NCVA REPORTER
- December 14, 2004
In this NCVA Reporter:
Events
Funding Opportunities
Jobs/Internships
Legislation
News
******************
EVENTS
PROPOSAL WRITING SEMINAR
Center for Nonprofit Management: Proposal Writing
The Center for Nonprofit Management is offering a proposal
writing seminar on January 28, 2005, in Los Angeles, CA. This
full-day seminar focuses on developing a logical program design
as the basis for a successful proposal. The seminar gives
participants the basic format and essential elements for writing
successful proposals when seeking funding through lecture, small
group discussion, and examples. Topics include making the case
for support, basic "do's" and "don'ts," program evaluation, and
budget preparation. Visit the above website for more
information, or to register.
(http://www.cnmsocal.org/Services/s_proposalwriting.html)
******************
ACADEMY OFFERS BLUEPRINT FOR COMMUNITY BUILDING AND RURAL
DEVELOPMENT
Home Town Competitiveness: A Blueprint for Community Builders
Home Town Competitiveness, presented by the Heartland Center for
Leadership Development in partnership with the Center for Rural
Entrepreneurship and the Nebraska Community Foundation, is a
train-the-trainers academy that offers a blueprint for community
building and rural development. The academy focuses on
mobilizing local leaders, energizing entrepreneurs, engaging and
attracting young people, and capturing wealth transfer. The
academy will take place January 25-27, 2005, in Omaha, NE.
(http://www.heartlandcenter.info/htc.htm)
******************
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
HEALTHY LIFESTYLE PROGRAMS FOR YOUTH SUPPORTED
National 4-H Council Grant Program: Healthy Lifestyles Grants
The National 4-H Council, with funding provided by Kraft Foods,
Inc. and Cargill, is offering grants to help communities create
educational programs and public awareness that will confront the
climbing trends of obesity. Grants of $7,500 are available to
develop or expand innovative and fun community-based programs
that partner youth ages 5-12 with adults in order to reverse the
trends of obesity through outreach efforts, educational
programming and content. Programs requesting funding should
include information on nutrition, physical activity, and healthy
lifestyle choices. 4-H and Cooperative Extension organizations
throughout the U.S. and its territories are eligible to apply.
The application deadline is January 14, 2005.
(http://www.fourhcouncil.edu/pGrntHealthyLS.aspx)
******************
FUNDS FOR GOLF PROGRAMS FOR YOUTH AND THE DISABLED
"United States Golf Association Foundation
The grant program of the United States Golf Association
Foundation focuses on positively impacting economically
disadvantaged youth and individuals with disabilities through
instructional programming and golf facility construction
projects. Additionally, the Foundation supports the introduction
of youth to the game and to the golf industry through caddying
and other work-based programs. The Foundation considers funding
requests for golf course and practice range access; golf
instruction; golf equipment, including adaptive golf equipment
for individuals with disabilities; transportation; and
construction costs for alternative, beginner-friendly golf
courses and golf facilities in areas where there are obstacles
to affordable access to the game. The next application deadline
is January 18, 2005. Nonprofit organizations, government
entities, and public schools throughout the U.S. are eligible to
apply.
(http://www.usga.org/grants/index.html)
******************
PROGRAM PROVIDES INTERNS FOR GRASSROOTS ENVIRONMENTAL
ORGANIZATIONS
The Environmental Careers Organization Community Intern Program
The Community Intern Program, funded by the Office of
Environmental Justice at the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency through a cooperative agreement with the nonprofit
Environmental Careers Organization (ECO), provides an
opportunity for students to intern directly with community
organizations and experience environmental issues at a
grassroots level. The program places students in summer
internships at local, grassroots, nonprofit community
organizations throughout the country. Community organizations
focused on addressing the environmental and/or public health
problems of the residents of the affected community are eligible
to apply for an intern. Organizations must submit projects
designed to develop research or projects of a research nature
that will be used to expand scientific knowledge or
understanding of the subject studied. Interns must be college or
university students, and must apply through ECO to be considered
for the program. After the January 31, 2005 deadline, a panel
will review the applications and select the 30 community
organizations that will receive a summer intern, free of charge,
from ECO. Each ECO Community Intern will receive a stipend of
$450 a week, and $500 for relocation or project travel.
Organizations interested in requesting an intern must submit
applications by January 31, 2005.
(http://www.eco.org/epa/Communityinternprogram/main.html)
******************
SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION, HEALTH, AND THE ENVIRONMENT
ExxonMobil Foundation
The ExxonMobil Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that
contribute to the well-being of the communities where the
company operates worldwide. The Foundation's three priority
areas of interest are education, health, and the environment.
Support is also provided for public policy research, civic and
community services, and arts and culture. Preference is given to
nonprofit organizations in local communities where ExxonMobil
has a strong presence. Nonprofit organizations with national or
international scope are also eligible to apply. Applications
from U.S. organizations are accepted throughout the year.
(http://www.exxonmobil.com/corporate/Citizenship/Corp_citizenship_Com_foundation.asp)
******************
FUNDS FOR
HABITAT RESTORATION PROJECTS
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: Five-Star Restoration
Matching Grants Program
The Five-Star Restoration Program, administered by the National
Fish and Wildlife Foundation, supports community-based wetland,
riparian, and coastal habitat restoration projects throughout
the U.S. that build diverse partnerships and foster local
natural resource stewardship through education, outreach and
training activities. Projects must involve partnerships of five
organizations that contribute funding, land, technical
assistance, workforce support, and/or other in-kind services.
Project partners should include schools or youth organizations,
local or tribal government, local business or corporations,
conservation organizations or local citizen groups, state and
federal resource management agencies, and foundations or other
funders. The application deadline is March 1, 2005.
(http://www.nfwf.org/programs/5star-rfp.htm)
******************
GRANTS SUPPORT THE EXCHANGE OF ART AND ARTIFACTS BETWEEN MUSEUMS
Museum Loan Network
The Museum Loan Network (MLN) enables museums to better serve
their communities by making art and objects of cultural heritage
more accessible to U.S. institutions. MLN provides grants to
facilitate and fund the development of long-term programming and
the loan of art and objects of cultural heritage. Travel grants
are available for museums that are interested in borrowing
objects to send personnel to prospective lending institutions to
research possible long-term loans and to initiate loan
negotiations. Survey grants are available for lending
institutions to identify stored and underutilized objects that
are both suitable and available for future long-term loans and
that can be included in the Museum Loan Network Directory; to
consult with potential borrowers in order to identify the type
of objects they would be interested in borrowing; or to consult
with members of the community to document histories and stories
associated with objects. Nonprofit organizations and government
agencies throughout the U.S. are eligible to apply. The deadline
for letters of intent is February 18, 2005 and the application
deadline is March 18, 2005.
(http://loanet.mit.edu/)
******************
VOLVO FOR LIFE
AWARD NOMINATIONS
The Volvo for Life Awards is a program designed by Volvo Cars of
North America to honor American heroes, ordinary people who act
with conscience, care and character to help others in need. All
U.S. citizens or legal residents of the U.S. of any age,
including U.S. citizens living abroad, are eligible. The Awards
recognize and reward heroes across America for their
contributions in three areas reflecting Volvo’s core values:
Safety, Quality of Life and Environment. Nominations are due
January 10, 2005.
(http://www.volvoforlifeawards.com/)
******************
JOBS/INTERNSHIPS
AALDEF SPRING
INTERNSHIPS 2005
Undergraduate, Graduate, and Law School
The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF),
founded in 1974, is the first organization on the East Coast to
protect and promote the legal rights of Asian Americans through
litigation, legal advocacy and community education. Current
program priorities include economic justice for workers,
immigrants\' rights, voting rights and civic participation,
language rights, affirmative action, the elimination of
anti-Asian violence and police brutality, youth rights and
educational equity, and the assistance of low-income Chinatown
residents and workers affected by 9-11. For more information
about AALDEF, visit our website at
www.aaldef.org. Spring internships are available for the
following:
* Economic Justice for Workers: primarily working on litigation
on behalf of garment, restaurant, and other low wage workers,
* Immigrants' Rights: community outreach, education, and legal
services post 9-11, advocacy on immigration reform proposals,
special registration, INS/police collaboration, and detention of
South Asian, Arab, Muslim, Indonesian, and Filipino men swept up
in the government's investigations.
* Voting Rights: legal research and fact development under the
Voting Rights Act challenging anti-Asian voter discrimination,
expanding bilingual ballots, and counting votes cast by Asian
Americans; advocacy on state and local election reform; produce
reports and organize forums on the Asian American vote.
* Educational Equity and Youth Rights: casework, community
education, and potential litigation on educational equity,
juvenile justice, and post 9/11 hate violence and racial
targeting.
* Korean Workers Project: direct legal services on
employment-related claims to Korean immigrant workers, as well
as community education and advocacy in collaboration with YKASEC
- Empowering the Korean American Community.
* 9-11 Relief: assist Lower Manhattan residents secure benefits
and advocate for the inclusion of Chinatown residents in the
World Trade Center rebuilding efforts.
* Language Rights: including access to health care and other
social services.
* Anti-Asian Violence: hate crimes, police misconduct, and
racial profiling issues involving South Asians, Arabs, Muslims,
and Filipinos after 9-11.
* Participatory Planning and Community Based Research: develop
strategic research and data analysis to support organizing and
advocacy efforts.
Description of Spring Internships.
Interns are supervised by staff in specific program areas.
Legal interns work primarily on legal research and writing,
legal and policy advocacy, community outreach and education, and
client intakes. Undergraduate interns work on policy advocacy,
community outreach and organizing, and some client intakes.
Graduate interns work on policy advocacy, research methodology,
statistical analysis, and GIS mapping. Each program area
differs in emphasis. These internships are not paid positions,
but academic credit can be arranged. Interns work anywhere
between 8 to 25 hours per week. The internship usually
commences with the start of classes or at mid/late January
through late April/early May.
To Apply:
Any bilingual ability should be stated in the resume. Bilingual
ability is helpful but not required. Applications should also
state the number of hours the intern is able to work per week.
Send a resume and cover letter to:
Spring Intern Search
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)
99 Hudson Street, 12th floor, New York, New York 10013-2815
Fax: 212-966-4303
Email:
info@aaldef.org
For more information, contact Jennifer Weng at 212-966-5932,
ext. 212 or
jweng@aaldef.org.
******************
JOSEPH SANTOS ILETO
FELLOW
Immediate Need
Job Summary:
The Hate Crimes Unit is dedicated to addressing anti-Asian
violence and the underlying social causes through victim
assistance, education, and advocacy. Under the supervision of
the Project Director, the Ileto Fellow will help outreach to and
educate the public, liaison with ally organizations, and provide
general support for the Hate Crimes Unit. The major focus of the
Ileto Fellowship is to promote greater public understanding
through an annual Speaker Event and other outreach efforts. The
fellow will gain exposure to working with hate crime victims and
advocates, the media,
and policymakers.
Position:
Part-time fellowship; minimum 20 hours/week. February 2005 –
October 2005.
Qualifications:
Demonstrated ability to organize and coordinate events and
projects. Strong presentation and communication skills.
Background in issues of racial justice, inter-group relations,
and hate crimes. Familiarity with Asian Pacific American
community. Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint
and the Internet. Must have driver's license and access to car.
Compensation: $500 / month.
Application Process:
Interested applicants should send a resume with one supervisor's
reference,
a cover letter, and a writing sample. Applications due: January
10, 2004.
Asian Pacific American Legal Center
Kathay Feng
Project Director, Hate Crimes Unit
1145 Wilshire Blvd., Second Floor / Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 977-7500 x 212 [phone]; (213) 977-7595 [fax]
Questions: Daniel Huang (213) 977-7500 x 237 / Kathay
Feng (213) 977-7500 x212
Founded in 1983, Asian Pacific American Legal Center is an equal
employment opportunity employer and a private, non-profit
organization providing legal services, community education and
civil rights advocacy on behalf of low income and Asian Pacific
Islander communities.
Kathay Feng
Asian Pacific American Legal Center
1145 Wilshire Blvd., 2nd Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 977-7500
www.apalc.org
******************
OCAPICA
AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM TUTOR/MENTOR
Love working with junior high and high school students?
Looking for a great volunteer opportunity to put on your
resume?
Need Internship Credit for your major?
The Orange County Asian & Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA)
needs interns/volunteers to tutor and help develop
activities/workshops for our Afterschool Program. This program
will be providing youth with a safe environment to receive
mentorship and academic advising. The mission is to provide
opportunities for academic and character maturity. Funding
generously provided by Orange County’s United Way.
Sample activities:
* College Application Essay workshops
* Movie nights
* Field trips
* Financial Aid workshops for students and parents
* Free SAT classes
* Scholarship Application Preparation
* Writing contest, etc.
Our afterschool program runs Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays
from 3-6PM. Commitment is for 10 weeks (40 hours minimum).
Mandatory Volunteer Informational Training
Please RSVP to one of six meetings:
-
Tuesday,
January 11th 6:30PM-8:00PM
-
Wednesday,
January 12th 6:30PM-8:00PM
-
Thursday,
January 13th 6:30PM-8:00PM
-
Tuesday,
February 1st 6:30PM-8:00PM
-
Wednesday,
February 2nd 6:30PM-8:00PM
-
Thursday,
February 3rd 6:30PM-8:00PM
All trainings will be at the OCAPICA conference
room
OCAPICA’s conference room
12900 Garden Grove Blvd. #240A
Garden Grove, CA 92843
To RSVP or for more information please contact:
Jennifer Kuo
jkuo@ocapica.org
Jason Lacsamana
jjlacs@ocapica.org
(714) 636-9095
www.ocapica.org
For application
(http://www.ocapica.org/documents/Volunteer-InternRecruitmentFlier_Winter2005_PR2.pdf)
******************
STATE FARM AGENCY
OPPORTUNITY
If you're seriously thinking about a new direction for your
career, take a good look at being a State Farm agent. Few jobs
offer more variety and opportunity. Working face to face with
people in your community, seeing people in their homes and
places of business, making connections with community groups,
helping people plan their lives - in short, being a good
neighbor. That's the life of a State Farm Insurance agent.
As the number one insurer of automobiles and homes in the United
States, State Farm Insurance provides peace of mind for many
people. Our agents are located throughout the United States and
Canada and work within their communities to market only State
Farm products.
Their responsibilities include:
* Marketing all lines of insurance and financial products to
policyholders and members of the community.
* Providing professional insurance counseling to ensure
policyholders have appropriate coverage.
* Being a "Good Neighbor" and active in the community.
* Providing professional service to policyholders.
At State Farm, we are proud of our 80 years of service to our
policyholders. Our mission is to help people manage the risks
of everyday life, recover from the unexpected and realize their
dreams. Our success is built on a foundation of shared values -
quality service and relationships, mutual trust, integrity and
financial strength. Our vision for the future is to be the
customer's first and best choice in the products and services we
provide. Our turnover rate in our Agency force is among the
lowest in the industry. If you would like to take a closer look
at this opportunity, please give me a call or send me an email.
Thanks and have a great day!
Eva Chung, SPHR
State Farm Insurance Companies
Talent Acquisition - Agency
301- 622-7355
eva.m.chung.cqxx@statefarm.com
Become a State Farm Agent
http://www.statefarm.com/agents/agents.htm
******************
APIAHF POLICY ANALYST
Organizational Description:
The Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) is
a national advocacy organization whose mission is to enable
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to achieve the highest
level of health and well-being. The Policy Division works to
ensure that federal and California state policies are meet the
needs of AAPIs.
Position: Policy Analyst
Salary Range: Competitive, excellent fringe benefits
Job Summary:
The Policy Analyst will work with other APIAHF Policy Division
staff, including the CEO, Policy Director, and the Policy
Committee of the Board of Directors. The Policy Division works
to ensure that federal and California state policies are meet
the needs of AAPIs. The Policy Analyst will focus primarily on
California health policy issues and assist in federal health
policy issues as appropriate. Primary focus areas include:
* Expanding access to health care;
* Improving quality of health care by promoting cultural and
linguistic competency;
* Ensuring a diverse and culturally competent health care
workforce;
* Increasing research on and improving data collection
* Increase investment in community-based health
promotion/disease prevention programs.
The APIAHF will reach its goals through three core strategies
which are as follows:
a) To create and build a movement to work toward a progressive
health agenda;
b) To influence the health agenda; and
c) To build the internal capacity to maintain its activities.
Duties and Responsibilities:
* Conduct policy analysis on California and federal health
policy issues affecting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
* Assist in the writing of Division policy briefs, reports and
publications.
* Maintain relationships and communication with legislative and
administrative policymakers
* Maintain relationships and communication with Asian American
and Pacific Islander policy partners, Asian American and Pacific
Islander communities and constituencies, and other health policy
advocates.
* Plan and coordinate meetings, trainings and conferences on
health policy issues affecting California's Asian Americans and
Pacific Islanders.
* Participate in Division and organization planning and
evaluation.
* Attend and assist with all Division and organization meetings,
events and functions as required (This includes Voices from the
Community)
* Perform other duties as assigned by Policy Division Director.
Required Qualifications:
*·Master's degree or equivalent in health, public policy or
related field;
* Three years experience in public policy and advocacy,
especially health policy;
* Demonstrated knowledge of AAPI health issues
*·Demonstrated effective written and oral communication skills;
* Demonstrated experience in interacting professionally with
diverse individuals and organizations;
* Strong motivation and adaptability, including ability to work
under pressure and with little supervision;
* Demonstrated ability to work as a team member;
* Demonstrated proficiency with personal computers, including
Windows-based word processing and database applications;
* Demonstrated experience with electronic communications,
including internet applications;
* Ability to travel as part of work responsibilities.
Desired Qualifications:
* Bilingual/biliterate in an Asian or Pacific Islander language;
* Demonstrated interest or experience working with Asian and
Pacific Islander communities;
* Experience in meeting and event planning.
* Experience in media advocacy.
If interested, please apply to:
APIAHF
Attn: Human Resources
450 Sutter St., Ste. 600
San Francisco, CA 94108
Or Fax: 415-954-9999
E-mail:
spadua@apiahf.org
(www.apiahf.org)
******************
LEGISLATION
CONGRESS
APPROVES DAVIS LEGISLATION AIDING VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
December 07, 2004
WASHINGTON, D.C. Congressman Tom Davis (R-VA) is pleased
to announce that the FY2005 omnibus appropriations package
approved by Congress today includes the text of H.R. 2792,
Davis' legislation reauthorizing refugee eligibility for
children of Vietnamese re-education camp survivors. It now heads
to the President's desk to be signed into law.
Up until April 1, 1995, refugees accepted for resettlement in
the U.S. were allowed to bring their children, even those above
the age of 21, so long as they lived with their parents and had
never married. On April 1, 1995, the U.S. Immigration and
Naturalization Service (INS) changed its interpretation of the
law to exclude children who were over 21, even if they were
unmarried and members of the refugee parent's household.
This change was particularly harsh for the families of South
Vietnamese combat veterans and others who had spent long periods
in "re-education camps" because of their wartime associations
with the United States. The children of the detainees had
already been without their fathers throughout that parent's
duration in re-education camps sometimes as much as 15 years.
Communist authorities marked these children as members of a
"counterrevolutionary family" and denied them basic educational
and employment opportunities.
"The refugees faced an unenviable choice: live forever under a
Communist dictatorship or leave their children behind," Davis
said. "That's not an acceptable choice for our government to be
forcing upon these families."
In 1996, Congress responded to the inequity of the INS change by
adopting the "McCain Amendment," which changed the INS
interpretation of the law so re-education camps survivors could
be accompanied by their unmarried sons and daughters. The third
reauthorization of the McCain amendment expired on September 30,
2001.
On October 30, 2001, Davis introduced H.R. 1840, legislation
which reauthorized the McCain amendment for an additional two
years and addressed several technical problems of the old
legislation. The original language did not apply to children who
were mistakenly rejected before April 1, 1995, for reasons other
than age. Even if new evidence surfaced that showed someone
rejected before 1995 was actually the child of a refugee,
families had no recourse to challenge the decision. The original
language also excluded refugee sons and daughters who were
denied access to an INS interview by corrupt and/or vindictive
Communist officials who often serve as gatekeepers for the U.S.
refugee program. The Davis bill fixed these problems. In
addition, the legislation permits unmarried children over the
age of 21 to immigrate to the U.S. even if the surviving parent
is currently living in the United States.
Congressman Davis introduced H.R. 2792 during the 108th Congress
to reauthorize this language for an additional two years. With
the help of Senator John McCain (R-AZ), H.R. 2792 was attached
to the FY2005 omnibus appropriations package approved by
Congress today.
"This bill continues to provide the much-needed relief to a
small and carefully defined group of people," Davis said. "This
is a matter of fairness, not one of opening up the floodgates to
uncontrolled immigration. INS has the authority, skills, and
resources it needs to prevent the provision from being taken
advantage of by undeserving applicants. H.R. 2792 will bring
families together again families who, like all Americans, want
to live in freedom, and have earned the right to do so."
(http://tomdavis.house.gov/cgi-data/news/files/141.shtml)
******************
NEWS
December 8, 2004
A STEP BACKWARD FOR
VIETNAM
By Loretta Sanchez
Last week, the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
formally denied my request to travel there on official
government business for the U.S. House of Representatives. I was
authorized to travel on behalf of the House Homeland Security
Committee to discuss regional security initiatives, defense
issues, trade, and human rights.
The official reason given by the Vietnamese National Assembly
was that my visit would not "serve U.S.-Vietnam relations." The
real reason? The Vietnamese government was afraid that my visit
would shed light on a growing cancer within Vietnam that
threatens to undermine the U.S.-Vietnam relationship: its
systemic persecution of certain ethnic and religious groups, and
its blatant refusal to afford universal human and religious
rights to the people of Vietnam.
When the U.S.-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement was signed in
2001, U.S. Trade Ambassador Robert Zoellick called it "an
important step forward in bringing economic freedom and
opportunity to Vietnam." Sadly, freedom and opportunity for
Vietnamese citizens have actually faded in the years since.
In September, the U.S. State Department released its sixth
annual Report on International Religious Freedom, adding Vietnam
to a growing list of countries known as Countries of Particular
Concern (CPC), or governments that engage in or tolerate gross
infringements of religious freedom. This is not a designation
that the State Department makes lightly. The only other
countries that share this label are Burma, Sudan, North Korea,
Iran, China, Saudi Arabia, and Eritrea -- a club of the world's
most egregious human rights violators.
As the Congressional representative for the 47th district of
California, home to one of the world's largest Vietnamese
communities outside Vietnam, I co-founded the Congressional
Caucus on Vietnam with the intention of raising awareness about
the very issues that led to Vietnam's designation as a CPC.
Unlike most of the countries on the CPC list, Vietnam's economy
is growing, and it is aggressively working toward becoming a
fully integrated member of the global economy. It has taken
steps toward market liberalization; its trade surplus with the
U.S. is growing ($3.2 billion in 2003, up from $1.8 billion in
2002) and, just last month, Vietnam signed a bilateral World
Trade Organization agreement with the European Union.
Yet, as the Vietnamese government has loosened its stranglehold
on the economy, it has tightened its grip on political power,
denying basic political freedoms and human rights to the
Vietnamese people.
Democracy and human rights advocates have suffered the most. In
late December 2003, writer Nguyen Vu Binh was sentenced to seven
years in prison, followed by three years of house arrest,
because he had "written and exchanged, with various opportunist
elements in the country, information and materials that
distorted the party and state policies." He was also accused of
communicating with "reactionary organizations" abroad after he
submitted testimony in July of 2002 to a joint Congressional
Human Rights Caucus/Congressional Dialogue on Vietnam, a hearing
that examined freedom of expression in Vietnam. Since when did
the U.S. Congress become a reactionary organization?
On April 10 of this year, in what became know as the "Easter
Crackdown," the Vietnamese government harshly responded to
ethnic minority protests in the Central Highlands. Over the
holiday, thousands of Montagnards gathered to protest ongoing
religious repression and confiscation of tribal lands.
Vietnamese government officials responded with force.
Conservative reports indicate that a considerable number of
people were imprisoned and hundreds were injured. And this was
not the first time. Vietnam orchestrated a similar crackdown in
December 2001, which ultimately led to the resettlement of 900
Montagnard refugees in the United States.
On November 12, 2004, the Vietnamese Government sentenced Rev.
Nguyen Hong Quang, a human rights lawyer and democracy activist,
to three years in prison for "resisting officers of the law
while doing their duty." In truth, he had simply defended
impoverished farmers in land-confiscation cases.
Unfortunately, the list goes on. The Vietnamese government
continues to detain Catholic priest Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly,
sentenced to 15 years in prison for his peaceful advocacy of
religious freedom, this in the face of a U.S. Congressional
resolution -- which I co-sponsored with Rep. Christopher Smith
-- that called for Father Ly's immediate release. The resolution
passed by a vote of 424-1. Furthermore, the U.N. Working Group
on Arbitrary Detention has found that Father Ly is being held in
violation of international law. Still, he remains in prison.
And so does prominent democracy advocate Dr. Nguyen Dan Que, who
was sentenced to 30 months in prison for "abusing democratic
rights" after sending information critical of the Vietnamese
government to his brother in the U.S. from an Internet café.
The Vietnamese government stated that my visit would not serve
U.S.-Vietnam relations, but I disagree. My goal is to establish
a mature bilateral relationship that goes beyond trade to
encompass a free and open dialogue on a range of issues. The
United States should stand for transparency, the rule of law,
and basic human rights in Vietnam. If the Vietnamese government
disagrees with the points that I have raised, it should have
jumped at the opportunity to welcome me to Vietnam to prove that
things are, in fact, different. Unfortunately, its denial of my
visa request reveals a portrait of a closed and repressive
society, sketched by the examples I have given above -- a
society that belongs in the CPC club, and not in international
organizations like the WTO.
By denying a visa to a member of the United States Congress,
Vietnam has demonstrated that it is not ready for a mature
bilateral relationship, and is not ready to assume the position
in the international community to which it aspires. I regret we
have not progressed to this point. But relations between our two
countries will never be close and completely normalized until
the Vietnamese government joins the growing ranks of democratic
nations that fully respect the fundamental human rights and
religious liberties of its own people.
Ms. Sanchez is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
(http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110245738215993644,00.html)
******************
December 9, 2004
ALLEGED LEADERS ARE CHARGED IN MARRIAGE SCAM
By
Maureen O'Hagan
Seattle Times staff reporter
A free trip to Vietnam and about a thousand bucks was all it
took to convince a number of local casino employees to pretend
to be married to Vietnamese immigrants, according to a federal
indictment.
Four alleged ringleaders of the scheme were charged yesterday in
U.S. District Court in Seattle with conspiracy to commit visa
fraud.
The indictment alleges the four, plus two others still at large,
helped bring Vietnamese nationals to the U.S. by falsely
claiming they were engaged to Americans. They recruited the
American "spouses" among their colleagues at local casinos and
elsewhere, prosecutors said.
All told, as many as 130 Americans agreed to be part of the
scheme, according to the indictment.
"The lure of easy money and overseas travel was too great and
the organization capitalized on that," said Mike McCool, the
assistant special agent in charge of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement in Seattle.
For the Vietnamese brides- and grooms-to-be, the deal was much
more costly, running $20,000 to $30,000 for a phony visa.
The scheme came to light because of an anonymous tip to the
State Department, according to Thomas K. Depenbrock, special
agent in charge of the department's San Francisco field office.
Arraigned yesterday were Phuoc Huu Nguyen of Vancouver, Wash.
and Monica Nguyen, Amanda Nguyen and Everett Ledbetter of
Lynnwood. Loc Huu Nguyen of Vancouver, Wash. and Richard E.
Anderson of Seattle remain at large.
The alleged ringleaders took care of all the details. According
to court documents, they arranged for the Americans' passports,
accompanied them to Vietnam and introduced them to their
"spouses."
They also asked the Americans to write letters to their
spouses-to-be showing their affection, and took them to tourist
spots for photos together. That's because U.S. authorities
require evidence that a marriage isn't a sham before they issue
a visa to a fiancé.
But they were still concerned, according to court documents.
"The problem lies with proof," Phuoc Huu Nguyen wrote in an
e-mail to a co-conspirator, noting that the would-be spouses
were barely able to speak English and converse with their
alleged fiancés.
Some of the American recruits backed out along the way and say
they were threatened, court papers say.
In other cases, sham marriages were performed in Washington,
although it's unclear how many. Officials are still trying to
determine the extent of the scheme, according to Assistant U.S.
Attorney Douglas B. Whalley, who said that the evidence is "a
prosecutor's dream." That's because the federal government has
records of passport activity and visa applications, he said.
Those records are being combed for evidence of other
participants, but so far, they've identified 130 possible
suspects.
"I suspect that when words get out, there are going to be 130
people who are really nervous," Whalley said.
So far, none of the recruits has been charged. The Vietnamese
who came to the U.S. under false pretenses are subject to
deportation.
The six alleged ringleaders are facing up to five years in
prison and a $250,000 fine.
(http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002113751_marriage09m.html)
******************
December 9, 2004
For Immediate Release
IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION PROJECT SHOWS PROMISING RESULTS
Building the New American Community Initiative wraps up 3-year
project
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Conventional wisdom says large cities have
all the experience receiving immigrants to the United States,
but a unique pilot project conducted in Americas small and
medium-sized cities shows that broad-based community coalitions
can proactively integrate the newcomers who are increasingly
transforming Main St., USA.
In the Building the New American Community Initiative (BNAC),
the first project of its kind, a consortium of leading
organizations in three mid-sized metropolitan areas undertook
inclusive community-building through such efforts as immigrant
voter education, recertification for foreign-trained
professionals, leadership training and youth development.
"This is the story of how immigrants and refugees in the United
States struggle to become not just guests, but leaders in their
communities and society as a whole," said Max Niedzwiecki,
executive director of the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center.
"With the right forethought, resources and cooperation between
groups and sectors, America's small and medium-sized cities can
integrate immigrants every bit as well as cities the size of New
York or Los Angeles."
BNAC's final report, available at
www.migrationpolicy.org,
contains valuable project findings for policymakers, funders and
organizations collectively approaching the challenge of helping
newcomers adapt to their new communities and local communities
welcome newcomers.
"Immigrant integration is not just a one-way process," said Ann
Morse, BNAC program manager. "What this project proved is that
integration is a complex, multifaceted, long-term process that
involves an entire community -- including employers, schools,
neighborhoods, places of worship, government agencies, etc."
The project was conducted at three demonstration sites --
Lowell, Massachusetts; Nashville, Tennessee; and Portland,
Oregon. Each site was required to establish a coalition of
integration partners and to develop an integration plan. The
coalitions included public-private partnerships that reached
across levels of government and included a broad array of
non-governmental organizations. The integration agendas focused
on youth and adult education, workforce and business
development, neighborhood socio-economic development and civic
engagement.
"BNAC was an experiment in how governments and civil society can
cooperate to achieve the positive integration of refugees and
immigrants," said Demetrios Papademetriou, president of the
Migration Policy Institute. "Smaller cities are discovering that
these public-private partnerships are vital to integrating
increasing numbers of immigrants."
The integration coalitions in Lowell, Nashville and Portland had
to adapt to changing environments during the course of the
three-year project, including the challenges new Americans faced
in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks.
The report notes that new settlers must make many adjustments as
they try to live the American dream, include adapting to a
changing economy and political climate, and ensuring positive
development for their children.
According to the report, "The BNAC Initiative highlights the
range of social and economic conditions that influence
integration opportunities across the country: If the federal
government is to embark on a broad integration program, one of
the most salient lessons to be drawn from the BNAC experiment is
how the 'uneven geography' of refugee and immigrant settlement,
as well as the availability and quality of resources within each
city, requires innovation in integration policy development and
delivery."
One of the most successful aspects of the Initiative was in the
area of civic engagement.
"Newcomers learned not only about the American electoral system
and the importance of voting, but also about participating as
partners with public agencies in the coalitions," said Frank
Sharry, executive director of the National Immigration Forum.
"Policymakers also gained a better understanding of newcomer
communities, challenges facing refugee/immigrant families as
they become Americans, and how public policies facilitate or
impede productive integration."
The BNAC Initiative is a joint project of five national
organizations - the National Conference of State Legislatures,
the Urban Institute, the National Immigration Forum, the
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, and the Migration Policy
Institute. It was primarily funded by the U.S. Office of
Refugee Resettlement. The report was prepared by the Migration
Policy Institute.
The report is available online now at
www.migrationpolicy.org.
PROMISING PRACTICES FROM BNAC COMMUNITIES
As the demonstration sites developed their own integration goals
and plans, all three sites recognized the importance of the
civic component, and included it as a key goal.
Some promising practices:
* Portland's coalition members participated in a budget
consultation process with county and school officials
identifying ways to improve services for youth in Multnomah
County.
* Nashville addressed challenges facing foreign-trained
professionals in gaining U.S. certification both through a
taskforce that catalogued barriers and by bringing the issue to
the attention of state legislators and governor's staff.
* Lowell's Campaign for Voter Vitality, created to encourage
voter education and registration, engaged 40 non-profits and
city leadership, and convened a multilingual rally at city hall
with 250 attendees and 14 speakers representing seven countries.
* A "Board Bank" initiative prepared refugee and immigrant
leaders to become full and effective participants on boards and
commissions of local government institutions and non-profit
organizations (both Nashville and Lowell.)
* Portland's "small grants" program encouraged civic
participation and community engagement between newcomer and
receiving communities through cooperation in neighborhood
projects such as a community garden, a forum with state
legislators and participation in local business district and
transportation plans.
For interviews or for more information, please contact any of
the partner organizations:
Migration Policy Institute
Contact: Colleen Coffey
202/266-1910
National Conference of State Legislatures
Contact: Bill Wyatt
202/266-1910
National Immigration Forum
Contact: Douglas Rivlin
202/266-1910
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)
Contact: Max Niedzwiecki
202/266-1910
The Urban Institute
Contact: Michael Fix
202/266-1910
(www.migrationpolicy.org)
(www.searac.org)
******************
December 12, 2004
HUNTER
KILLINGS HEIGHTEN RACIAL TENSIONS
By Robert Imrie
Associated Press
HAYWARD, Wis. - The fatal shootings of six white deer
hunters by a Hmong man in northern Wisconsin last month have
fueled racial animosity against the growing immigrant
population, according to Hmong community leaders.
Hmong residents have reported receiving threatening letters and
being taunted with ethnic slurs. At a community prayer service
in Rice Lake, the area where the six slain hunters lived, one
woman said she saw a bumper sticker that read: "Save a deer,
shoot a Hmong."
"It is like boiling water again. Hopefully, in a few years, the
water will probably cool down again," said Cheu Lee, owner of
the Hmong Times newspaper in St. Paul, Minn., home of the
country's largest Hmong community.
Chai Soua Vang, who lives in St. Paul, faces six counts of
murder and two counts of attempted murder for allegedly gunning
down eight hunters after a trespassing dispute on some of the
victims' land. Vang said the men fired on him first and used
racial slurs; the two survivors said Vang shot them first.
Many Hmong, who began arriving in the United States from
Southeast Asia 25 years ago, said they have experienced
prejudice before. But some said feelings have become
particularly hardened since the shootings in Wisconsin, home to
46,000 Hmong.
Police recently arrested a white man and cited him for
misdemeanor property damage for painting the word "killer" on
two trailer homes and a truck owned by Hmong neighbors.
Joe Bee Xiong, executive director of the Eau Claire Hmong Mutual
Assistance Association, said his organization received an
unsigned letter urging the Hmong to go back "where they
belonged."
The Wausau Area Hmong Mutual Association said it has received
calls from people making inappropriate comments about the Hmong.
Ker Vang, executive director of the Hmong Association of Green
Bay, said a Hmong woman there reported being called derogatory
names.
The tension has also caused other Asian ethnic groups to take
notice.
Tan Phan, a Vietnamese businessman who owns manicure salons in
Eau Claire and Janesville, said he warned his wife that people
may think she's Hmong and not Vietnamese. "Maybe some people may
want to take revenge," he said.
Joe Bee Xiong, who is president of an umbrella group of 17 Hmong
associations in Wisconsin, blames the media for exacerbating
racial tensions because of the focus on Vang as a Hmong
immigrant while ignoring his American citizenship.
"I personally worry that we are divided, and things will be
getting worse, from both sides," he said.
Nathan Hecker, a white logger and hunter in Hayward, agreed. He
said some people in northern Wisconsin dislike Hmong immigrants,
citing the common perception that Hmong hunters "tend to shoot
everything that moves and take it home - squirrels, birds,
rabbits."
"There can be good and bad people wherever. But some people feel
that way. That's not going to help matters," he said.
The feelings come at a time when authorities are trying to
resettle an expected influx of nearly 3,200 Hmong refugees in
the state. The refugees are among more than 15,000 Hmong leaving
Thailand for the U.S. in coming months.
So far, leaders of Catholic Charities for the Dioceses of La
Crosse and Green Bay, the agencies in charge of resettlements in
northeast and western Wisconsin, have reported no major problems
because of the shootings.
"The majority of our people are trying very hard to understand
this is not a race thing. This is about hunters. It is a hunting
incident," said Kaying Xiong, who leads a task force advising
the governor on the resettlement.
"It is not about the Hmong. It is not about immigrants. It is not about refugees."
(http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/10401541.htm)
******************
December 12, 2004
GROWING GROUP
CHANGES BAY AREA
By Tracey Kaplan
Mercury News
Hong Vuong spent her last five gold bars to flee Vietnam in a
crowded fishing boat, eventually arriving in San Jose so broke
that she couldn't afford to buy her hungry daughter a snack at
the airport. Twenty-two years later, Vuong owns a restaurant in
downtown San Jose and both of her daughters have graduated from
college.
Anil Godhwani's parents pulled him out of private school in
India two decades ago to finish his education in the United
States. Today, the profits he made from his Sunnyvale start-up
have allowed him to become a millionaire philanthropist for the
Bay Area Indian community.
As different as their experiences have been, Vuong and Godhwani
are both part of a powerful trend. A mere 40 years after the
United States reopened its doors to widespread immigration from
Asia, natives of that continent and their families are changing
the face of the Bay Area and upending traditional notions of
what it means to be an immigrant.
Now home to the single largest concentration of people of Asian
descent in the continental United States, the Bay Area is a
place where these new residents are achieving the American dream
in record time and eclipsing more established immigrant groups.
The pattern is even more striking because until 1956, nearly all
Asian immigrants were not allowed to own land in California.
A Mercury News/Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation poll of Asian
adults in the nine-county Bay Area offers a detailed picture of
why they came, what they think of life here and how they feel
about their success, which 81 percent of those polled say they
have found to varying degrees. The poll also illustrates the
complexities of a community drawn from countries as diverse as
largely Hindu India to the predominantly Catholic Philippines
with much more variations than the word Asian suggests.
Conducted in Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog, Vietnamese and
English, the poll reveals a common element behind their
achievements -- a passion for education -- as well as sharp
contrasts in attitudes and preferences among the region's four
largest Asian subgroups: Chinese, Filipinos, Indians and
Vietnamese. Together, they make up 84 percent of the Bay Area's
Asian population, according to the 2000 census.
``In the rest of California, Latinos grew very fast, but in the
Bay Area it's a different story -- it's Asians,'' said L.
Ling-chi Wang, professor of Asian-American studies at the
University of California-Berkeley. ``Even though most of the
anti-Asian legislation in the past began here, the Bay Area is
still known in Asia as the land of opportunity because of our
historical roots here, the weather, the universities and the new
Gold Rush in high tech.''
Nearly 70 percent of those surveyed were born overseas. The
desire to do better economically or get an education were the
top reasons they cited for coming to the United States. And
though most Asian immigrants maintain close ties to their native
countries, the majority view the United States as their true
home and have no intention of returning to live in Asia.
Deeper look
• Effects are felt throughout region
Even this poll -- one of the most comprehensive of its kind --
offers only a glimpse of the impact that the Bay Area's 1.3
million Asians have had on neighborhoods, schools and
businesses. The fuller picture, depicted in census data and
academic studies, is stunning.
From assemblers to engineers, nearly 40 percent of all high-tech
workers in the region were Asian, according to the 2000 census.
While many were concentrated in production or mid-level jobs,
high-profile Silicon Valley companies such as Yahoo, BEA
Systems, Informatica, Cirrus Logic, Webex Communications,
Juniper Networks and Nvidia were all founded or co-founded by
Asians.
The Bay Area's KTSF-TV is the only station in the country that
broadcasts nightly news programs in Cantonese and
Mandarin, as well as entertainment shows in 12 other Asian
languages.
In Fremont, home to the largest Indo-American festival in the
nation, the nation's first multi-cultural cineplex -- the Naz 8
-- shows only films from Asia. In Cupertino, a Chinese immigrant
is rehabilitating the struggling Vallco Fashion Park into an
internationally themed mall including a 1,000-seat Chinese
restaurant. And from Daly City to East San Jose, more than 200
organizations offer Filipinos everything from social clubs based
on hometown affiliation to San Jose's annual Filipino Heritage
Festival.
The result, according to Henry Yu, professor of Asian-American
history at the University of California-Los Angeles, is that
``San Francisco looks a lot like Los Angeles, Vancouver,
Shanghai and Taipei, where a lot of people are comfortable being
with other types of people,'' he said.
The Bay Area has had a relatively substantial Asian population
since the mid-19th century, when railroad construction and the
Gold Rush drew Chinese immigrant laborers. But those newcomers
quickly faced withering discrimination and exclusionary laws,
which all but banned further immigration and, eventually,
citizenship.
It was not until 1965, when the United States reopened its
borders to extensive immigration from Asia for the first time in
nearly half a century, that the Bay Area's transformation truly
began to take shape.
Initially, only small numbers of immigrants from Asia were
allowed. As recently as 1980, there were slightly more than
400,000 Asians in the Bay Area -- 8 percent of the total
population. Since then, the number has tripled to account for
about 20 percent of the region's population, a remarkable figure
considering Asians make up just 4 percent of the nation's
population and 11 percent of the state's.
In a mere two decades, the ethnic composition and demographic
geography of the Bay Area's Asian population was entirely
reshaped. Today, one of five Bay Area residents is Asian, a
higher proportion than in either Los Angeles or Orange counties.
With new immigrants from throughout Asia, the region's
once-robust Japanese population fell to the fifth-largest group
of Asians, just ahead of Koreans. But the Bay Area's Chinese
community remains one of the largest in the nation and its
Filipino and Indian populations are larger than those of either
Los Angeles or Orange counties.
The growth of the Asian population has had a profound
demographic impact on San Francisco. Though it remains an
important center of Asian culture, only 20 percent of Bay Area
Asians now live in San Francisco. Just 20 years ago, one third
of Asians lived there.
The ``capitals'' of the Filipino community are Daly City,
Milpitas and Union City, where residents line up at a branch of
the Philippine National Bank to send money home. Fremont and
Milpitas are important centers for Indians. And 70 percent of
the region's Vietnamese live in Santa Clara County, where a
Vietnamese mall on Story Road replaced a former Price Club.
San Francisco's Asian Art Museum recognized the magnitude of the
demographic shift when it began raising money in the 1990s for a
major expansion. The panel turned to Silicon Valley
entrepreneurs for funds, including the lead benefactor,
Korean-born Portola Valley resident Chong-Moon Lee, for whom the
museum is now named.
Favored place
• With limits lifted, movement begins
Asians, who now make up roughly the same percentage of the Bay
Area's population as Latinos, became the region's
fastest-growing minority group for three main reasons once
immigration caps were lifted.
The high-tech industry was a major draw, particularly for
educated professionals. So were ties to family members who had
settled here. And the liberal Bay Area's reputation for racial
tolerance became a third lure, one that has grown even stronger
as the number and diversity of immigrants have increased.
The majority of Bay Area Asians were born overseas, according to
the poll, with Vietnamese and Indians far more likely to be
foreign-born than Chinese and Filipinos, whose communities have
a longer history in the Bay Area. Most foreign-born Asians have
already become citizens. The majority are bilingual, and about
eight in 10 surveyed say they speak English very well --
something most Asians think is important to succeeding here.
The reasons Asians left their countries of origin vary by ethnic
group, as does the timing of their arrival and their experiences
here. After 1965, nurses and other professionals from the
Philippines fled dictator Ferdinand Marcos' government seeking
better economic opportunities. They joined other Filipinos,
mostly working-class immigrants, who arrived years earlier. The
fall of Saigon in 1975 drove many Vietnamese to flee their
homeland, often with little money or possessions. In contrast,
many Chinese came to the United States on student visas or to
work in high tech, as did Indians, the area's newest group.
Those varied experiences help explain why most of those surveyed
prefer to identify themselves by country of origin rather than
as Asians or Asian-Americans. In fact, the differences are so
sharp that just about half of those polled say discrimination by
Asians against other Asians from different countries is a
problem.
One of the most striking findings of the poll is the degree of
success and acceptance these immigrants have found in so short a
time. Nearly three-fourths said Asian immigrants are more likely
to succeed in the Bay Area than other immigrants. Seventy-eight
percent of non-Asians agree.
But not all Asians feel equally successful. Indians are most
likely to say they've been successful (96 percent), followed by
Filipinos (83 percent), Chinese (73 percent) and Vietnamese (68
percent).
Those perceptions are reflected in census data, with one
exception: Despite the existence of an urban underclass in San
Francisco, Chinese rank second, not third, in terms of per
capita income. Indians, with a per capita income of $35,385,
were the most successful; Vietnamese, with a per capita income
of $19,044, were fourth, though the figures do not take into
account the underground cash economies common in immigrant
communities.
Dennis Arguelles, of the Asian American Studies Center at the
University of California-Los Angeles, notes that Asians have
``battled against the concept of being the model minority --
that all Asians are doing well and advancing. But what people
fail to understand is that the Asian community in the Bay Area
is bifurcated with a large number of folks who are educated and
doing well and a large segment that is disadvantaged.''
Nevertheless, census data shows that all four of the largest
Asian groups outpaced Latinos. But none was on par with the per
capita income of whites.
``There's no ocean to cross for Latino immigrants, so more
low-skilled immigrants can come here,'' said Manuel Pastor,
director of the Center for Justice, Tolerance and Community at
the University of California-Santa Cruz. ``If China was next
door, we'd get a different kind of immigrant from China.''
Political front
• Some victories at ballot box
Translating economic success into significant political muscle
has been a challenge, though Asians have made some strides
locally in recent years. Ethnic fragmentation is one impediment:
While about half of Asians surveyed say they'd be more likely to
vote for an Asian candidate than a non-Asian with the same
qualifications, about half said they would choose a candidate
from their native country over another Asian.
In addition, Asians compete with California's less fragmented
Latino community -- particularly in San Jose, where
redistricting wiped out a potentially Asian seat in the state
Legislature. By 2020, the growth of the Bay Area's Latino
population is expected to exceed the Asian population,
principally because of higher birth rates. That suggests that
Asians will have to work even harder to gain political power.
The poll did not pick up much overt racial tension between
Asians and non-Asians. Just 13 percent of Asians surveyed said
discrimination is a major problem preventing Asians from
succeeding in the United States. But about half said they have
less opportunity in life than whites and slightly more than half
of Asians believe their achievements are underrated.
Most of those surveyed said Asians have had a positive impact on
the region, from enhancing the high-tech industry to improving
the economy, public schools and property values. But most
non-Asians, while acknowledging the contribution Asians have
made to high tech, said Asians have had no impact on schools or
property values.
One possible explanation for the difference in perceptions is
that there is still relatively little mixing between non-Asians
and the mostly foreign-born Asian population in the Bay Area.
Fifty-five percent of Asians said all or most of their friends
are Asian, and about one in four of those employed said all or
most of the people they associate with at work are Asian.
However, Asian parents said their children's friends are mostly
non-Asian, a sign that this next generation is mingling more.
That's been typical of most immigrant groups: Each successive
generation assimilates and the culture of native countries
becomes diluted.
Mercury News Database Editor Griff Palmer and Staff Writer
Cecilia Kang contributed to this report. Contact Tracey Kaplan
at
tkaplan@mercurynews.com or (408) 278-3482.
(http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/10399441.htm)
Related Story:
(http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/special_packages/asian_impact/10399468.htm)
Kaiser Family Foundation Report
(http://www.kff.org/newsmedia/pomr121204pkg.cfm)
******************
December 13, 2004
Lifting test scores in one San Jose district
PARENTS' EMPHASIS ON SCHOOLING CITED AS STUDENTS OUTPERFORM
THEIR PEERS
By Cecilia Kang
Mercury News
By most measures, the Franklin-McKinley Elementary School
District is struggling to get by. But on closer inspection, it's
also the site of a success story in which one segment of
students is defying the odds in the working-class central San
Jose district.
Vietnamese-American students -- most of whom are the children of
refugees -- are placing at the top of their classes and
performing on par with children in affluent communities such as
Palo Alto and Burlingame, according to state test scores. But
unlike high-performing students in affluent districts, most of
these students have none of the advantages of higher-income,
higher-educated families. In many cases, these children will be
the first to go to college, and in some families, the first to
finish elementary school.
There are numerous theories about the academic achievements of
Vietnamese-American students, including cultural values and the
desire to escape the economic hardships of being a refugee.
``You find this same phenomena wherever there is a large and
tight Vietnamese community,'' said Min Zhou, a professor at the
University of California-Los Angeles who has studied the
academic performance of Vietnamese students in New Orleans.
``It's not any one thing, but all the influences that come
together with the clear vision that education is the only way up
the social ladder.''
Certainly there are Vietnamese children struggling academically.
But at Franklin-McKinley the test scores of Vietnamese-Americans
-- who make up 28 percent of the student population in the
district and 6 percent of Santa Clara County's -- are helping to
lift the district's performance.
Ten of the 14 elementary and middle schools in the San Jose
district, which is wedged between highways 101, 87 and
Interstate 280, failed to meet state testing targets. Four
scored so poorly on the Academic Performance Index that the
federal government has threatened to take them over unless they
improve.
But throughout the district, the largely Vietnamese population
of Asian-American students is scoring at least 100 points higher
than other students. At Hellyer Elementary, which has the
highest overall test scores in the district and the largest
number of Vietnamese students, API scores among Asians average
822 on a scale of 1,000. At Stonegate Elementary, Asian students
scored 852, one point below Juana Briones Elementary in Palo
Alto.
Zhou credits the availability of affordable tutoring centers and
the Vietnamese community's emphasis on education for some of the
success. At the Khai Tri tutoring center in San Jose, the
two-story building of classes is packed with Vietnamese students
on a Wednesday evening. Parents rely on high school and
college-age tutors to guide their children through an
educational system they often do not understand.
``My mom is always saying don't waste the opportunities we have
here,'' said Tina Huynh, a tutor at Khai Tri and a senior at
Andrew Hill High School. ``I went to tutoring centers when I was
young and now I'm helping younger kids in the same way.''
Though many parents do not participate in school activities,
they put their faith in the schools and teachers to lift the
entire family. Such sentiment is reflected in an expression
heard in many Vietnamese-American homes: ``nhat su nhi phu''
(first teacher, second father).
Franklin-McKinley's students continue to do well after
elementary and middle school: Every 2004 valedictorian at nearby
Oak Grove, Yerba Buena and Andrew Hill high schools was
Vietnamese-American.
More remarkably, the students are performing well even though
their parents tend to have less education -- which experts say
is one of the biggest predictors of student performance. Just 33
percent of Vietnamese said they or their spouse had a college or
postgraduate degree, the lowest of the four major Asian
subgroups in the Bay Area, according to a Mercury News/Henry J.
Kaiser Family Foundation poll. In contrast, 89 percent of
Indians said they or their spouse have a college or postgraduate
degree.
At Hellyer, for example, 20 percent of parents have college
degrees and 20 percent did not complete high school. At the
state's top-ranked school, Faria Elementary in Cupertino, nearly
every parent has a college degree and more than eight in 10 have
graduate degrees.
But like parents in more affluent districts, Franklin-McKinley
parents place a high value on education. They emphasize studying
and going to college as a means to getting professional jobs
that will help the whole family, said Madison Nguyen, a member
of the Franklin-McKinley board.
``If you've seen hardship as some of these families have trying
to come over here, then when you come here it will be very clear
to you what you have to do to get ahead,'' said Nguyen, a De
Anza College professor whose parents did not attend college.
``And the answer is clear to everyone: education.''
Contact Cecilia Kang at
ckang@mercurynews.com
or (408) 920-5066.
(http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/10404921.htm)
******************
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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