#209 7/3 Meeting Summary; Coalition Opposes Section 702; Meet Oscar and Agnes; Calendar

In This Issue #209

• 2023/07/03 Monthly Meeting Summary Posted

• National Asian American Coalition Opposes Reauthorization of Section 702 of FISA Without Major Reforms

• Science Editorial: Future Generations Are Watching

• Meet Agnes Hsu-Tang 徐心眉 and Oscar Tang 唐骝千

• Community Calendar

2023/07/03 Monthly Meeting Summary Posted  

The July 3, 2023, APA Justice monthly meeting summary has been posted at https://bit.ly/46dE3CW. We thank the following speakers for their updates and discussions:  

• Al Green, Member, U.S. House of Representatives; Member of the Executive Board and Chair of Housing Task Force, CAPAC, on affirmative action, multicultural advocacy coalition and unity, history of alien land laws and SB 147, Green-Chu Preemption Bill, March on Washington, and more

• Nisha Ramachandran, Executive Director, CAPAC, nisha.ramachandran@mail.house.gov, on affirmative action, alien land bills, and push back against legislations and amendments that are harmful to the civil rights and civil liberties of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities

• Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), gpkusakawa@aasforum.org, on anti-Asian narrative, Friends of the National Asian Pacific American Smithsonian Museum, teach-in with Mike German at the Brennan Center to demystify the FBI, and in-person OCA National panel with Dr. Xiaoxing Xi

• Clay Zhu 朱可亮, Partner, DeHeng Law Offices 德恒律师事务所; Founder, Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance (CALDA) 华美维权同盟, on motion for preliminary injunction, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart joining the Florida lawsuit pro bono, joint amicus brief 19 diverse groups, and statement of interest by the Department of Justice

• Scott Chang, Senior Counsel, National Fair Housing Alliance, on the history and purpose of NFHA, monitoring of state alien land bills, and possible lawsuit with longtime partners, Relman Colfax PLLC

• Edgar Chen, Special Policy Advisor, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, on the history and purpose of NAPABA, its advocacy efforts with local affiliates to combat new alien land laws as legal ambassadors and interpreters, caution against one-size-fits-all solution, critical local knowledge, holding legislators accountable, and appreciation for African American legislators in places like Alabama and Louisiana.

• Cindy Tsai 蔡欣玲, Interim President and Executive Director, Committee of 100, on the history and purpose of C100, the importance of empowering local communities to address state and municipal laws prohibiting land purchases, guidebook and interactive map, standardized database of information and anti-Asian incident reports, the Yellow Whistle Campaign, and interactions with FBI field offices.

Read the 7/3 meeting summary:  https://bit.ly/46dE3CW. Read past monthly meeting summaries: https://bit.ly/3kxkqxP  Correction from last issue of APA Justice newsletter:  Scott Chang, an attorney for the National Fair Housing Alliance, said that NFHA and other organizations are still investigating and are likely to file a lawsuit against the discriminatory alien land law in Florida during the APA Justice monthly meeting on September 11, 2023

National Asian American Coalition Opposes Reauthorization of Section 702 of FISA Without Major Reforms

On September 14, 2023, a coalition of 52 Asian American organizations wrote to Congress to oppose the renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) unless significant revisions are put into place.  The letter, led by Asian American Scholae Forum (AASF), Advancing Justice | AAJC, and Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) and Stop AAPI Hate, wrote "with a sense of urgency and a shared commitment to safeguarding the principles of justice, equality, and privacy  in our nation. As Asian Americans and allies, we understand all too well the perils of unchecked national security programs and the historical discrimination our community has endured. Our shared history serves as a poignant reminder of the dangers of racial profiling and prejudice in the name of national security. That is why we write to express our strong opposition to the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act without comprehensive reforms.""Our community is no stranger to the dangers of unrestrained national security programs. The Asian American community has a long history of being treated as 'perpetual foreigners' and scapegoated as national security threats based on our race, ethnicity, religion, or ancestry. During World War II, over 120,000 U.S. residents of Japanese ancestry were incarcerated in remote detention camps in the name of 'national security' in what was one of the darkest stains in our nation’s history.  The racist rationale behind this measure was concern that any people of Japanese descent, regardless of whether they were citizens or children, were more prone to acts of espionage or sabotage."Yet history continues to repeat itself from the treatment of Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (AMEMSA) communities post 9/11 to the current hate, violence, and bigotry against  Asian Americans. In the past decade, we have had programs within federal agencies that have raised concerns and fears that race, ethnicity, national origin, and/or religious beliefs were being used to profile and target Asian Americans, particularly Chinese American scientists, researchers, and scholars. This intensified under the now defunct Department of Justice’s 'China Initiative,' which created a chilling effect on the Asian American community who feared that once again they were being scapegoated as threats based on their race, ethnicity, and national origin. "The lesson from these abuses is clear: Without rigorous checks in place, national security and law enforcement officials may act based on prejudice rather than facts. The result is a system that fosters bigotry and leaves Asian Americans open to abuse and as collateral damage. Even to this day, we continue to be convenient scapegoats.

"One such authority is Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which will expire at the end of this year unless reauthorized by Congress. Section 702 allows the government to acquire the communications of non-Americans located outside of the United States without a warrant. But this surveillance inevitably sweeps in Americans’ communications as well, which agencies such as the FBI, CIA, and NSA then search for—again without a warrant. The breadth  and scope of this surveillance, which amounts to warrantless access to billions of communications, along with government agents’ “persistent and widespread” violations of the minimal privacy safeguards they are required to adhere to under Section 702, demonstrate that the law is in dire need of reform. "I. Section 702 Surveillance is Overbroad and Overused."II. Government Officials Abuse Section 702 & Impact on Asian American Communities."III. Section 702 Is in Dire Need of Reform."The coalition calls for the communities to spread the word by using this social media toolkit https://bit.ly/3PcehZ6 with sample posts and graphics. They encourage your organization to amplify what is at stake for Asian Americans and why this fight matters to our community.  The lead organizations will also develop materials, training, and other resources to support your organizations' direct engagement and advocacy to Congress on this issue.The Washington Post reported on the coalition letter on September 14, 2023.  According to the report, the coalition demands that a warrant be required to access Americans’ data in a 702-related search and place new surveillance limits to only target people possessing “information of genuine intelligence value."  Civil liberties groups recently met with National Intelligence Director Avril Haines and other intelligence officials, urging them to commit to a range of related reforms to the contentious spying power that is set to expire on December 31, 2023, unless it is reauthorized by Congress. Read the coalition letter: https://bit.ly/3LkEmnt.  Read the Washington Post report: https://wapo.st/44Ss6lo.

Science Editorial: Future Generations Are Watching

According to a Science editorial, "in many ways, the current US scientific enterprise is the intellectual descendant of 87 scientists who gathered in Philadelphia 175 years ago to establish the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS, the publisher of Science). They joined disparate, scattered scientific disciplines to identify and address key challenges of the day."Scientists have made extraordinary advances to improve lives around the world."The world is at a critical juncture. One path leads to ethical and transparent scientific collaboration with the potential to heal the sick, feed the hungry, and protect the planet. Another path leads to barriers that slow progress, distort scientific evidence, and even use science in harmful ways. Both futures are possible, but neither is inevitable. AAAS and the research community must make an active decision to engage in the former, or the latter vision may become the reality by default. AAAS must take a leadership role to cultivate an inclusive and mobilized global scientific community that enables and celebrates scientific excellence and science-informed decisions that lead to the first vision."AAAS is committed to advancing scientific achievement. An open and inclusive scientific enterprise is essential to confronting the world’s complex problems. "Scientists need the tools to participate and build trust in the communities where they live. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed cracks in the foundation of that trust and perpetuated polarization and misinformation in many countries."AAAS must also continue to ensure that the voice of science is heard in policy-making, so that relevant, solutions-oriented, and actionable evidence is clear and available to federal, state, and local decision-makers."Does the world still need an organization incorporating the whole scientific ecosystem? Now more than ever, science is essential to the decisions that will determine the prospects for future health, prosperity, and peace. The scientific enterprise and AAAS must help shape the next 175 years and not be bystanders as history unfolds before us. Future generations are watching."Author of the Science editorial is Dr. Sudip Parikh, chief executive officer of AAAS and executive publisher of the Science journals. ceo@aaas.org

Read the Science editorial: https://bit.ly/45TdMuc

Meet Agnes Hsu-Tang 徐心眉 and Oscar Tang 唐骝千

According to the New York Times on September 12, 2023, the New York Philharmonic had secured a $40 million donation from the financier Oscar L. Tang 唐骝千, a co-chairman of its board, and his wife, Agnes Hsu‐Tang 徐心眉, an archaeologist and art historian, the largest contribution to the endowment in the ensemble’s 181-year history.  The Philharmonic, the oldest symphony orchestra in the United States, has been led by giants including Mahler, Toscanini and Leonard Bernstein.Tang, who has served on the Philharmonic’s board since 2013, said he hoped the gift would help usher in a “new golden age” under superstar maestro Gustavo Dudamel, who will take the podium in 2026, with a focus on music education and social change, as the Philharmonic works to connect with new audiences, especially young people and Black and Latino residents. Hsu-Tang, who has worked on international cultural heritage protection and rescue, advising UNESCO in Paris as well as the Cultural Property Advisory Committee under President Barack Obama, said "We support institutions that are game changers — that want to make changes, that act on changes — rather than institutions that were forced to make changes because of the pandemic,” she said. “This is not just a golden age for the New York Philharmonic. It’s a renaissance for New York, and it’s a renaissance for music, arts and culture.”Hsu-Tang, who also serves as chair of the board of the New‐York Historical Society, and Tang are among the city’s most prominent cultural philanthropists. In 2021, the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced that the couple had pledged $125 million to help rebuild its wing for modern and contemporary art, the largest capital gift in the museum’s history.After the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing, Tang teamed up with the architect I.M. Pei 貝聿銘, the cellist Yo-Yo Ma 马友友 and others to establish the Committee of 100, a Chinese American leadership organization for advancing dialogue between the United States and China.Tang and Hsu-Tang have also championed efforts to fight racial discrimination. In early 2021, the couple founded the Yellow Whistle campaign to combat anti‐Asian hate, distributing 500,000 free yellow whistles emblazoned with the slogan “We Belong.”

On Tuesday, the Philharmonic announced that Dudamel would come to New York in April for a festival celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Philharmonic’s Young People’s Concerts, which have helped introduce new generations to classical music. Dudamel, who had not been previously scheduled to appear this season, will lead the ensemble’s spring gala concert and participate in educational activities.Read the New York Times report: https://nyti.ms/3Rk4UJz

Community Calendar 

APA Justice has launched a Community Calendar to track events and activities of interest to the Asian Pacific American, academic, and other communities.  You can find it on the front page of the APA Justice website at https://www.apajustice.org/.

Mark Your Calendar:  

The Committee of 100 will hold its annual conference and gala in New York City on April 18-20, 2024.

Upcoming Events:

• 2023/09/19 National Voter Registration Day

• 2023/09/20 Committee of 100 Asian American Career Ceilings: Voting and Representation                   National Science Foundation Listening Session

• 2023/09/21 Appeals Court Hearing of Feng "Franklin" Tao 陶丰 Appeal

• 2023/09/25-27 AAUC National Unity Summit 

• 2023/09/27 1990 Institute: Teaching Asian American Narratives through Literature

• Visit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details.

  
  

NOTE:  Support Professor Feng "Franklin" Tao 陶丰, the first academic researcher to be prosecuted under the now-defunct "China Initiative," by attending the oral argument in Courtroom 2 of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals at 1823 Stout Street, Denver Colorado on Thursday, September 21, 2023, starting around 9:30 am MT.  He is appealing one last count against him after all other charges were dismissed or acquitted.  If you are not able to attend in person, you may watch it livestreamed through this link https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz4oP87ziTjb7WpRwIGZf0g.  Read about his case at https://bit.ly/3fZWJvK