses.
Following consultations with Hanoi, the State Department will
recommend actions against Vietnam to Congress and President
George W. Bush this week, officials said.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), a
10-member panel jointly appointed by Bush and Congress, has
proposed "rendering inadmissible for entry into the United
States any Vietnamese government official who was responsible
for or directly carried out such violations."
The commission did not identify them but they could include
Cabinet and other high ranking officials.
In a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the
commission also called for up to one million dollars in US
allocations for programs that will directly promote freedom of
religion and belief and related human rights in Vietnam.
Although Bush has the authority to waive any action against
Vietnam, the Commission "firmly believes that to do so would
effectively render meaningless" the US legal process, said the
letter, a copy of which was made available to AFP.
It would also "undermine our nation's commitment to the
promotion of freedom of religion or belief throughout the
world," the commission said.
"These are not economic sanctions, but targeted responses that
directly address the problem," said Binh Vo, president of the
non-partisan Vietnamese-American Public Affairs Committee, which
promotes involvement of Vietnamese-Americans in the political
system.
The Vietnamese communist government imposes strict controls over
religious organizations and treats leaders of unauthorized
religious groups with intense suspicion, branding many of them
as subversives, US-based Human Rights Watch charged.
Targeted in particular are ethnic minority Christians,
Mennonites, and members of the independent Unified Buddhist
Church of Vietnam. There are hundreds of religious prisoners in
the country, Human Rights Watch said.
While relations between the Vatican and Vietnam have warmed in
recent years, at least three Roman Catholics remain in prison.
They include 64-year-old Father Pham Minh Tri, who has been
imprisoned for the last 18 years, despite suffering dementia for
most of the past decade.
"The Bush Administration needs to send a strong message to the
Vietnamese government that the US will not tolerate this kind of
persecution," said Brad Adams, Asia Director of Human Rights
Watch, in an "open" letter to Rice.
Those behind violence against religious believers, including by
civilians acting in concert with government officials, should be
investigated and punished, he said.
Such incidents include the violent suppression of the April 2004
protests by Montagnards in Vietnam's Central Highlands, and
reports of torture, beatings and killings of ethnic minority
Protestants in both the Central and Northern Highlands, he said.
The US blacklisting had made the Vietnamese authorities more
sensitive to the appearance of the regimes policies on religion,
but has not significantly altered its repressive policies, Vo
said.
Many religious leaders such as Pastor Nguyen Hong Quang and
Buddhist leader Thich Quang Do remain in jail or under virtual
house arrest.
According to a Vietnamese Catholic priest, Chan Tin, a few
dissidents released by the government as part of the Lunar New
Year amnesty this year were only "released" but are not truly
"free," Vo said.
(http://asia.news.designerz.com/us-travel-ban-proposed-for-vietnamese-officials-behind-religious-persecution.html?d20050313)
******************
About NCVA
Founded in 1986, the National Congress of Vietnamese
Americans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community advocacy
organization working to advance the cause of Vietnamese
Americans in a plural but united America – e pluribus unum –
by participating actively and fully as civic minded citizens
engaged in the areas of education, culture and civil
liberties.
Copyright material is distributed without profit or payment for
research and educational purposes only, in accordance with Title
17 U.S.C. section 107
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