NCVA eREPORTER
- January 11, 2005
In this NCVA eReporter:
Events
Funding Opportunities
Jobs/Internships
News
******************
EVENTS
VIET HERITAGE SOCIETY COMMUNITY SERVICE
AND
LEADERSHIP AWARD
On
February 28, 2005, Viet Heritage Society (VHS) will be holding
an Inaugural Gala Celebration at the San Jose Museum of Art. The
purpose of the black-tie affair is to introduce the Vietnamese
Heritage Garden and Historical Museum Project to the community
and to fundraise for this great undertaking. Part of the
proceeds from this event will also go to the VHS/VANG national
academic scholarship program,
www.vangUSA.com. The theme of this year's Gala is
"Celebrating Community.” In keeping with this theme, Viet
Heritage Society will also be honoring a community leader at the
event.
To help facilitate the selection of a recipient for the 2005
Community Service and Leadership Award, we are opening the
nomination process to the public. If you or anyone you know
would like to nominate an individual for this award, please
email your nomination(s) to
Info@VietHeritageSociety.org. All nominations must be
received by
February 4, 2005
and comply with the criteria set below for consideration.
Thank you,
Viet Heritage Society
(1) Individual has been heavily involved in community and/or
public service work (locally or abroad)
(2) Individual has helped to bring about change and awareness in
the community through his/her work
(3) Individual's commitment and dedication has greatly inspired
others to serve their community through his/her work
(4) Individual is of Vietnamese descent
(5) Individual currently resides in the State of California
(6) Please include a biography, curriculum vitae, resume or any
articles written about the individual and the community work
that he/she has carried out.
Information may be sent via email, fax, or regular mail.
Viet Heritage Society
1654 Burdette Drive, Suite 180
San Jose, CA 95121
(408) 238-7780- phone
(408) 238-0107- fax
http://www.vietheritagesociety.org/
Info@VietHeritageSociety.org
******************
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
FUNDS
FOR TRACK RENOVATION
AND
CONSTRUCTION
Bowerman Track Renovation Program
The Bowerman Track Renovation Program, administered by Nike's
Community Affairs department, provides matching cash grants to
community-based, youth-oriented organizations anywhere in the
world that seek to refurbish or construct running tracks.
Applicants must demonstrate a need for running track
refurbishment or construction and must provide track access to
neighboring communities. Special consideration will be given to
existing running tracks in need of repair or refurbishment and
tracks located in low and moderate-income communities. Nonprofit
organizations, schools, and governmental units throughout the
U.S. and charitable nongovernmental organizations outside of the
U.S. are eligible to apply. Applications are accepted
year-round.
(http://www.nike.com/nikebiz/nikebiz.jhtml?page=26&item=bowerman)
******************
FOCUS ON YOUTH DEPRESSION
The Nick Traina Foundation
The Nick Traina Foundation, founded by author Danielle Steel as
a legacy to her son who lost his life to manic-depression,
supports organizations involved in the diagnosis, research,
treatment, and/or family support of manic-depression, suicide
prevention, child abuse and children in jeopardy, and provides
assistance to struggling musicians in the areas of health and
mental illness. The Foundation may give special consideration to
proposals that address manic-depression in children and young
adults. Nonprofit organizations throughout the U.S. are eligible
to apply and applications are accepted year-round.
(http://www.nicktrainafoundation.org/)
******************
FUNDING FOR INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES
AND
ORGANIZATIONS
Seventh Generation Fund
The Seventh Generation Fund is dedicated to promoting and
maintaining the uniqueness of Native peoples and nations. The
Fund supports projects in the areas of arts and cultural
expression; environmental health and justice; indigenous peoples
of the Americas, emphasizing alliances between indigenous
peoples of North America and indigenous peoples of South
America; sacred earth, including efforts to protect and preserve
sacred places and traditional spiritual practices; and
sustainable communities. In addition, the Fund's California
Native Health Initiative provides support for the renewal of
healthy Native nations within California. Supported projects
should be focused in the Native communities with purpose, design
and implementation strategy originating from the indigenous
peoples being served. Indigenous communities and organizations
throughout North and South America are eligible to apply. The
next application deadline is
March 1, 2005.
(http://www.7genfund.org/)
******************
SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN
AND
YOUTH
Milagro Foundation
The Milagro Foundation, supported by the Santana family and its
musical organization, provides funds to community-based,
grassroots nonprofit organizations that work with children and
youth in the San Francisco Bay area, the United States, and
countries around the world in which the Santana Band performs.
The Foundation focuses its grantmaking in three areas: helping
children and youth live healthy lives through education and
prevention of disease; helping children and youth live literate
lives through learning; and helping children and youth live
culturally enriched lives through arts education. Applications
are accepted throughout the year and may be submitted online via
the Foundation's website. Visit the website listed above for
more information.
(http://www.milagrofoundation.org/)
******************
FOCUS ON EDUCATION, AGRICULTURE,
AND
THE ENVIRONMENT
Pioneer Hi-Bred International: Community Investment Program
Pioneer Hi-Bred International's Community Investment Program
supports efforts to improve the quality of life in the
communities where the company's customers and employees live and
work, including international locations. Grantmaking is focused
on education, agriculture, and the environment. Priority is
given to nonprofit organizations located in Pioneer facility
communities or rural agricultural regions. Applications are
accepted throughout the year.
(http://www.pioneer.com/pioneer_info/corporate/us_guidelines.htm)
******************
THE MEYER FOUNDATION SUBMISSION DATE FOR LETTERS OF INTEREST
NEARS
The Meyer Foundation works to develop Greater Washington, DC as
a community by supporting capable, community-based nonprofit
organizations that foster the well-being of all people in the
region. The Foundation is especially concerned about low-income
people and creating healthy neighborhoods and values, and seeks
to promote the region's diversity. The Meyer Foundation requires
any nonprofit interested in funding to submit a letter of
inquiry. The next submission deadline is February 11, 2005.
(http://meyerfdn.org/)
******************
AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION: PARTNERSHIPS IN LAW
AND AGING PROGRAM
The Partnerships in Law and Aging Program, created by the
American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging and the
Albert and Elaine Borchard Foundation Center on Law and Aging,
helps legal services and other organizations meet the
law-related needs of elders in their communities. The
application deadline is March 1, 2005.
(http://www.abanet.org/aging/)
******************
JOBS/INTERNSHIPS
SAN FRANCISCO FOUNDATION 2005-2007 MULTICULTURAL FELLOWSHIP
PROGRAM
The San Francisco Foundation is recruiting for the 2005-2007
Multicultural Fellowship Program. Designed as a two-year
full-time program, the Multicultural
Fellowship assists in the development of professionals
in the nonprofit and public sectors. The goals of the
multicultural fellowship program are to provide professionals of
color, early in their career, with challenging work experiences
and opportunities in the areas of grantmaking and community
building in the Bay Area and to enhance their professional
development as future foundation, nonprofit, or public service
leaders.
This year, the fellowship program is seeking one fellow in each
of the following program areas: Community Health,
Neighborhood and Community Development, and Environment.
The fellowship positions will commence in May, 2005.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The San Francisco Foundation is organized into six program areas
that have staff with specific subject matter expertise and
experience with different kinds of organizations. The entire
program staff brings rich perspectives from different kinds of
community work to the Foundation – including grantmaking,
comprehensive community initiatives, neighborhood projects,
technical assistance in organizational development, and public
policy work on a county, regional, or statewide level.
The general qualifications for the fellowship program are:
Self-directed individual and team player, demonstrated
interest in nonprofit service, strong written, communication,
analytical skills, computer and word processing skills,
including Windows and Microsoft Word, volunteer and/or work
experience in one of the Foundation’s specific program areas,
ability to maintain quality work standards with a high volume of
work. A master’s degree in a relevant area or equivalent
research and analysis experience preferred.
Community Health Program Fellow Qualifications:
Knowledge of key concepts and principles related to community
health promotion. Experience working on such issues as access,
health disparities, health education, health prevention,
treatment and underserved populations. Understanding of trends
in the delivery and funding of health services on the local
level is important. Background in assessing community needs,
health policy, and community planning is welcomed.
Environment Fellow Qualifications: Education and
experience in the area of environmental advocacy, sustainable
economies, environmental health and justice, and policy work. A
background in bay area environmental justice issues and
environmental sustainability is desired.
Neighborhood and Community Development Program Fellow
Qualifications: Knowledge of community development and
anti-poverty strategies with an understanding of community and
economic security issues confronting low-income people.
Background in workforce development, homeless assistance, or
affordable housing desired.
Compensation: $39,520 - $44,720 annually
Application Deadline:
February 7, 2005
Interested applicants should submit a résumé and cover letter to
The San Francisco Foundation. Please specify the program area
to which you are applying. Upon receipt of your résumé and
cover letter you will receive via email a set of questions
requiring your written response that should be returned by the
designated due date. Please note that during the second half
of 2004, recruitment for Neighborhood and Community Development
and Community Health fellowship positions was postponed. Prior
applicants must resubmit resumes and cover letters for
consideration.
Please send résumé and cover letter to:
fellowship@sff.org or me at The San Francisco Foundation,
225 Bush Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94104 fax: (415)
477-2783, phone: (415) 733-8500.
SPECIAL INFORMATION SESSION:
The San Francisco Foundation is holding a one-time-only
information session on Friday,
February 4, 2005 from
2:00 pm
- 4:00 pm at our offices. This will be an opportunity to meet our
current fellows, program officers, and other staff while
acquiring additional information about the fellowship program.
(www.sff.org)
******************
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION ASIAN AMERICAN/PACIFIC
ISLANDER (AAPI)
AND NATIVE AMERICAN/ALASKA NATIVE (NAAN) INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
($550 Per Week)
The Maryland Vietnamese Mutual Association, Inc. (MVMA)
serving as a non-profit partner of the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), is recruiting college students
nationwide for the FAA AAPI/NAAN Internship Program. Numerous
internships are available at FAA headquarter and field offices
throughout the United States. The FAA is a technical
organization responsible for every aspect of the aviation
industry, and therefore MVMA is looking for undergraduate and
graduate students who are majoring in aviation studies,
engineering (aerospace, civil, electronics, electrical and
mechanical), computer science, economics, math, law, and
business administration.
FAA AAPI/NAAN Interns will gain professional and technical
experience, and will have the opportunity to apply what they
have learned in a professional setting. The internship program
is intended to better prepare AAPI and NAAN college students for
entering professional positions in the public and private
sector. If selected, Interns must be able to work full-time for
15 weeks during the Spring Semester, 10 weeks during the Summer,
or 15 weeks during the Fall Semester. Each FAA AAPI/NAAN
Intern will receive a stipend of $450 per week; a housing
allowance of $100 per week; and limited travel reimbursement
(round-trip transportation to/from their duty station).
WHO
MAY APPLY
To be considered for the FAA AAPI/NAAN Internship Program, an
undergraduate or graduate student must:
1. Be a U.S. Citizen;
2. Have completed 12 semester credit hours from a junior college
or 60 semester credit hours from four-year college or university
with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a scale
of 4.0; or be a graduate student with minimum cumulative grade
point average of 3.0/4.0.
HOW TO APPLY
The application package is attached and can also be downloaded
from MVMA’s website at
www.mdvietmutual.org. The applicable deadlines for all
application materials are as follows:
· November 1st for Spring Semester (January-April)
· February 15th for Summer (June-August)
· July 1st for Fall Semester (September-December)
Step 1: All applicants must submit all of the following
softcopy items by email to the MVMA Internship Program
Manager at
FAA.Intern@mdvietmutual.org by applicable deadline:
1. A completed application (see attachment or download at
www.mdvietmutual.org);
2. A one-page resume (see suggested resume format attached);
3. An unofficial college transcript from all schools
attended (also see Step 2);
4. A one-page personal essay describing your career goals
(maximum of 250 words).
Step 2: All applicants are also required to submit all of
the following hardcopy items by mail (altogether in
one package postmarked by the applicable deadline) addressed
to MVMA, Internship Program Manager,
17101 Overhill Drive, Rockville, MD 20855:
1. A completed and signed application (from Step 1);
2. An official college transcript from all schools
attended;
3. Two (2) letters of recommendation from professor, employer
and/or community member who are is not related to the applicant
(use attached forms or download at www.mdvietmutual.org ).
Failure to submit all required application materials by the
applicable deadline may result in nonconsideration.
For more information, please email your questions to the
Internship Program Manager at
FAA.Intern@mdvietmutual.org.
(www.mdvietmutual.org)
******************
NEWS
January 1, 2005
THE
FOREIGN-BORN HMONG IN THE UNITED STATES
By Jennifer Yau
Migration Policy Institute
The summer of 2004 marked the beginning of the latest refugee
wave from the US Cold War involvement in Indochina. Over 15,000
Hmong refugees from Laos, who have spent years in Thailand, are
being resettled in the US.
This Spotlight provides an overview of the political
developments marking their experience as refugees over the last
three decades, as well as statistics representing the Hmong's
demographic impact in the United States.
Developments Shaping Policies Toward Hmong Refugees:
*
The Hmong in the United States are mainly from Laos, where they
are considered an ethnic minority group.
*
The root of the Hmong refugee experience lies in an alliance
with American Cold War efforts in Laos.
*
Since 1975, more than 200,000 Hmong have fled Laos as refugees.
Thailand has been the staging arena for the resettlement or
repatriation of most Hmong refugees.
*
Because of their role in the US-led war in Laos, approximately
90 percent of Hmong refugees have been resettled to the United
States.
*
All official refugee camps in Thailand serving the Hmong were
closed in the mid-1990s.
*
The Hmong community at Wat Tham Krabok monastery, though not
officially recognized as a refugee camp, was tolerated by Thai
officials until a decision to close the complex in 2003. This
led to the latest resettlement program for Hmong refugees to the
US.
A Statistical Overview of Hmong Immigrants in the US:
*
There are approximately 103,000 foreign-born Hmong in the United
States.
*
The states with the largest number of Hmong immigrants are
California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
*
While the foreign-born Hmong make up less than one-half of one
percent of the foreign-born population in the United States,
they account for approximately 10 percent of immigrants in
Minnesota and Wisconsin.
*
The metropolitan areas with the most Hmong immigrants are the
Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota-Wisconsin, area, and the Fresno,
California, area.
Developments Shaping Policies Toward Hmong Refugees:
The Hmong in the United States are mainly from Laos, where
they are considered an ethnic minority group. In Laos, the
Hmong are one of several ethnic groups that have traditionally
lived in the highland areas of the country. Approximately
315,000 are still in Laos. Several million Hmong also live in
China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Burma.
The root of the Hmong refugee experience lies in an alliance
with American Cold War efforts in Laos. Concerned about a
Communist takeover of Indochina, the United States engaged in a
CIA-led ground operation in Laos from the early 1960s to 1975.
The Hmong, who Americans believed had exceptional combat skills,
made up most of the manpower in this effort. Not all Hmong,
however, joined the US effort.
Since 1975, more than 200,000 Hmong have fled Laos as
refugees. Thailand has been the staging arena for the
resettlement or repatriation of most Hmong refugees. In May
1975, when communist takeover of Laos seemed imminent, the US
arranged to airlift between 1,000 and 3,000 Hmong into Thailand.
By December 1975, when the Lao People's Democratic Republic was
formed, an estimated 44,000 Hmong had fled to Thailand as
refugees.
The earliest Hmong refugees who fled the country consisted
mainly of soldiers in the US-led army and their families. Later
waves have fled because of a variety of post-war hardships,
including declining economic conditions, crop failure due to
ineffective communist farm collectivization schemes and drought,
and repression of past and on-going resistance activities.
Because of their role in the US-led war in Laos,
approximately 90 percent of Hmong refugees have been resettled
to the United States. The first flow to the United States
included approximately 3,500 Hmong by December 1975. The 2000
Census counted 102,773 foreign born who self-identified as Hmong.
The largest wave of Hmong immigrants arrived in the United
States during the 1980s. While 15 percent of Hmong immigrants
arrived in the latter half of the 1970s, the 1980s saw a larger
wave of entrants, representing 46 percent of Hmong foreign born
currently in the US. The flow of arrivals in the 1990s
decreased, accounting for 39 percent of current Hmong
immigrants. For more information on the US refugee resettlement
program,
click here.
The Hmong have also been resettled in France, Canada, and
Australia.
Many Hmong, however, have opted to stay in Thailand, waiting
either for a return to Laos without fear of political reprisal,
or until relatives can join them for settlement in a third
country. Some have spent up to 10 years in Thai camps.
All official refugee camps in Thailand serving the Hmong were
closed in the mid-1990s. Because the Thai government has
never officially allowed Hmong resettlement within its borders,
Hmong remaining in camps at the time of their closure were sent
to transit camps to await repatriation to Laos. Several
thousand, however, fled to rural areas of Thailand or to Wat
Tham Krabok, a Buddhist monastery where a local religious leader
organized shelter and services.
The Hmong community at Wat Tham Krabok monastery, though not
officially recognized as a refugee camp, was tolerated by Thai
officials until a decision to close the complex in 2003.
This led to the latest resettlement program for Hmong refugees
to the US. Due to the Laotian government's refusal to accept the
repatriation of the Hmong because of their past resistance
activities, the US agreed to resettle those Hmong registered at
the temple by September 2003. More than 15,000 Hmong have been
approved. At present, approximately 7,800 have arrived in the
US, with the remaining expected to arrive by late spring 2005.
The majority are being resettled in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and
California, where many have relatives who arrived earlier.
A Statistical Overview of Hmong Immigrants in the US:
There are approximately 103,000 foreign-born Hmong in the
United States. According to the 2000 Census, there were
102,773 foreign born in the United States who reported their
race as either Hmong or Hmong in combination with some other
racial category. (For an explanation of Census terms concerning
ethnic and racial groupings, see sidebar.)
The states with the largest number of Hmong immigrants are
California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. According to Census
2000, 84 percent of Hmong immigrants are concentrated in three
states: 41,133 (or 40 percent) live in California, 26,234 (or 26
percent) in Minnesota, and 19,349 (or 19 percent) in Wisconsin.
The states with the next largest Hmong immigrant populations,
North Carolina and Michigan, have significantly lower numbers
(3,923 and 3,785, respectively). Only 15 states are listed in
the 2000 Census as destinations of Hmong immigrants.
While the foreign-born Hmong make up less than one-half of
one percent of the foreign-born population in the United States,
they account for approximately 10 percent of immigrants in
Minnesota and Wisconsin. Of the 31.1 million foreign born in
the United States, only 0.304 percent identified themselves as
Hmong in 2000, according to the US Census Bureau. In contrast,
the Hmong represent approximately 10 percent of immigrants in
Minnesota and Wisconsin. However, in the state with the largest
Hmong immigrant population, California, they made up only 0.46
percent of the foreign-born population.
The metropolitan areas with the most Hmong immigrants are the
Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota-Wisconsin, area, and the Fresno,
California, area. For the 2000 Census, 25,300 of the foreign
born in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota and Wisconsin
identified themselves as Hmong, as did 13,182 in the Fresno,
California, area. The other top five destinations included
Sacramento-Yolo, California (10,941), Milwaukee-Racine,
Wisconsin (4,917), and Merced, California (4,182).
Sources:
Census 2000, US Census Bureau.
Ranard, Donald A. Ranard, Editor (2004). The Hmong: An
Introduction to their History and Culture. Washington D.C.:
Center for Applied Linguistics.
August 2004. "Special Report: Hmong Migration to Wisconsin,"
Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers.
Available
online.
Inquiry to State Department, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and
Migration.
(http://www.migrationinformation.org/USfocus/display.cfm?ID=281)
For Vietnamese: (http://www.migrationinformation.org/USfocus/display.cfm?id=197)
******************
January 4, 2005
ASIAN UNITY
NEEDED TO MEET CHALLENGES
Samson Wong
Asian Week, Editorial
SAN FRANCISCO –– A number of political situations are setting
the tone for our community as we begin 2005. We start in the
Lone Star State, with Hubert Vo's very narrow election to the
Texas Assembly. He is a Democrat and a Vietnamese American. His
defeated opponent was a powerful and long-standing Republican
incumbent. And now, the Republican-controlled state legislature
is taking steps to order a new election.
Among California APA legislators, perhaps bipartisanship should
be the watchword for 2005. Assembly Pro Tem Speaker Leland Yee's
call to open the Asian Pacific American legislative caucus has
merit. All Asian American legislators should be represented,
even Republican members Van Tran, Alan Nakanishi and Shirley
Horton. While they may disagree on policy approaches, they are
nonetheless messengers from our community as much as Democrats
Wilma Chan, Albert Torrico, Judy Chu, Carol Liu and Yee.
In San Francisco, ranked-choice voting ended runoff elections
but not a debate that has raged on into the holiday season.
Proponents and skeptics have exchanged claims about the
successes, shortcomings and failures of RCV.
The debate has degenerated into name-calling, outright lies and
negative campaigning - behaviors that RCV was supposed to
eliminate.
We think it's important to pay attention to the nonpartisan
Chinese American Voters Education Committee's analysis and
polling on this issue. Those trying to discredit this
long-standing organization should be ashamed of themselves.
CAVEC, a leader in registering tens of thousands of voters for
more than 25 years, has every right to be an RCV skeptic,
especially with the specter that RCV elections may well result
in absolutely no APA representation on San Francisco's Board of
Supervisors even though we are 40 percent of the city's
population.
Despite the potential that these situations may result in
negative outcomes, AsianWeek can't help but be cheered on by the
fact that our community has reached the point where we are even
dealing with these kinds of issues. We hope that in 2005, the
questioning and soul- searching will lead us into greater unity
and an even stronger Asian America.
(http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=3f980f3c59e8cb26cac4b043348baf3e)
******************
January 5, 2005
SAVING LIVES THROUGH EARLY DETECTION: REGULAR
PAP TESTS ARE URGED
Latinas, Asian Americans especially Vietnamese women, lesbians
and the uninsured are under-screened
KING
COUNTY, WASHINGTON - For National Cervical Health Awareness
Month in January, Public Health - Seattle & King County and
partners are urging women across the county to visit their
health care providers for their regular Pap test. If caught
early, cervical cancer is almost always curable.
“Pap screenings are extremely valuable and effective in
prevention. By detecting cancer early, Pap tests can save your
life,” said Dr. Alonzo Plough, Director and Health Officer of
Public Health - Seattle & King County.
Regular screening by women has reduced the incidence of cervical
cancer by 42% and cervical cancer deaths by 70%.
Despite the benefits of the Pap test, many women still do not
know about the Pap test or its important role in detecting
cervical cancer. The majority of women with newly diagnosed
invasive cervical cancer have not had a Pap test in the past
five years and may have never had one.
During the month of January, Public Health – Seattle & King
County has teamed up with the National Cancer Institute's Cancer
Information Service in Seattle and International Community
Health Services to raise awareness about the importance of Pap
tests.
* For information about Pap test screening, contact the
Community Health Access Line at 1-800-756-5437.
* More information on cervical cancer, Pap tests and Public
Health centers that offer tests and exams, visit:
www.metrokc.gov/health/famplan/exams.htm
“The Pap test is a public health success. It is one of the first
tests that detects cell changes before they become cancerous,”
said Ellen Phillips-Angeles, Manager of the Washington Breast
and Cervical Health Program at Public Health - Seattle & King
County. “Even if cancer is detected, with regular screening it
is likely to be at an early stage when it is most treatable.”
Less screenings, higher rates among some women:
* Asian-American, Latina, lesbian and low-income women are less
likely than the general population to report having Pap smears.
* Cervical cancer rates and mortality rates are higher among
African-American and Latina women.
“Vietnamese women are much more likely than white women to be
diagnosed with cervical cancer and much less likely to get Pap
smears. For this reason, it is critical to get regular Pap
smears if you have ever been sexually active, even if you feel
healthy," said Dr. Quynh Bui of International Community Health
Services’ Holly Park Clinic.
"There is a proverb in Vietnamese culture that says ‘health is
gold,’ but unfortunately many Vietnamese Americans are not good
practitioners of wellness. Many families usually only see their
doctors when they are sick,” said Lynn Nguyen, a Public Health
Nurse at the North Public Health Center. “Regular screenings are
very important to detect cervical cancer in the early stages.”
“The Latinas we have met face a number of cultural and
communication challenges in obtaining health care. Since many of
these women are underinsured or uninsured, their first question
is always about how to find free or low-cost health services,
but there are resources available to help with screenings,” said
Katherine Briant of the National Cancer Institute's Cancer
Information Service in Seattle.
“Since so many Latina women put their families needs before
their own, the hard part is making sure they call and make an
appointment to get screened. I always encourage the women I meet
to make time to take care of themselves. If they stay healthy,
they will be around for their families in the future,” said
Briant.
For more information on the Breast and Cervical Health Program,
visit:
www.metrokc.gov/health/women/bchp.htm
(http://www.metrokc.gov/health/news/05010503.htm)
In Vietnamese: (http://www.metrokc.gov/health/news/05010502.htm)
******************
January 6, 2004
POLICE TARGET BOSTON ‘SLAVE TRADE’: TASK FORCE TAKES
AIM AT HUMAN TRAFFICKING
By Laurel J. Sweet
Backed with federal money, a Boston-based task force is being
launched to counter the spread of human trafficking in the
region, including, according to some accounts, street gangs
pressing 13-year-olds into prostitution.
``To me,'' said the American Anti-Slavery Group's Liora Kasten,
human trafficking ``is one of the most atrocious things you can
do. It's not just taking someone's life away from them, it's
dehumanizing to the point that they don't even feel like people
anymore.
``And that can be worse than killing someone.''
The growing slave trade is an international blight with a local
impact. As demonstrated by the plights of an Indian nanny fed
table scraps by a Brookline couple and seven Estonian women
coerced by a Brighton businessman to toil in his ``erotic''
massage parlors, today's black-marketer of bodies can be the
neighbor next door.
With sexual servitude their focus, Hub police have been awarded
a $443,000 federal grant to create the Boston Area
Anti-Trafficking Task Force with 10 law-enforcement and
social-service partners, including Massachusetts U.S. Attorney
Michael Sullivan. The group's goal is to increase victim rescues
by 15 percent each year.
``We've arrested girls for prostitution, but we don't get
underneath the surface,'' said Deputy Superintendent Paul
Fitzgerald. ``They may not be the person we should prosecute.
They may be the victim.''
In the past three years, Fitzgerald, head of the Boston Police
Department's major-case squad, said reports have filtered in
from city schools that black and Asian street gangs are pimping
playmates as young as 13.
However, Fitzgerald said, ``We've never been able to
substantiate any of these allegations.''
Human trafficking, he said, is a ``new phenomenon'' for local
investigators that's ``tough to uncover, but we're going to have
a lot of good people involved.''
Fitzgerald has hand-picked Sgt. Detective Kelley O'Connell of
the Youth Violence Strike Force, a 17-year veteran with vast
contacts, to pilot the program.
``The number of actual cases of human trafficking in the Boston
area remains undocumented,'' but as a prime point of entry for
immigration, ``Boston is likely to be one of the major cities to
which people are trafficked,'' a police report says.
The U.S. State Department believes upward of 17,500 people -
some 80 percent of them women and children - are smuggled into
the United States each year to labor in bondage or be sexually
exploited.
But Kasten said even that number is conservative because ``most
of this is so covert'' and victims, because of threats,
embarrassment or mistrust of police, are reluctant to seek
liberation.
(http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=62087)
******************
January 7, 2005
ASIANS SLOW TO
EMBRACE POLITICS
By Yvonne Abraham, Globe Staff
Sam Yoon, the first Asian-American to run for Boston City
Council, can tick off Asian-Americans who have ventured onto the
political stage in Massachusetts on just one hand: a Newton
alderman, a Lowell city councilor, a Randolph selectman, a
couple of others who took a stab at office and didn't succeed.
Though Asian-American communities across the state are growing,
they are not making themselves heard in the political arena.
Voter registration levels among Asian-Americans lag, and
relatively few Asian-Americans run for office, which further
depresses political participation, Yoon and others said.
"There's a kind of chicken-vs.-egg problem," said Yoon, director
of housing at the Asian Community Development Corporation, in
Boston's Chinatown. "A lot of Asians don't participate in
politics because they don't see themselves reflected in
political or governmental institutions."
A report released this week suggests the extent of the problem.
In the 11 largest Massachusetts cities and towns with sizable
Asian populations, only 25.5 percent of Asian-Americans are
registered to vote, compared with 62 percent of the total adult
populations in those communities.
That is in part because so few Asian-Americans in those cities
and towns are citizens, said Paul Watanabe, director of the
Institute for Asian American Studies at the University of
Massachusetts at Boston and one of the authors of the study.
Fully 71.8 of the Asian-Americans in the communities studied
were born outside the United States, the highest rate of any
immigrant group in the state.
"A major explanation for the lower registration rates is that a
significant number of [Asian-Americans in Massachusetts] are
foreign born, and thus a significant proportion have to go
through the naturalization hurdle," he said.
But even among Asian-Americans who are citizens, "there remains
a considerable disparity between their registration rates and
those of the general population," the report read. Eligible
Asian-Americans are registered to vote at a rate of 51 percent,
Watanabe said, compared to 74 percent of the eligible population
as a whole.
The rate of registration is not consistent among the cities and
towns, however. In Lowell, which has a large and
well-established Cambodian population and a popular
Asian-American city councilor in Rithy Uong, better than three
out of four Asian-American citizens are registered, a rate that
is slightly higher than the eligible population as a whole. In
Quincy, home to Chinese and Vietnamese communities, 45 percent
of eligible Asian-Americans are registered to vote, compared to
76 percent of the eligible population as a whole.
Although the study did not compare Asian-Americans'
participation to that of other immigrant communities, Watanabe
said their voter participation runs at about the same rate as
that of Latino immigrants in Massachusetts.
According to the report, Asian-Americans comprise about 10
percent of the overall population of the 11 cities and towns
surveyed: Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Lowell, Lynn, Malden,
Newton, Quincy, Somerville, Waltham, and Worcester. In cities
with large Asian-American populations -- Quincy, with 18.4
percent, Malden, with 18 percent -- the gap between presence and
political participation is particularly wide.
"I
know a number of [Asian-American] people who would like to be
active and who are not eligible for citizenship," said Amy Mah
Sangiolo, who has been an alderman in Newton for eight years.
"It's not a matter of Asian-Americans not wanting to become
citizens. Citizenship is so hard to get these days, given 9/11
and the state of our country."
One of Sangiolo's fellow aldermen has sponsored an initiative to
give noncitizens the right to vote in local elections. In some
other major cities, including Chicago and New York, immigrants
are allowed to vote in school board contests.
"It's a great way to get people involved in politics,"
she said. "You don't have to be a citizen for the government to
take your taxes, and our country was founded on [the principle
of] no taxation without representation."
Politically active Asian-Americans say there may be more that is
keeping Asian-American residents from political participation
than the onerous burdens of naturalization.
"Asians don't go into politics as much as others do, maybe
because politics is not embedded in their culture," said Yoon,
whose parents were born in Korea.
On the West Coast, Yoon and Sangiolo said, there are larger
Asian-American communities of longer standing in the United
States than in the Northeast. Third and fourth generations there
have embraced politics, just as, they say, future generations
will eventually embrace politics in greater numbers here.
Others may feel bound by their backgrounds, Yoon said.
"A lot of Asian countries have been autocratic societies, and
there could be, for the first generation of Asians, a feeling
that authority is something to be feared more than respected,"
he said. "Asian culture is more centered around community, and
the stereotype of politicians [in America] is one that is
egocentric and self-promotional, and maybe that runs across the
grain."
But both Yoon and Sangiolo are optimistic about the future.
"It's a matter of time for some folks like myself to jump out of
that cycle, to do something for which there is no precedent or
expectation from the community," Yoon said.
Yvonne Abraham can be reached at
abraham@globe.com.
(http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/01/07/asians_slow_to_embrace_politics/)
******************
January 10, 2005
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
For more information, please contact:
In London, Brad Adams: +44-7960-844-996
In New York, Sam Zarifi: +1-212-216-1213
In Brussels, Vanessa Saenen (French, Dutch, German):
+32-2-732-2009
In Geneva, Diane Goodman: +41-22-738-0481
VIETNAM:
NEW EVIDENCE OF TORTURE, MASS ARRESTS OF MONTAGNARDS
Cambodia Slams Door on New Asylum Seekers
New York - Cambodia's decision to close its northeastern border
with Vietnam to halt the flow of Montagnard asylum seekers comes
amidst alarming new reports of mass arrests, torture, and
increasing persecution of Montagnard Christians in Vietnam's
Central Highlands, Human Rights Watch said in a 25-page briefing
paper released today.
New testimony gathered by Human Rights Watch establishes the
widespread and continued use of torture against activists,
religious leaders, and individuals who have been deported or
have voluntarily returned from Cambodia.
On January 1, Cambodian National Police Chief Hok Lundy ordered
authorities in the border province of Ratanakiri to increase the
number of border police in order to prevent Montagnard asylum
seekers from entering. "The authorities have to convince the
local people to be our spies in order to report how many
Montagnards [enter Cambodia], to arrest them and send them back
to Vietnam," he said.
"The Vietnamese government's mistreatment of Montagnards
continues unabated," said Brad Adams, executive director of
Human Rights Watch's Asia Division. "Instead of closing its
borders to asylum seekers, the Cambodian government should be
working with the United Nations refugee agency to provide
sanctuary to people escaping torture and arbitrary arrest."
Human Rights Watch said that under Cambodia's international
treaty obligations, the Cambodian government must not return
Montagnard asylum seekers so long as they face a serious risk of
persecution upon return to Vietnam. Hok Lundy's statements,
which were tape recorded, make it clear that Cambodia is
flouting its legal obligations.
During high-profile tours to the Central Highlands in December,
top Vietnamese officials pledged to respect religious freedom
and called on local officials to encourage "peaceful and happy"
Christmas celebrations in Montagnard villages.
However, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, police were busy
rounding up and arresting dozens of Montagnard Christians and
detaining them at district and provincial police stations and
prisons throughout the region. In Gia Lai province alone--one of
five provinces in the Central Highlands--police arrested 129
people between December 12 and 24.
"Christmas was relatively quiet in the highlands," said Adams.
"That's because hundreds of Montagnards were rounded up and
spent the holiday in police detention."
Many of those arrested during the Christmas crackdown were
Montagnard house church leaders who were organizing Christmas
gatherings in the villages. Others targeted for detention
included the wives and even young children of men who had fled
to Cambodia to seek asylum. Human Rights Watch said that police
also arrested dozens of Montagnards suspected of being protest
leaders or making contact with groups in the U.S. supporting
demands for the return of ancestral land and religious freedom.
The current whereabouts and treatment of most of the detainees
is unknown.
A Mnong man from Dak Nong province, who was arrested in April
2004, said he was severely beaten several times by police
officers trying to obtain the names of other activists. At the
district jail, police officers pulled out one of his toe nails,
beat him repeatedly on his thighs with a rubber baton, and boxed
him in the face, knocking out one of his front teeth. They
brandished an AK-47 rifle and threatened to kill him. He was
then transferred to the provincial prison, where he was
interrogated and beaten again:
They beat my head and used two hands to box my ears more than
thirty times, until my face was bright red and my ears were
bleeding. They kicked me in the chest with their boots. They
wanted to squeeze out the information about the demonstrations.
First-hand accounts from Montagnards who have voluntarily
returned to Vietnam since 2001 indicate that Vietnamese
authorities treat returnees with intense suspicion. Some are
placed under police surveillance and even house arrest upon
return, or are regularly summoned to the police station for
questioning about their activities.
On December 29, the Vietnamese government publicly accused 13
Montagnards who voluntarily returned to Vietnam last October
from a Cambodian refugee camp of being spies that the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) "trained to
create disturbances and then sent back to Vietnam."
"These kinds of statements show a degree of paranoia that leads
to persecution," said Adams. "Instead of punishing those who
flee for safety, the government in Hanoi must begin to deal with
the causes of discontent, which are religious repression and
widespread confiscation of the agricultural land on which the
indigenous minority people depend for their livelihood."
Meanwhile, Montagnard asylum seekers who crossed the border to
Cambodia's Ratanakiri province right before Christmas remain in
dire straits. During the last week truckloads of Cambodian
police and gendarmerie have been scouring the forests where the
asylum seekers are thought to be hiding.
"It is absolutely imperative that the Cambodian government
immediately grants UNHCR access to these people, or turns them
over to UNHCR if government security forces apprehend them,"
said Adams. "UNHCR and key governments must make it clear in no
uncertain terms to the Cambodian government that asylum seekers
must not be arrested and summarily returned to Vietnam."
Cambodia is a party to the United Nations Refugee Convention,
which prohibits the return of individuals facing a well-founded
fear of persecution on political, religious, or ethnic grounds.
Cambodia has an obligation to make individual determinations
about the validity of asylum claims. Cambodia is also a party to
the Convention Against Torture, which states in article 3 that,
"No State Party shall expel, return ("refouler") or extradite a
person to another State where there are substantial grounds for
believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to
torture."
To read the briefing paper please see:
http://hrw.org/backgrounder/asia/vietnam0105/
******************
January 11, 2005
JAPANESE CONGRESSMAN LEAVES RICH LEGACY OF ACCOMPLISHMENT
Commentary, Paul Igasaki,
Asian-American Village News
NEW ORLEANS –– I know with the sudden and untimely passing of
Congressman Bob Matsui there will be many discussing his
contributions, some by people who were closer to him or knew him
better than I. I met him when I was a law student and he was a
Sacramento City Councilman, and supported his campaign for
Congress in 1978. I worked with him when I was a civil rights
lobbyist and served on his campaign staff when he explored a
race for the U.S. Senate.
Bob was a highly respected member of Congress. He was a national
leader on issues like social security and trade, but he was
steadfast in his support of civil rights and programs to protect
the poorest and weakest in our society. He explored
opportunities for higher office, but it was in the House of
Representatives that his greatest talents found expression. He
was a leader in Congress supporting issues of free trade and
protecting the social security system.
President Clinton relied upon him to carry his positions to
Congress in both of these areas. Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi
asked him to head the Democratic Congressional Campaign
Committee this past year and while the Democrats didn’t win a
majority, he dramatically increased their fundraising. Bob had a
rare talent for that and although I did fundraising for his
campaign, Bob came to that difficult task easily. I had hoped
that his party’s fortunes would improve so that he could show
his legislative leadership as the chair of a major committee in
Congress, but his death at a relatively young age has deprived
the nation of that opportunity.
I am sure people like President Clinton and Leader Pelosi will
speak to his considerable legislative skill. As a Japanese
American and a Sansei (third generation Japanese American), I
want to address what he meant to me and my generation in the
community.
He was the first of our generation to achieve election to
Congress. He grew up in an environment in which Japanese
American self-esteem was deeply affected by the imprisonment of
our community during World War II. I remember him once
describing how he and a friend once talked about how they wished
they weren’t Japanese. That discussion resonated with me. How
many of my generation at one time or another confronted the
psychological burden of the wrongful incarceration, or the
ongoing burden of feeling the need to prove one’s Americanism?
He worked with others in Congress to do something about that,
with the Supreme Court and U.S. history still holding that the
concept of racial suspicion justified wholesale internment. The
Civil Liberties Act of 1988 did more than any other act since
World War II to remove the unjustified mantle of Japanese
American guilt and, more importantly than that, sent a message
that America could be wrong and was willing to correct that
wrong even decades later. That legacy will, I hope, continue to
counter the irrational tendency to target those whose ethnic or
racial roots coincide with our enemies of the moment, a tendency
that runs against our most precious national principles.
While civil rights are the focus of my career, Bob, like most
Sanseis, sought to make a difference in areas that were not
based on his own heritage. Bob was a great friend to American
business, most especially the agriculture native to his home in
the Sacramento Valley and to technology, the engine that will
continue to drive our nation’s economic future. His steadfast
belief in free trade transcended his Democratic credentials and
found recognition when President Clinton pursued the North
American Free Trade Agreement and sought Bob’s stewardship to
win support in Congress.
While Bob had always been a respected and loyal Democrat, he
defined his positions independently. He was always a defender of
business and of free trade. I remember his strong stance against
the protectionism of the Japanese rice industry in the face of
the American rice growers, many centered in the Sacramento
region. His strong support by Sacramento business leaders went
back to his days in the City Council and his own law practice
operated out of small Victorian house in downtown Sacramento. At
the same time, while Democratic, his district -- still rooted in
its days as a farm town -- is by no means a bastion of urban
liberalism.
Yet Bob was always a staunch supporter of civil rights,
including that of gay and lesbian Americans, and also of social
programs that would serve the poorest or weakest in our society.
His advocacy for seniors on social security issues from his
powerful position on the Ways and Means Committee is legendary,
and neither Democratic nor Republican administrations were
immune to his efforts. Indeed, the talk in this town recently
was of the certainty that President Bush’s proposed Social
Security overhaul would receive Bob Matsui’s serious scrutiny on
the Hill. I am certain that his name will come up as that issue
unfolds.
Bob brought a serious and thoughtful approach to government and
to those of all political affiliations he added respect to a
career in public service. In the mainstream, discussions in the
wake of Bob’s passing will be of who and how his seat will be
filled. But for Japanese Americans and other Asian Pacific
Americans the issue is more who will fill his shoes.
For all the respect he won beyond our community, much of what he
showed the world was of Japanese American values as translated
by our generation. Few were as successful as Bob in winning that
respect. The “quiet, hardworking professionalism” that will be
spoken of in many of Bob’s memorials are the values given us by
our grandparents and parents, tempered by immigration, civil
rights abuses and many years “in between” other larger
communities.
As Sansei approach retirement age, mostly born or at least
raised following World War II, our lives and our community
continue to be defined in many ways by the war. Japanese
Americans struggled far beyond the immigrant generation to try
to prove their loyalty and citizenship even if they had it
legally.
The relocation proved that the law would only protect us up to a
point. Sanseis played a major role in the campaign for Japanese
American redress as we learned from the civil rights movement
and showed our patriotism in a new way defined by the era that
we grew up in. Some got over the reticence to stand out and did
things like enter politics or acting, but many were still more
comfortable in less visible professional roles. Bob represented
us well without having to say so.
Now, with Bob’s passing, we can reflect both what we have lost
as a community and as a nation, but also what we need
desperately. I remember Bob talking frequently about how few
Asian Pacific Americans are in the pipeline behind him. Few
Japanese Americans, certainly, due to some extent to the
community’s limited growth, but few Asians of all backgrounds,
as well.
Some that are coming forward from the Korean, Chinese, Indian,
Vietnamese and Hmong communities provide hope. But we need more,
and perhaps the greatest memorial we can erect to Bob’s career
in public service is to take the risk and seek to serve and,
just as importantly, to support the qualified people from our
community who share our political values with our encouragement,
money, energies and votes.
(http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=0a424ead4cdc4d6db88d8ca657a34ec8)
******************
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.
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