#360 11/3 Meeting; 10/16 Webinar Videos; Advocacy 101; PBS: Builders of the Silicon Dream;+

In This Issue #360

·       2025/11/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting

·       Video of 10/16 Webinar on Bridging Nations Posted

·       Advocacy 101 for Scholars, Scientists and Researchers

·       PBS Documentary: Builders of the Silicon Dream

·       News and Activities for the Communities

2025/11/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting

left to right: Andy Phillips, Jane Shim, Paula Madison, Brian Sun

The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held on Monday, November 3, 2025, starting at 1:55 pm ET.In addition to updates from:

·       Judith Teruya, Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC)

·       Joanna YangQing Derman, Program Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC

·       Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF)

We are honored by and welcome the following distinguished speakers:

·       Andy Phillips, Managing & Founding Partner, Meier Watkins Phillips Pusch LLP

·       Jane Shim, Director, Stop Asian Hate Project, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

·       Paula Williams Madison, Chairman and CEO of Madison Media Management LLC and 88 Madison Media Works Inc.; Retired Executive, NBCUniversal 

·       Brian Sun, Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP

The virtual monthly meeting is by invitation only. It is closed to the press. If you wish to join, either one time or for future meetings, please contact one of the co-organizers of APA Justice - Steven Pei 白先慎, Vincent Wang 王文奎, and Jeremy Wu 胡善庆 - or send a message to contact@apajustice.org.   *****Attorney Andy Phillips represents Dr. Yanping Chen 陈燕平.  On September 30, 2025, the D.C. Circuit unanimously affirmed the district court’s decision in Yanping Chen v. Federal Bureau of Investigation, concluding that the reporter’s qualified First Amendment privilege did not shield Catherine Herridge from being compelled to identify her source after Dr. Chen showed the information was central to her Privacy Act claim and had exhausted other channels.  Andy will update us on the ruling by the Appeals Court on Dr. Chen's case.The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) filed an amicus brief in Dr. Chen’s case against the Federal Bureau of Investigation, highlighting the racial profiling and law-enforcement overreach experienced by Asian Americans and supporting her claim that her Privacy Act rights were violated.  Jane Shim will discuss the role of AALDEF and the importance of community advocacy.Drawing from her distinguished career in journalism and media/community leadership, Paula Madison will share her observations and insights on the case of Dr. Chen.Brian Sun 孫自華, renowned trial attorney who represented Dr. Wen Ho Lee 李文和 in his landmark civil lawsuit against the U.S. government and major news organizations two decades ago, will offer his reflections on the Wen Ho Lee and Yanping Chen cases, highlighting their legal and civil rights implications for the Asian American community.

Video of 10/16 Webinar on Bridging Nations Posted 

On October 16, 2025, the Committee of 100, the U.S.-China Education Trust (USCET), and APA Justice, co-hosted a webinar titled "Bridging Nations: People-to-People Exchange in U.S.–China Relations," featuring Ambassador Julia Chang Bloch and Governor Gary Locke as speakers with Professor Jessica Chen Weiss moderating the discussion.  Dr. Jeremy Wu, Co-Organizer of APA Justice, and Rosie Levine, Executive Director of USCET, gave opening and closing remarks respectively.  This webinar was the first in the "Global Tensions, Local Dimensions: Navigating the U.S.-China Relationship" series. The series focuses on the intersectionality between U.S.-China relations and Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) civil rights concerns. The first installment delved in the importance of people-to-people connections—academic exchange, business collaboration, and community relationships—that has historically stabilized bilateral relations, as well as the downstream effect of the relationship on AAPI communities and U.S. policies. Julia and Gary reflected on their personal experience through cycles of tension and engagement between the United States and China in recent decades. They noted that while competition and disagreement are not new, the current environment is distinguished by a deep sense of strategic rivalry, pervasive mistrust, and the breakdown of traditional channels for cooperation. They underscored the need for balanced leadership that protects national interests while upholding America’s values of inclusion and fairness. USCET has posted its post-program summary at https://bit.ly/4hyaUJW, highlight three quotes from the webinar:

·       “[Asian Americans] should not have to prove our loyalty than anyone else [should]… and we should not be forced to choose between heritage and country.“

·       “We are losing something essential: our ability to see each other as people first.“

·       “[Racial profiling and discrimination] are not just some moral failures. They are strategic disasters.“

C100 has posted its summary and video at https://bit.ly/494JtoT.  APA Justice posted the webinar video at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3I_G37uUY4 (59:33)The next webinar is being planned for mid-January of 2026. 

Advocacy 101 for Scholars, Scientists and Researchers

On November 3, 2025, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) and Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC will co-host a webinar titled "Advocacy 101 for Scholars, Scientists and Researchers."  The training session will equip participants with the knowledge and advocacy tools needed to advocate on issues that directly impact them, such as the China Initiative, research security, fundamental rights and academic freedom in our country.Dr. Xiaodong Zhang 张晓东, Robert M. Critchfield Professor in Engineering at Ohio State University, will serve as moderators.  Speakers are:

·       Edgar Chen 陳春品, Special Advisor, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

·       Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum

·       Kelvin Lum, Director of Federal Policy, Stop AAPI Hate

·       Joanna YangQing Derman, Director, Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights and National Security, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC

Register to attend the webinar by scanning the QR code above or visit: https://bit.ly/43zA4lk.

PBS Documentary: Builders of the Silicon Dream

Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) has premiered Builders of the Silicon Dream, a landmark documentary celebrating the often-overlooked and pivotal contributions of Asian immigrants and Asian American innovators to the creation and growth of Silicon Valley.  The 51-minute film debuted nationally on October 4, 2025.  It is available on https://www.pbs.org/video/builders-of-the-silicon-dream-b60su7/ and https://siliconaapi.com/.  The film traces how U.S.-educated Asian scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs from the 1960s and 70s helped propel Silicon Valley's rise.The film situates this transformation within a broader historical context. The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, which abolished racially restrictive quotas, opened U.S. doors to skilled Asian professionals and triggered the first great wave of immigrant talent that would shape the Valley’s emergence. Many of these pioneers came from modest beginnings, facing barriers of language, culture, and discrimination, yet their perseverance and technical brilliance became a driving force of American innovation.Builders of the Silicon Dream features trailblazers whose work and vision redefined industries and communities:

·       Kenneth Fong 方瑞賢, a pioneering biotech entrepreneur (Clontech Laboratories) and philanthropist who mentored the next generation

·       Ta-Lin Hsu 徐大麟, founder of MediaTek and a cross-Pacific venture capital pioneer who helped establish Taiwan as a semiconductor powerhouse

·       David Tsang 臧大化, who built multiple storage and semiconductor companies and co-founding Alexander’s Steakhouse with his wife Cathy

·       Hsing Kung 龔行憲, an expert in optics, which forms the backbone of internet infrastructure, and a technology executive, civic leader, and advocate for Asian American participation in public life

The documentary also covered 

·       1957 Nobel laureates Chen Ning Yang 杨振宁 and Tsung-Dao Lee 李政道, as well as Chien-Shiung Wu 吳健雄, a pioneering experimental physicist whose collaboration with Yang and Lee helped reshape modern physics and inspired generations of young scientists from Asia to pursue their dreams in the United States 

·       The "bamboo ceiling" faced by Morris Chang 張忠謀, who returned to Taiwan and founded Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world's largest independent manufacturer of advanced semiconductor chips, after he was passed over for CEO at Texas Instrumen

·       Chenming Hu 胡正明, inventor of the FinFET transistor that revolutionized microchip design

·       Annalee Saxenian, Dean Emerita of UC Berkeley’s School of Information and daughter from Armenian immigrant parents, whose scholarship illuminated how immigrant networks and transnational collaboration fueled Silicon Valley’s success

Beyond professional success, the film humanizes the immigrant experience—revealing the sacrifices, family separations, and perseverance behind the pursuit of the American dream. It does not shy away from the darker realities of exclusion, from the Chinese Exclusion Act and the murder of Vincent Chin to the resurgence of anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic, reminding viewers that progress and prejudice have always intertwined in the Asian American story.More than a historical account, the documentary celebrates how diversity and shared purpose—rather than competition alone—built the foundation for the Silicon Dream that continues to inspire the world today.Featuring voices such as Congresswoman Judy Chu 赵美心 and Hsing Kung, the documentary calls for greater Asian American civic participation and political engagement to ensure that their stories and contributions are represented in policymaking. It concludes with a timeless message: that technology must enhance humanity, and that true success is not measured by wealth or fame, but by how much one contributes to the greater good.The documentary was directed and produced by Tony Shyu 徐國興 (Himalaya Entertainment) and co-produced by Diana Ding 丁維平 and the Silicon Valley Community Media.

News and Activities for the Communities

1. APA Justice Community Calendar

Upcoming Events:2025/11/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/11/03 Advocacy 101 for Scholars, Scientists, and Researchers2025/11/14 Film Screening and Discussion: Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story2025/11/20 Cook County Circuit Court Hearing2025/11/25 Committee of 100 Conversations – “Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes” with Elaine ChaoVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details.

2.  Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story

WHAT: Film Screening and Discussion: 'Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story'WHEN: November 14, 2025, 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm CTWHERE: In person event: 1370 Southmore Blvd, Houston, TX 77004HOSTS:  Asia Society Texas; Friends of the National Asian Pacific American MuseumModerator: Donna Fujimoto Cole, Founder, Cole ChemicalSpeakers:

·       Jennifer Takaki, Director, The Corky Lee Story

·       Raj R. Vaswani, Producer, The Corky Lee Story 

DESCRIPTION:  For over five decades, Corky Lee 李扬国 used his camera as a tool for activism, capturing the vibrant, complex, and often overlooked stories of Asian American communities across the United States. From Chinatown protests to landmark civil rights moments, Lee's work challenged stereotypes, reclaimed histories, and demanded visibility for the marginalized. The film not only chronicles Lee's remarkable career but also explores the intersection of art, identity, and social justice — a reminder of the enduring power of photography to make change.Following the screening, director Takaki  and producer Vaswani will be joined by Cole Chemical President and CEO Donna Cole for a conversation reflecting on Corky Lee's impact and the role of visual storytelling in shaping cultural and historical narratives.The event is free, but registration is required. To learn more, please visit photographicjustice.com/screeningsREGISTRATION:  https://bit.ly/4qx0EWk

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APA Justice Task Force is a non-partisan platform to build a sustainable ecosystem that addresses racial profiling concerns and to facilitate, inform, and advocate on selected issues related to justice and fairness for the Asian Pacific American community.  For more information, please refer to the new APA Justice website under development at www.apajusticetaskforce.org. We value your feedback. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org.