OCA-DC  
NEWS 

CURRENT GENERAL NEWS EXCERPTS

(Click HERE for All General News Stories in Detail)

SPRING FAMILY DAY & PICNIC SET FOR SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2003 - The picnic will be held at Bohrer Park in Gaithersburg, Md. from 2:00 - 7:00 p.m. Cost is $5 for members and $7 for non-members (children under 2 are free). For more information, contact:

Paul Wong                    Yidi Xu
301-717-6808                   301-515-6405
pawo@att.net               yidi_xu@yahoo.com

Linda Wang
OCAYP_RSVP@hotmail.com

Must RSVP by May 1, 2003.
For more detail...go to 2003 Spring Family Day.

February 3, 2003 - OCA EXPRESSES OUR CONDOLENCES TO FAMILIES OF COLUMBIA CREW MEMBERS - Washington DC - The Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA), a national civil rights and education organization with over 80 chapters and affiliates nationwide, expresses our condolences to the family and friends of the crew members on space shuttle Columbia.

OCA wishes to honor the crew for their bravery. "Astronauts are considered the best and the brightest that this nation has to offer and it is inspiring to see that the crew represented America's diversity," stated Raymond Wong, OCA National President. "Kalpana Chawla and Michael Anderson remind us all of the sacrifices and contributions made by Asian Pacific Americans and African Americans to the United States." (For more...go to General News in Detail.)

January 31, 2003 - Washington, DC - The Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA), a national Asian Pacific American (APA) civil rights and education group with over 80 chapters and affiliates nationwide, is outraged by Maxim's story, "Maxim's Kick-Ass Workout," featured in the magazine's February 2003 edition.

The three-page article graphically illustrates 21 different scenes of a white man in a "Muscle" T-shirt attacking an image of Mahatma Gandhi. " Gandhi" is being stomped on, kicked, choked, and thrown. The article also urges readers to "ask Gandhi if he can see a change in your physique" and to "teach those pacifists a lesson about aggression." Gandhi was a man who brought about change not through violence, but through civil disobedience in which he preached about peace, morals, and ethics. Gandhi is an example to us all and deserves our utmost respect, but Maxim, on two separate occasions, has mocked the life of Gandhi. Maxim had previously tarnished Gandhi's reputation on their web site that included a" Stupid Fun" article titled "Oh, Calcutta: Three Reasons to Hate ...Gandhi." Maxim is demonstrating a pattern of inappropriate behavior toward not only Gandhi, but also the Asian community, and this will not be tolerated. (For more...go to General News in Detail.)

January 9, 2003 - Washington, DC - The Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA), a national Asian Pacific American (APA) civil rights and education group with over 80 chapters and affiliates nationwide, joins other national civil rights organizations in strongly condemning the Immigration and Naturalization Service's (INS) "special registration call-in" program.

This policy is being used by the INS as a pretext for the mass detention of hundreds of Middle Eastern men and boys. On December 16, hundreds were arrested in Southern California as they attempted to voluntarily comply with a new program that mandates fingerprinting and registration of all males over the age of 16 years from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, and Syria. Instead of registering their presence with the INS, an estimated 500-1000 of these individuals were placed in detention and are being put through deportation proceedings. (For more...go to General News in Detail.)

HOT BREAKING
* NEWS FLASH *

GENERAL NEWS

February 3, 2003 - OCA EXPRESSES OUR CONDOLENCES TO FAMILIES OF COLUMBIA CREW MEMBERS - Washington DC - The Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA), a national civil rights and education organization with over 80 chapters and affiliates nationwide, expresses our condolences to the family and friends of the crew members on space shuttle Columbia.

OCA wishes to honor the crew for their bravery. "Astronauts are considered the best and the brightest that this nation has to offer and it is inspiring to see that the crew represented America's diversity," stated Raymond Wong, OCA National President. "Kalpana Chawla and Michael Anderson remind us all of the sacrifices and contributions made by Asian Pacific Americans and African Americans to the United States."

Born in Karnal, India, mission specialist Kalpana Chawla was the first Indian American woman to go into space. She overcame the obstacles she faced as a woman in India to come to the United States to pursue her studies in aeronautical engineering. Chawla received her Master of Science from the University of Texas in 1984 and her Doctorate from the University of Colorado in 1988. In 1998, Chawla joined Overset Methods, Inc. in California as Vice President and Research Scientist and was responsible for the development and implementation of efficient techniques to perform aerodynamic optimization. Chawla became an American citizen during her studies here, a further reminder to us of the many contributions immigrants have made to this country. Chawla's first space mission with NASA was in 1997. During her time at NASA, Chawla was involved with the summer space program, and encouraged NASA to invite students from her high school in India to participate in the program. Chawla is survived by her husband.

Payload commander Michael P. Anderson was the only black crew member on space shuttle Columbia. Anderson, who hails from Spokane, Washington, was a U.S. air force lieutenant colonel and physicist. His first space mission was in 1998 aboard Endeavour on the eighth shuttle flight to the Russian space station Mr. Anderson is survived by his wife and two daughters.

The loss of Columbia brings back painful memories of the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger as it took off from Cape Canaveral on January 28, 1986, also killing all seven people on board. One of the crew members on the Challenger was mission specialist Ellison S. Onizuka, a Japanese American from Hawaii.
"Chawla is another reminder to the Asian Pacific American community of the many remarkable successes of APAs," stated Christine Chen, OCA Executive Director. "We are greatly saddened by our country's loss of the
heroes on the Columbia shuttle."
###

January 31, 2003 - Washington, DC - The Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA), a national Asian Pacific American (APA) civil rights and education group with over 80 chapters and affiliates nationwide, is outraged by Maxim's story, "Maxim's Kick-Ass Workout," featured in the magazine's February 2003 edition.

Background:

The three-page article graphically illustrates 21 different scenes of a white man in a "Muscle" T-shirt attacking an image of Mahatma Gandhi. " Gandhi" is being stomped on, kicked, choked, and thrown. The article also urges readers to "ask Gandhi if he can see a change in your physique" and to "teach those pacifists a lesson about aggression." Gandhi was a man who brought about change not through violence, but through civil disobedience in which he preached about peace, morals, and ethics. Gandhi is an example to us all and deserves our utmost respect, but Maxim, on two separate occasions, has mocked the life of Gandhi. Maxim had previously tarnished Gandhi's reputation on their web site that included a" Stupid Fun" article titled "Oh, Calcutta: Three Reasons to Hate ...Gandhi." Maxim is demonstrating a pattern of inappropriate behavior toward not only Gandhi, but also the Asian community, and this will not be tolerated.

OCA commends the Orange County Asian Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA), tolerance.org, and India Cause for bring our attention to this issue and for responding so quickly and decisively to this article.
In response to the many email complaints that have been submitted to Maxim's website, Maxim's public relations spokesman, David Barkoe, has stated that Maxim will be responding to the complaints in its May issue.

OCA has written a letter to Jordan Burchette, Senior Editor of Maxim, expressing our outrage at the images and demanding that Maxim issue a formal apology to the Asian community as well as to the many of us who respect and revere Gandhi and what he represents. OCA has also urged Maxim to publish an educational piece about Asian Pacific Americans in order to demonstrate their commitment to tolerance and cultural diversity.

What to do:

In the meantime, OCA encourages you to let Maxim know how you feel about their offensive article, and encourage your friends to do the same. (<http://www.maximonline.com/talk/>).

Jordan Burchette
Senior Editor
Maxim Magazine
1040 Avenue of Americas
15th Floor
New York, NY 10018

January 31, 2003
Dear Mr. Burchette:

The Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA), a national Asian Pacific American (APA) civil rights and education group with over 80 chapters and affiliates nationwide, is outraged by Maxim's story, "Maxim's Kick-Ass Workout," featured in the magazine's February 2003 edition.

The three-page article graphically illustrates 21 different scenes of a white man in a "Muscle" T-shirt attacking an image of Mahatma Gandhi. " Gandhi" is being stomped on, kicked, choked, and thrown. The article also urges readers to "ask Gandhi if he can see a change in your physique" and to "teach those pacifists a lesson about aggression."

Gandhi was a man who brought about change not through violence, but through civil disobedience in which he preached about peace, morals, and ethics. Gandhi is an example to us all and deserves our utmost respect, but Maxim, on two separate occasions, has mocked the life of Gandhi. Maxim had previously tarnished Gandhi's reputation on their web site that included a " Stupid Fun" article titled "Oh, Calcutta: Three Reasons to Hate ...Gandhi." Maxim is demonstrating a pattern of inappropriate behavior toward not only Gandhi, but also the Asian community, and this will not be tolerated.

Maxim is one of the most successful men's lifestyle publications, and though it seeks to be "edgy" and push the envelope, these repeated attacks on Gandhi are completely unacceptable as a form of humor, even tasteless humor. It is especially irresponsible of Maxim to publish images and comments that will only serve to encourage violence and promote hate crimes. As Michael Matsuda, chairperson of the Orange County Asian
Pacific Islander Community Alliance, stated, "in today's context, after Sept. 11 and with the anti-war movement, this article is telling people to beat the crap out of Asians and pacifists."

Maxim's public relations spokesman, David Barkoe, has stated that Maxim will be responding to the complaints in its May issue. OCA is eager to hear Maxim's response, but OCA demands that Maxim take the right step and issue a formal apology to the Asian community and to the many of us who respect and revere Gandhi. In addition, to show that Maxim is sincere in its apology, the magazine should feature a piece on Asian Pacific Americans to educate your readership about the importance of tolerance and cultural diversity.

We look forward to receiving a response from you and we thank you in advance for your efforts.

Sincerely,
Raymond Wong
OCA National President
----------------------------------
Organization of Chinese Americans
1001 Connecticut Ave., NW #601
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: 202-223-5500 Fax: 202-296-0540
Web: http://www.ocanatl.org
E-mail: oca@ocanatl.org

January 9, 2003 - Washington, DC - The Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA), a national Asian Pacific American (APA) civil rights and education group with over 80 chapters and affiliates nationwide, joins other national civil rights organizations in strongly condemning the Immigration and Naturalization Service's (INS) "special registration call-in" program.

This policy is being used by the INS as a pretext for the mass detention of hundreds of Middle Eastern men and boys. On December 16, hundreds were arrested in Southern California as they attempted to voluntarily comply with a new program that mandates fingerprinting and registration of all males over the age of 16 years from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, and Syria. Instead of registering their presence with the INS, an estimated 500-1000 of these individuals were placed in detention and are being put through deportation proceedings.

"The INS is targeting populations based on national origin or religious affiliation, not based on intelligence information, implying that these individuals are threats to national security," stated Raymond Wong, OCA National President. "These actions are especially relevant to the Asian Pacific American community in the way they resemble the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and the witch-hunts of the McCarthy era, in which thousands of Chinese Americans were jailed or targeted for deportation based solely on their ethnicity and alleged risk to national security."

Similarly, the INS program is flawed in design and implementation and is being used to detain individuals based on race and religion, many who are simply waiting for approval of their green card applications, and who are in the process of adjusting their residency status in the United States. However, these individuals have abided by the law and are only technically out of status mainly due to delays and backlog on the part of INS. These inefficiencies are due to the fact that the INS is not properly equipped with the resources and staff needed to process the paperwork of these applicants. The INS needs to work with those in the community who possess knowledge of how to best promote national security, not alienate them.

"We recognize that the government must provide for the national security of all Americans," stated Christine Chen, OCA Executive Director. "However, we are concerned that this policy will not enhance the nation's security, but will instead be administered discriminatorily and disenfranchise law abiding individuals."

OCA joins other civil rights and immigration organizations in submitting a letter to President George W. Bush expressing our concern at the "Special Registration" program. We emphasize the ineffective and inconsistent implementation of the program and urge that the program be eliminated. Failing complete elimination, we urge that precautions be taken so that special registration does indeed address our security concerns without detaining innocent individuals.

**********************************************************
National Immigration Forum: Organizational sign-on letter to President Bush
**********************************************************

January , 2003

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC

Dear Mr. President:

We, the undersigned ethnic, religious, and civil rights organizations write to express our concern with the INS's "Special Registration Program." Our organizations are committed to working with America's leaders to enhance our security. We stand united in doing all we can to help make our nation safer. The United States has the fundamental right to maintain pertinent data on those who visit our nation on a temporary basis. However, the "Special Registration Program" is flawed in both design and implementation, and will not enhance our security

The Special Registration program appears to target people based on national origin, race and religion, rather than on intelligence information. With the exception of North Korea, all the countries in the program are Arab or Muslim. Moreover, the recent addition and subsequent removal of Armenia from the list of countries raises even more questions about the criteria and process by which countries are included in the list. To make matters worse, the registration process is being wrongly applied. Instead of identifying terrorists, the INS in some local offices is using the special registration procedure to identify and detain people who are on the path to permanent residency.

Not only is the call-in registration program ill-conceived, it also is being ineffectively implemented. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has not given the INS the staff, resources, and guidance necessary to do this job, and has not effectively disseminated information about the program. In fact, the INS/DOJ did not even issue a press release or post information about program requirements until December 6, only ten days before the December 16 deadline.

This program should be eliminated. Failing that, given the conditions referenced above, we urge the following:

· Special Registration (or other future programs) should not detain or deport people who have a claim to legal status. Some INS offices are detaining and deporting people who are technically out of status, often due to INS delays and inefficiencies. In some offices, such as Los Angeles, large numbers of registrants have been detained. Some of these people have approved family or employment petitions and are eligible to adjust their status in the U.S. under Section 245(i), a program that you strongly support. It makes no sense from security or economic perspectives to target people who eventually will be granted lawful status because they have applications pending for lawful permanent status, have been issued employment authorization documents, or otherwise are eligible for lawful status.

· THE DOJ/INS must adequately publicize program requirements, must initiate effective outreach programs, and hold harmless those who did not register because they did not know about the program. The DOJ/INS needs to do a better job of effectively disseminating information about the program. Dissemination and outreach is especially crucial given the drastic consequences for not registering and the fact that two other registration deadlines loom. DOJ/INS also must take responsibility for inadequately publicizing this program and its requirements by granting waivers for those who did not register for the program because they had no knowledge of it or because of the fear engendered by the mass arrest of registrants in some offices.

· The INS must implement uniform procedures in their district offices, and these procedures must make sense. INS district offices have adopted widely disparate practices to implement special registration. Some District offices have been allowing attorneys to represent registrants, while others have not. Various District offices have announced different procedures for persons out of status who have a pending, valid application for permanent residence. In addition, each district office appears to be following different policies regarding documentation. Finally, there seems to be a wide degree of discretion from office to office on procedures ranging from fingerprinting to interview questions.

· THE INS/DOJ needs to clarify registration requirements. Specifically the definition of 'national' in the guidance is unclear and has been interpreted differently by various INS district offices. The result has been that some aliens are being turned away from registration centers while others are unsure if they are required to register. The lack of outreach to the affected communities compounds this problem.

Special registration is a false solution to a real problem. We urge you to implement initiatives that address our security concerns, but also are effective and effectively implemented. These initiatives should target terrorists, not innocent immigrants, so as not to alienate communities whose cooperation is needed.

Given the gravity of the current situation, we will be contacting your office to request a meeting on this and related issues.

**********************************************************
National APA Legal Consortium Special Registration Notice
**********************************************************

IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Certain Non-Immigrants Must Report to INS by Deadline
for "Call-In Special Registration"
­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

GROUP 1: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Syria

GROUP 2: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Eritrea, Lebanon, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Somalia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

GROUP 3: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia

The Department of Justice has issued a series of notices calling for male nationals or citizens from twenty countries to register with local INS offices. Persons belonging to the three groups listed below are required to report to a local INS office to be interviewed, fingerprinted, and photographed. Those who miss the deadline face a serious risk of being deported. Additionally, those individuals may be subject to arrest, detention, fines and/or removal from the United States. If you have already missed the deadline for your group, consult with an immigration attorney as soon as possible.

If you think that you have violated your current status, have been convicted of or wanted for a crime, or have any uncertainty as to what you should do, consult with an immigration attorney prior to registering. You are entitled to bring a lawyer to your interview. There are reports that some persons reporting for registration are immediately detained by the INS for further questioning and possibly placed in deportation proceedings. Notify your family prior to reporting.

Your local community advocates may have information for you about volunteer attorneys and how your local office is handling registration. The INS encourages people to report early in the time period to avoid lengthy delays and possible detention during security checks. The Attorney General has stated similar notices will be issued for additional groups in the near future.

Who is required to appear and what are the deadlines?

GROUP 1: By December 16, 2002

(1) Male nationals or citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, and Syria; and
(2) Born on or before November 15, 1986; and
(3) Who arrived in the U.S. on or before September 10, 2002; and
(4) Are staying in the U.S. at least until December 16, 2002; and
(5) Who are not U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents of the United States
("green card holders"), refugees, individuals who have been granted asylum,
individuals who have applied for asylum on or before November 6,
2002, individuals with diplomatic visas, or employees from
accredited international organizations.

For links to information on Group 1 in:
Arabic - <http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/lawenfor/specialreg/ArabicCllIn_Gr1.pdf> and
Farsi - <http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/lawenfor/specialreg/FarsiCallIn_Gr1.pdf>.
Go to the INS website at <http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/lawenfor/specialreg>.

GROUP 2: by January 10, 2003

(1) Male nationals or citizens of Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Eritrea, Lebanon, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Somalia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen; and
(2) Born on or before December 2, 1986; and
(3) Who arrived in the U.S. on or before September 30, 2002; and
(4) Are staying in the U.S. at least until January 10, 2003; and
(5) Who are not U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents of the United States ("green card holders"), refugees, individuals who have been granted asylum, individuals who have applied for asylum on or before November 22, 2002, individuals with diplomatic visas, or employees from accredited international organizations.

For links to information on Group 2 in:
Arabic - <http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/lawenfor/specialreg/ArabicCllInGr2.pdf>,
Farsi - <http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/lawenfor/specialreg/FarsiCllInGr2.pdf>,
Pashtu - <http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/lawenfor/specialreg/PASHTUCllInGr2.pdf>, and
Korean - <http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/lawenfor/specialreg/KOREANCllInGr2.pdf>.
Go to the INS website at <http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/lawenfor/specialreg>.

GROUP 3: between January 13 and February 21, 2003

(1) Male nationals or citizens of Pakistan or Saudi Arabia; and
(2) Born on or before January 13, 1987; and
(3) Who arrived in the U.S. on or before September 30, 2002; and
(4) Are staying in the U.S. at least until February 21, 2003; and
(5) Who are not U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents of the United States ("green card holders"), refugees, individuals who have been granted asylum, individuals who have applied for asylum on or before November 22, 2002, individuals with diplomatic visas, or employees from accredited international organizations.

For links to information on Group 3 in:
Arabic - <http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/lawenfor/specialreg/ArabicCllIn_Gr3.pdf> and
Urdu - <http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/lawenfor/specialreg/UrduCllIn_Gr3.pdf>.
Go to the INS website at <http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/lawenfor/specialreg>.

What should you bring?

- Travel documents, including your passport, I-94, and any other government-issued identification;
- Proof of residence in the US: printed mail with your or your host's address, lease agreement, etc.;
- If you are on a student visa, proof you are attending school;
- If you are on a work visa, proof you are working;
- An interpreter if you need one - interpretation is not provided; and
- Do not bring extra materials. The INS may inspect any of your belongings.

How can you get more information?

Official information from the INS:
<http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/lawenfor/specialreg>. This website has links to information in relevant languages for each group.

List of designated INS interviewing offices: <http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/lawenfor/specialreg/List_Interview.pdf>

INS office-by-office summary of how call-in registration is being handled, prepared by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA):
<http://www.aila.org/newsViewer.aspx?bc=273&docID=9278>

Questions and Answers, prepared by the American Immigration Law Foundation (AILF):
<http://www.aila.org/contentViewer.aspx?bc=10,1431,2170>

Please help advocates track people's experiences with the registration process. Your input regarding your experience or the experience of a family member or client is very beneficial in understanding how the government is implementing the call-in registration process. Help AILA and AILF document what is happening with the Special Registration process by filling out a Special Registration questionnaire at: <http://www.aila.org/newsViewer.aspx?bc=273&docID=9298>

2002 APAICS ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS

• APAICS’ very first Anheuser-Busch/Frank Horton Fellow, Scott Nishimoto, won his election to the Hawaii House of Representatives.

*2002 APAICS Leadership Academy Alumni

• Scott Kawasaki won re-election to the Fairbanks, Alaska City Council.
• Stan Matsunaka lost his race for Colorado’s 4th Congressional seat.
• Alicia Ping won re-election to the Saline, Michigan City Council.

December 18, 2002
For More Information:
Daphne Kwok 202-296-9200

FIRST NATIONAL ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN SCHOOL BOARD CONFERENCE HELD IN SAN FRANCISCO
The first National Asian Pacific American School Board Conference was held in San Francisco December 5-7. With the participation of almost half of the Asian Pacific American School Board Members nationwide, about sixty School Board Members from California, Michigan and New York convened to discuss issues ranging from "The Current and Projected Educational Landscape" to addressing the challenges of being an Asian Pacific American School Board Member.

The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) partnered with the California School
Boards Association and the Asian Pacific Islander School Board Members Association (APISBMA) to hold this historic gathering. The conference was supported by the State Farm Insurance Companies. " As the state with the largest numbers of Asian and Pacific American board members in the country, we were well positioned and proud to be the host for this historic national conference," said Jo Ann Yee, Director, Urban
Education and Outreach, California School Boards Association.

Sharing invaluable experience and information as former school board members who are now at leadership positions at the state level and the national level were the California Majority Leader Wilma Chan and Congressman Mike Honda of California.

Majority Leader Chan commented ," The conference shows the national empowerment of the Asian Pacific American community. People think they are doing it alone. That is why it is so important to come together for support."

" It is important for those of us in elected office to mentor, encourage, and help others maximize their opportunities to become policymakers," stated Congressman Mike Honda.

Other speakers included:
Marina Tse, Deputy Director,
English Language Acquisition,
U.S. Department of Education

Kathay Feng, Project Director,
Voting Rights and Anti-Discrimination Unit,
Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California

Shilpa Patel, Analyst,
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum

Janet Ruiz,Public Affairs Specialist,
State Farm Insurance Companies

Jean Quan
Oakland City-councilmember-elect

Francisco Borja, Jr.
President of the Saginaw, MichiganSchool Board

Warren Furutani
President, Board of Trustees of the Los Angeles Community College District

Randy Okamura
Former Fremont Union, California School Board Member

APAICS Chair Clayton Fong, commented, "School Board Members are our building blocks. School Board participation can lead up the political ladder to political appointments. We were extremely honored to have Marina Tse, Deputy Director, English Language Acquisition& Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students, U.S. Department of Education, address the conference.

Steven Choi, President of the Asian Pacific Islander School Board Members Association and President of the Irvine School District Board of Education, remarked, "We were delighted to have an opportunity to meet with our colleagues outside of California. This conference has been a catalyst for us to begin a dialogue for a national agenda."

Francisco Borja, Jr., President of the Saginaw Michigan School Board commented, "We should continue making the Asian Pacific Americans visible in our community by volunteering our services to community projects. Through our efforts as members of the board of education, we are helping formulate policies to prepare children from all backgrounds to be our leaders of tomorrow."

"The seeds have been sown to empower another segment of the Asian Pacific American community APA school board members! APAICS is delighted to be part of this empowerment opportunity. Hopefully, we will soon be drawing together all the segments of the APA community who are committed to education issues and to being at the education policymaking decision table," remarked Daphne Kwok, Executive Director of APAICS.

*****
THIS WEEK AT APAICS - December 16, 2002
YOUR WEEKLY DIGEST OF LEGISLATIVE, POLITICAL AND OTHER NEWS PERTINENT TO THE APA COMMUNITY

*****

APA MAJORITY LEADERS
When the 2003 legislative sessions begin, there will be a record number of Asian Pacific Americans who will
serve as Majority Leaders! This is historic as APAs rise to political leadership positions!

1. Guess how many there are?

2. Guess which three states they are from?

3. Guess what ethnic background they are?

And here are the answers:

1. There are four (4) APA Majority Leaders.

2. California, Hawaii (2), Maryland

3. Japanese (2), Chinese, South Asian

They are:

*Kumar Barve, Maryland House Majority Leader served as Chairman of the Montgomery County delegation,
fourth term

*Wilma Chan, California State Assembly Majority Leader served as Majority Whip, second term

*Colleen Hanabusa, Hawaii Senate Majority Leader served as Vice President of the Senate, currently also a
candidate in the January 4th election for the late Congresswoman Patsy Mink’s Congressional seat, second term

*Scott Saiki, Hawaii House Majority Leader served as Majority Whip and was previously an Assistant Majority Floor Leader, fifth term

*APAICS Leadership Academy Alumni

************************************************************************

The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) is a: nonprofit, nonpartisan, educational organization based in Washington, D.C., that seeks to build a politically empowered APA community, to fill the political pipeline for Asian Pacific Americans to enter and advance into elected office, and to be a resource to Congress about the APA community.

Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies
1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Suite 835
Washington, DC 20036
************************************************************************

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