Asian Pacific American civil rights, civic and legal groups, including the Organization for Chinese Americans (OCA), APIA Vote, and Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) mobilized to register APA voters and monitor the polls.
November 6, 2008
WASHINGTON, DC
OCA, a national social justice organization with 81 chapters and college affiliates, is proud to have been part of this historical US election, where Asian Pacific American (APA) voters registered and turned out in record numbers. Multiple OCA chapters representing all regions of the country mobilized to register voters in partnership with APIA Vote and hosted town halls and candidate forums. OCA also partnered with the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) to monitor polls and protect the APA vote.
OCA is very proud of our members for all the voter registration, education, turnout, and protection efforts we coordinated under our OCA Vote 2008 program, said Michael C. Lin, OCA executive director. OCA looks forward to working with President-elect Barack Obama and the new Congress, including continuing our work with Senator John McCain around immigration reform and other issues important to the APA community.
However, OCA is disappointed over the results of several state ballot measures:
The passage of Proposition 8 in California overturns a previous state Supreme Court decision and denies the right of same-sex partners to marry. Arizona and Florida also passed similar ballot...
More than 200 videos were submitted by members from the AAPI communities to a video challenge called "What's Your Story" sponsored by the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Here are the top eleven finalists. You may vote only once, for one of these eleven video entries. The deadline to vote is March 1, 2012. A group of finalists will be selected to come to the White House in March, 2012 to share their stories at a White House Champions of Change event.
White House staffers Eddie Lee, Associate Director, Office of Engagement, and Miya Saika Chen talk about the "What's Your Story" video challenge.
One Chinese-American Woman Fights Advanced Lung Cancer
November is Lung Awareness Month. According to a study by the Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research, and Training, the Chinese-American population has the highest death rates for lung and bronchial cancer among all Asian-American groups. The number one cause of cancer death in the United States, lung cancer will kill more Americans this year than breast, prostate, colon, and liver cancers combined.
Lung cancer patient, Ellen Chung, refuses to let these statistics affect her positive outlook on life. Chung was diagnosed with Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in December of 2002. She never smoked and her only symptoms were some indigestion and pain in her left chest and shoulder.
Resiliency is not a new concept for Chung. Born in Hawaii, her father worked in a sugar cane field, and she was fifth of six children. She worked two jobs to make her dream of moving to New York City after high school come true. Chung has since moved to four different cities, had four children, returned to college in her 30's, and is now retired and enjoying life as a grandmother.
"My first oncologist gave me nine months to live and said the only effective treatment option was chemotherapy, which may or may not give me more time - I decided to try another oncologist," Chung said.
According to Chung's current oncologist, Dr. Nick Chen, M.D., Ph.D., Seattle Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center, there are currently four...
Sunday March 11 marks the first anniversary of Japan's 9.0 quake, tsunami and nuclear disaster. Japan's Emperor Akihito, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and millions of others paused at 2:46 p.m. for a moment of silence, prayer and reflection to mourn the more than 19,000 people lost to the disaster. For the full story.
Poet, writer and community advocate Al Robles passed away May 2, 2009 at the age of 79
He leaves behind a lifetime of work helping the poor, the elderly, his community, and a legacy that will be honored by generations to come.
Robles was involved in the International Hotel struggle in San Francisco in the 70's.
In 1977, the decade long fight would result in the eviction of many elderly, low-income Filipino Americans, dismantling the last enclave of San Francisco's historic Manilatown - a day of reckoning for Filipino-American civil rights history.
Robles, affectionately called Manong Al, never gave up helping his community. The I-Hotel was rebuilt in 2005 by the Manilatown Heritage Foundation.
Memorial Services to celebrate Al Robles Life and Journey are planned in San Francisco May 15 and May 17 - see article for details.
Poet, writer and community advocate Al Robles passed away May 2, 2009 at the age of 79.
He leaves behind a lifetime of work helping the poor, the elderly, and his community.
Robles was involved in the International Hotel struggle in San Francisco in the 70's, which would become a day of reckoning for Filipino-American civil rights history.
In 1977, the I-Hotel tenants, primarily elderly low-income Filipinos, lost their decade long struggle and were evicted.
With their eviction, the last enclave of San Francisco's historic Manilatown community and all of its rich cultural living-history was dismantled.
After twenty years of protest by the community at...