Newsletter - #167 2/17 Webinar; CAPAC Statement; Community Call, Town Hall, Sign On; Media Reports #167 2/17 Webinar; CAPAC Statement; Community Call, Town Hall, Sign On; Media Reports In This Issue #167 A Call to Stop Senate Bill 147 and All Alien Land Laws Webinar CAPAC Statement and Congressional Bills Community Activities - Conference Call, Town Hall, Sign-on Letter Media Reports A Call to Stop Senate Bill 147 and All Alien Land Laws Webinar WHAT: Webinar titled "A Call to Stop SB 147 and All Alien Land Laws REGISTRATION: http://bit.ly/3jXSPv9 or scan QR code in poster above WHEN: Friday, February 17, 2023, starting at 5:00 pm ET/2:00 pm PT WHO: Opening Remarks Judy Chu 赵美心 , Chair, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Panelists Gene Wu 吳元之 , Representative, Texas House of Representatives Jamal Abdi , President, National Iranian American Council (NIAC) David Donatti , Staff Attorney, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas Clay Zhu 朱可亮 , Attorney and Co-Founder, Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance (CALDA) Moderator: Haipei Shue 薛海培 , President, United Chinese Americans (UCA) SPONSORS: 1882 Foundation , APA Justice , United Chinese Americans CONTACT: contact@apajustice.org if you have questions or comments CAPAC Statement and Congressional Bills Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC). On February 15, 2023, CAPAC leadership issued a statement addressing efforts to restrict land and property ownership of foreign nationals from the People’s Republic of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea: “As CAPAC’s leadership, we are incredibly concerned by efforts to restrict ownership of land and property by immigrants from the People’s Republic of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. While we do not oppose limitations on foreign state-owned enterprises, or on entities, companies, or individuals with ties to foreign governments, from making purchases of agricultural land or property, we staunchly object to any legislation—at the federal, state, or local level—that bans an individual from land or property ownership solely based on their country of origin. At this moment of heightened U.S.-China tensions and as we in Congress remain vigilant in protecting our national and economic security, CAPAC’s leadership will continue to raise our voices to ensure that we are not eroding the civil liberties of individuals in our communities. “What alarms us is the impact of anti-China fearmongering on Chinese immigrant communities and the erection of unfair barriers to their pursuit of the American Dream solely because of their country of origin. We speak out now as we have seen policies like this before in our nation’s history. Such policies targeted at individual citizens echo xenophobic alien land laws targeting Asian immigrants—in the 1800s, when anti-Chinese sentiment culminated in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, or during World War II when tensions with Japan led to the stripping of land ownership rights from Japanese immigrants and the incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans. “No one should be prevented from getting a fair shot at building their lives here in America because of their country of origin. We are facing a pivotal moment in history and as we consider the impacts of our actions on Chinese immigrant and Chinese American communities, we urge our colleagues to be mindful of using rhetoric or writing legislation that would further discriminate against our community members. As our nation’s leaders navigate the increasingly complex U.S.-China relationship globally, we encourage nuance and clarity to ensure the rights of our communities domestically are not collateral damage.” PASS Act Introduced in U.S. Congress. On February 2, 2023, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR), Congressman Jim Costa (D-CA), Senator John Tester (D-MT), and Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) are introducing the bipartisan Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security (PASS) Act, which will "protect our national security by preventing foreign adversaries from taking any ownership or control of the United States’ agricultural land and agricultural businesses." Read the announcement: http://bit.ly/3It9Gzw . Read the language of the bill: https://bit.ly/3IrFdSh Governing.com . THE FUTURE IN CONTEXT: How States Used Land Laws to Exclude and Displace Asian Americans . In the 19th and 20th centuries, more than a dozen states enacted legislation barring Asians from purchasing property. But immigrants and their families used the court system and legal loopholes to fight back. Community Activities - Conference Call, Town Hall, Sign-on Letter Advancing Justice | AAJC Convenes Conference Call. Given the rapidly moving and extraordinary work of community organizations pushing back on the xenophobic Texas Senate Bill 147, Advancing Justice | AAJC is organizing a call on Thursday, February 16th at 3pm CST (4pm EST) to hear from those who have been at the frontlines of this battle in Texas, including Texas State Representative Gene Wu 吳元之 , and others who have been monitoring the situation. The purpose of the call would be to give space to the local Texas organizations and leaders to speak to their efforts on SB 147 and what they think may be helpful from outside organizations; to ensure support from and coordination of efforts across organizations and groups outside Texas; to share resources that are available across local and national groups; and to identify next steps. Register here: http://bit.ly/3YLVJlO Town Hall Meeting in Plano, Texas On February 19, 2023, a Town Hall meeting will be convened at the Collin County Republican Party Headquarters to listen to the Asian American community's concern over the proposed Texas Senate Bills 147 and 552. Texas District 2 Senator Bob Hall (R), District 8 Senator Angela Paxton (R), and District 66 Rep. Matt Shaheen (R) are invited. Sign on Letter by Asian Texan for Justice Opposing SB 147. Asian Texan for Justice has prepared a letter opposing Texas Senate Bill 147 for sign-ons here: https://bit.ly/3KglxT3 . Questions or concerns should be directed to info@asiantexansforjustice.org Media Reports On February 14, 2023, BBC News 中文 reported on "美國德州擬禁華人買房 華裔遊行抗議稱「美國夢碎」." https://bbc.in/3YAdODA On February 13, 2023, South China Morning Post reported on "Citing security risks, US states move to bar Chinese land purchases and projects with China ties." Virginia governor nixes a US$3.5 billion battery plant, and 2,500 new jobs for his state, because Ford Motors has a Chinese partner on the project. Legislative bans on Chinese land ownership, and in some cases even real estate, are pending in three states, and others have limited farmland purchases. https://bit.ly/3E5vui6 On February 11, 2023, Click2Houston reported on "Asian American community members and elected officials speak out against Senate Bill 147." https://bit.ly/3YsAkOv On February 9, 2023, USA Today reported on "Spy fears spark flurry of proposed laws aiming to ban Chinese land ownership." http://bit.ly/3I8u6wg On February 7, 2023, New York Times reported on "How U.S.-China Tensions Could Affect Who Buys the House Next Door." https://nyti.ms/40IuVEq On February 7, 2023, 纽约时报中文网 : " 美中关系阴影难消，得州拟禁止中国公民及企业买房购地." https://nyti.ms/40XETCb On February 7, 2023, 紐約時報中文網 : " 美中關係陰影難消，得州擬禁止中國公民及企業買房購地 ." https://nyti.ms/3EbqNmW Subscribe to The APA Justice Newsletter Complete this simple form at https://bit.ly/2FJunJM to subscribe. Please share it with those who wish to be informed and join the fight. View past newsletters here: https://bit.ly/APAJ_Newsletters . Back View PDF February 16, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #273 NIH Statement; AA Voters; Pandas; Everything National Security; Perils of Vilifying+ #273 NIH Statement; AA Voters; Pandas; Everything National Security; Perils of Vilifying+ In This Issue #273 · NIH Support Statement Falls Short · NYT Reports: Asian Americans and Asian American Voters Carry More Weights · The Pandas Are Back in San Diego and Coming to Washington DC · Foreign Affairs : How Everything Became National Security · TIME : The Perils of Vilifying Chinese Migrants · News and Activities for the Communities NIH Support Statement Falls Short On August 15, 2024, Dr. Monica M. Bertagnolli , Director of National Institutes of Health (NIH), issued a statement expressing support for Asian American, Asian immigrant and Asian research colleagues. According to the statement, the NIH has taken steps to address serious threats to the integrity of NIH-funded research, particularly those linked to the government of the People's Republic of China. While these actions have reduced violations related to peer review confidentiality and reporting foreign support, they have also created an unintended difficult climate for Asian American, Asian immigrant, and Asian research colleagues.NIH acknowledges the invaluable contributions of Asian researchers and is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive research community. The NIH emphasizes that its efforts to address foreign interference are applied in a nondiscriminatory manner and do not target individuals based on ethnicity, race, or national origin.Moving forward, the NIH is working with stakeholders, universities, and professional organizations to repair relationships with Asian researchers. These efforts include research security training, guidelines for foreign talent program recruitment, and tools to protect the integrity of NIH-funded research while promoting international scientific collaboration.Read the NIH statement: https://bit.ly/4dFphIU APA Justice welcomes the NIH's commitment to work with the Asian scientific community to repair relationships. This action is long overdue. However, NIH must also implement an open and fair due process and procedures to prevent administrators from overreacting and unjustly targeting researchers in the name of security or caution.The China Initiative was launched in apparent coordination with the NIH's August 2018 warning to 10,000 grantee institutions about "threats to the integrity of U.S. biomedical research." The first wave of dismissals, some lacking due process and disproportionately targeting Asian researchers, began at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in the spring of 2019. On March 23, 2023, Science reported on NIH’s “China initiative” upended hundreds of lives and destroyed scores of academic careers: https://bit.ly/3ZbJL4B . According to NIH as of June 9, 2024 , it has identified more than 250 scientists, mostly of Asian descent, who it says have failed to disclose work in China that overlaps with their NIH-funded research or broken other rules. NIH says 112 scientists have lost their jobs as a result.Despite the China Initiative ending two and a half years ago, the scientific community was once again shocked on July 10, 2024 by the tragic passing of a prominent Chinese American researcher in neurology and genetics after her lab at the Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine was shut down.APA Justice takes exception to the choice word of "unintended" in the NIH statement. NIH made mistakes that had grave consequences to individuals, communities, and U.S. leadership in science and technology. A more direct acknowledgment of the impact without relying on "unintended" could demonstrate a stronger commitment to addressing the issue and ensuring that future actions are carefully considered to avoid similar outcomes. Accountability, corrective actions, and a continuing dialogue with the Asian American communities are still needed from NIH. On August 16, 2024, Science reported that the NIH director expressed support for Asian researchers 6 years into the "China initiative," but some say the agency should apologize and acknowledge racial targeting. Gisela Kusakawa , Executive Director of Asian American Scholar Forum, said: “When policies are written down and specified, that helps increase transparency and reduce issues of racial biases.”Some scientists told Science that they are disappointed NIH denies any racial profiling and did not apologize or acknowledge that, in some cases, NIH’s probe has needlessly destroyed careers and lives. Many of the instances investigated, says Peter Zeidenberg , an attorney who represented some of the accused scientists, “were simple mistakes made out of ignorance of confusing and evolving reporting requirements for which NIH provided no training.”“I am disappointed that Chinese American scientists whose labs were shut for 2 or more years or forced into early retirement because of [NIH’s] overzealous prosecution have not received any apology or compensation,” says Yan Chen , an information scientist at the University of Michigan. University of Houston electrical engineer Steven Pei worries new guidelines aren’t enough. “NIH must also implement open and fair due process and procedures to prevent administrators from overreacting and unjustly targeting researchers in the name of security or caution,” says Pei, who co-leads the nonprofit Asian Pacific American Justice Task Force. “This is a very important step toward rebuilding trust by Asian and Asian American scientists,” says Yale University pathologist Qin Yan . “I look forward to continued dialogue and measures to support the scientists who were unfairly impacted by the past actions of government agencies.” The Committee of 100, a nonprofit group of prominent Chinese Americans, adds: “We commend the NIH for recognizing this harm and agree that moving forward, our focus should be on fostering an inclusive, welcoming, and collaborative environment for all scientists and researchers, including those of Chinese and Asian descent.”Read the Science report: https://bit.ly/4cCSBPG NYT Reports : Chinese Americans and Asian American Voters Carry More Weights The New York Times recently published two articles highlighting the growing role of Chinese Americans and Asian Americans voters. In one article titled Asian American Voters Could Be Key Swing Voters of 2024 , it pointed out that Asian American voters have historically leaned Democratic, but recent trends suggest a more nuanced and independent voting pattern. The 2020 election highlighted the significance of Asian American voters, particularly in battleground states. Both parties recognize the untapped potential within the Asian American electorate. However, despite growing outreach efforts, many Asian Americans report not being contacted by either party, indicating room for further engagement. As Asian Americans continue to grow in numbers and political influence, they are likely to play an increasingly pivotal role in future elections.Another article In the Race for San Francisco Mayor, Chinese Voters Take Center Stage examined how the upcoming mayoral election in San Francisco has prompted candidates to intensify their efforts to engage with Chinese American voters. In a city where people of Chinese descent make up over one-fifth of the population, mayoral hopefuls are vying for the attention and support of these voters, who have become more politically active in recent years. The Chinese community played a key role in two 2022 recall elections that removed progressive school board members and a liberal district attorney.Mayor London Breed , who is seeking re-election, is making a concerted effort to win over Chinese voters. She has highlighted her administration's achievements, such as a decline in crime rates, including anti-Asian attacks, and her tough-on-crime agenda. Breed has also focused on improving relations with China, including lobbying for the restoration of direct flights to San Francisco and advocating for bringing giant pandas to the city's zoo. Challengers to Breed, such as Aaron Peskin and Ahsha Safaí , both members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, have also been working to secure support from Chinese voters. They have longstanding ties within the community and represent districts with large Chinese populations. Juan Zhang , editor at US-China Perception Monitor, contributed this report. The Pandas Are Back in San Diego and Coming to Washington DC According to San Diego Union Tribune , Washington Post , and multiple media reports, a long line of admirers formed at the San Diego Zoo to greet the first two giant pandas to enter the United States in 21 years on August 8, 2024. On loan from China, Yun Chuan, a 5-year-old male, and Xin Bao, a 4-year-old female, made their public debut to an adoring crowd. Yun Chuan’s mother, Zhen Zhen, was born at the San Diego Zoo in 2007, and his grandmother Bai Yun was a mainstay of the zoo from her arrival in 1996 until her return to China in 2019.Not only are the zoo’s newest residents the “furriest, cutest San Diegans,” according to Mayor Todd Gloria , these pandas are diplomats, symbolizing hope for future generations of their species. Chinese dignitaries and local elected officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom , welcomed the pandas to San Diego with a private ceremony, complete with entertainment from traditional Chinese dancers and singers. Gov. Newsom declared August 8 as California Panda Day.Their arrival marks a renewal of the “panda diplomacy” between China and the United States. For decades, China has sent pandas to zoos around the world, generally on limited loans, as a diplomatic tool to build alliances and goodwill. But relations between the two nations have soured in recent years. The last time China sent pandas to the United States was to the Memphis Zoo in 2003, and the National Zoo’s famous pandas were recalled to China last year. Lei Guang , executive director of the 21st Century China Center at the University of California at San Diego, cautioned that people shouldn’t attach too much political or diplomatic significance to the animals. “The return of giant pandas is a positive development in what is otherwise still a bleak relationship between the U.S. and China. Instead, he saw the pandas as the symbol of what is possible when the two countries cooperate, allowing researchers to study the animals and work on their conservation. The National Zoo in Washington DC will get two new adolescent pandas by the end of the year. The 2-year-old bears are named Bao Li and Qing Bao. Both were born at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan. Bao Li has D.C. roots, though: His mother, Bao Bao, was born at the National Zoo in 2013 and was a local celebrity before being sent to China in 2017. Bao Li’s grandparents, Tian Tian and Mei Xiang, lived at the National Zoo for 23 years before being returned to China last year. Read the San Diego Union-Tribune report: https://bit.ly/3YP2JS9 . Read the Washington Post report: https://wapo.st/3M9Bj1q . Foreign Affairs : How Everything Became National Security According to a Foreign Affairs opinion, labeling something a matter of “national security” in American politics automatically elevates its importance. Of course, not everyone agrees on which issues fall into the national security bucket. And the American definition of national security has fluctuated wildly over time. In the years between the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union and the 9/11 attacks of 2001—an era in which the United States seemed to have few immediate rivals—even security scholars had difficulty defining the meaning of national security. Unsurprisingly, they could not reach a consensus. Since the subsequent “war on terror,” however, the national security bucket has grown into a trough. From climate change to ransomware to personal protective equipment to critical minerals to artificial intelligence, everything is national security now.It is true that economic globalization and rapid technological change have increased the number of unconventional threats to the United States. Yet there appears also to be a ratchet effect at work, with the foreign policy establishment adding new things to the realm of national security without getting rid of old ones. Problems in world politics rarely die; at best, they tend to ebb very slowly. But if everything is defined as national security, nothing is a national security priority. Without a more considered discussion among policymakers about what is and what is not a matter of national security, Washington risks spreading its resources too thin across too broad an array of issues. This increases the likelihood of missing a genuine threat to the safety and security of the United States. Whoever is sworn in as president next January will need to think about first principles in order to rightsize the definition of national security. Otherwise, policymakers risk falling into a pattern of trying to do everything, ensuring that they will do nothing well. Read the Foreign Affairs opinion: https://fam.ag/4dlk2P3 TIME : The Perils of Vilifying Chinese Migrants According to TIME on August 13, 2024, with intense political debate focused on the U.S. southern border, an unexpected trend has captured a great deal of attention. Chinese migrants are among the fastest growing national populations crossing the border, and their numbers have increased exponentially since 2022. In 2023, approximately 37,000 Chinese nationals entered the United States this way, compared to less than 2,000 the year before. In the first five months of 2024, over 24,000 Chinese migrants were apprehended on the Southern border. The journey over land through Mexico—or via a complex, multi-stop route that leaves them in Baja, Calif.—is not easy. But many migrants say they are motivated to undertake it because of the economic challenges facing middle-class Chinese citizens and small business owners in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and China’s strict Zero-COVID policy. Others highlight increasing political oppression, stemming both from increased monitoring of dissidents connected to Hong Kong or opposition movements as well as increased controls over public discourse since President Xi Jinping began his unprecedented third term in power.In the United States, conservative media, think tanks, and politicians increasingly question these stated motives, expressing concerns instead that the Chinese Communist Party is “sending” migrants as spies, to form an army, or to otherwise sabotage U.S. national security.None of this rhetoric about a Chinese “invasion” or “threat” is new. There is a long history of anti-Chinese and anti-Asian rhetoric in the United States. In the past, such rhetoric has led to violence and discrimination. Using it now—despite the lack of evidence that China or the CCP is using the border to "infiltrate" the country—threatens to stoke backlash against Chinese migrants and Asian Americans, as well as further damage the U.S. diplomatic relationship with China. The assumption that Chinese Americans were unique and different from other ethnic groups in the United States kept the “perpetual foreigner” syndrome alive, allowing many Americans to assume that people of Chinese descent, citizens or not, would always remain more loyal to China than the United States.The assumption that Chinese Americans or Chinese migrants with access to technical and scientific information must be using it on behalf of China has not declined in the last three decades.In 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice launched its “China Initiative,” seeking to uncover unlawful technology and scientific transfers to China, investigating ethnic Chinese professors and researchers in the United States and subjecting them to what was often unwarranted scrutiny. The program was ended in 2022 with the admission that it frequently targeted ethnic Chinese people and subjected them to suspicion and harassment without clear evidence that they had done anything wrong.Protecting U.S. national security is important, and immigration law and policy can play an important role in that. However, it is possible to manage even irregular entries on the Southern border without resorting to the language of “invasion” and peril that has done so much damage to Chinese immigrant and Chinese American communities in the past and present. Read the TIME report: https://bit.ly/3SNh5yz News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2024/08/19 APIAVote DNC Convention Reception2024/08/20 APIAVote DNC Convention Briefing2024/09/01 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/09/09 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2024/09/19 1990 Teachers Workshop: Asian American Identity2024/09/19-20 AANHPI Unity Summit2024/10/06 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/10/07 APA Justice Monthly MeetingThe Community Calendar has moved. Visit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. AAGEN: SES Leadership Development Program Class of 2024-2025 The Asian American Government Executives Network (AAGEN) Senior Executive Service (SES) Leadership Development Program is accepting applications for its 2024-2025 Class through September 10, 2024. The program offers executive development courses, coaching in mock interviews, individual mentoring, and career counseling for candidates to gain the skills to effectively compete for SES positions. Each candidate will be assigned an SES mentor who will provide guidance throughout the program. The next class will commence December 9-11, 2024 and the program will continue through September 2025. The training sessions will be held in the Washington, DC metro area. Participants should expect a quarterly time commitment of 2-3 days of classes and other sessions, plus at least one mentoring session. Additional activities, as assigned by the SES mentor and trainers, will be completed on the participant’s own time.For more information about the AAGEN program, please visit http://www.aagen.org/SESDevelopmentProg Back View PDF August 19, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #119 3/17 Townhall; Franklin Tao; Senators' Oversight of DOC; FBI "Assessments"/Violations #119 3/17 Townhall; Franklin Tao; Senators' Oversight of DOC; FBI "Assessments"/Violations Back View PDF March 14, 2022 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

As part of his opening remarks during a House Intelligence Committee hearing, Chairman Adam Schiff spoke out against profiling Chinese Americans. May 16, 2019 As part of his opening remarks during the House Intelligence Committee hearing on " China's Digital Authoritarianism: Surveillance, Influence, and Political Control " on May 16, 2019, Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) stated: I would like to end on a serious note about the importance of ensuring that we confront the issue ahead in the most objective way, and consistent with our Nation’s principles and values. While competition with China is inevitable, conflict is not and we must strive to avoid making it so. We must also guard against betraying our values at home even as we champion them abroad. There must be no place for racial profiling or ethnic targeting in meeting to rise of China. In America, one of our enduring strengths is welcoming and celebrating diversity. Chinese Americans have made countless contributions to our society. Chinese Americans are Grammy-winning producers, Olympic medalists, cutting-edge scientists, successful entrepreneurs, academics, acclaimed artists, and some of our most successful intelligence officers and national security professionals. We would all be wise to view Chinese Americans as one source of our great strength and not with pernicious suspicion. As part of his opening remarks during a House Intelligence Committee hearing, Chairman Adam Schiff spoke out against profiling Chinese Americans. Previous Next House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff Statement on Racial Profiling

Newsletter - #325 Rep. Mark Takano; Birthright Citizenship; "Hands Off!"; Xiaofeng Wang; Litigations; + #325 Rep. Mark Takano; Birthright Citizenship; "Hands Off!"; Xiaofeng Wang; Litigations; + In This Issue #325 · Remarks by Rep. Mark Takano at APA Justice Monthly Meeting · Birthright Citizenship: Legal, Historical, and Civic Resistance to EO · Nationwide "Hands Off!" Rallies · China Initiative 2.0? The Case of Professor Xiaofeng Wang · Latest on Litigations Against Trump's Executive Actions · News and Activities for the Communities Remarks by Rep. Mark Takano at APA Justice Monthly Meeting Rep. Mark Takano, First Vice Chair of Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) in the 119th Congress, opened the April 7, 2025, APA Justice monthly meeting with a recorded video message, now available at https://bit.ly/3R595Yv (2:23).In his remarks, Rep. Takano strongly condemned the Trump administration’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act—a law historically used to incarcerate Japanese Americans, including members of his own family, during World War II. He expressed deep concern that this authority is now being used to deport individuals without due process, warning that such actions edge the nation toward a constitutional crisis. He criticized the Justice Department’s refusal to provide transparency regarding those detained or deported, which has left families in anguish and non-citizen residents in fear. Rep. Takano further warned that these abuses are part of a broader pattern of civil liberties violations, particularly targeting the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community. He cited disturbing policies such as the revival of the discredited China Initiative, attacks on birthright citizenship, and the promotion of racial suspicion. These actions, he said, are aimed at silencing and sidelining those who do not "agree, act, or look like" those in power. Reaffirming his commitment to justice, Rep. Takano pledged to use his voice and platform to defend vulnerable communities and urged APA Justice and its allies to continue their advocacy. He welcomed input from the meeting that could support CAPAC’s work and broader community efforts.Rep. Takano’s office can be contacted at Takano.Press@mail.house.gov or 202-225-2305. A summary of the full April 2025 APA Justice monthly meeting is currently in preparation. Birthright Citizenship: Legal, Historical, and Civic Resistance to EO On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14160, seeking to revoke birthright citizenship for certain children born in the United States. The move triggered swift and widespread legal opposition. States, civil rights organizations, and advocacy groups, promptly filed multiple lawsuits, asserting that the order violates the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment and defies mor than 125 years of established legal precedent, most notably the Supreme Court's landmark 1898 decision in United States v. Wong Kim Ark . 1. Trump Administration's Retcon 特朗普政府的重塑 Edgar Chen 陳春品 served for a decade at the U.S. Department of Justice, including as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division, in the Office of Legislative Affairs, and as senior trial attorney leading investigations and civil and criminal cases against suspected human rights violators. Among his previous work, he was Policy Director for the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and continues to advise the organization on combating anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination. Chris M. Kwok 郭文 is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in Asian American studies at Hunter College.On March 28, 2025, Edgar and Chris published an article for the Just Security Litigation Tracker on legal challenges to actions taken by the Trump administration. Titled " The Trump Administration’s 14th Amendment Retcon: ‘Wong Kim Ark’ Does Not Limit Birthright Citizenship ," the article argues: "It was no coincidence that President Donald Trump announced on the campaign trail that he would seek to end birthright citizenship via executive order on the heels of the 125th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Wong Kim Ark. For well over a century, Congress, the courts, the executive branch, and the American public have understood and adhered to the principle set forth by the Court in 1898 that U.S. citizenship is automatically conferred to anyone born in the United States (except the children of diplomats and occupying foreign powers). Trump’s Executive Order No. 14160, however, distorts the Wong Kim Ark decision, apparently in the belief that the Court’s language provides a blueprint to limit birthright citizenship only to the children of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (“LPRs” or green card holders). Not so. To retcon Wong Kim Ark’s parents as the equivalent of current day green card holders is both legally and historically mistaken."Read the full article: https://bit.ly/4chB1SA 陳春品（Edgar Chen ）在美国司法部任职十年，期间曾担任刑事司助理司法部长的法律顾问、立法事务办公室成员，并担任高级审判律师，主导对涉嫌侵犯人权者的调查以及民事和刑事案件的处理。在此之前，他曾担任全美亚太裔律师协会的政策总监，并持续为该协会提供建议，协助应对反亚裔仇恨犯罪和歧视问题。 郭文 (Chris M. Kwok) 是亨特学院亚裔美国人研究的兼职助理教授。2025年3月28日，陳春品和郭文在《Just Security Litigation Tracker》上发表了一篇关于法律挑战特朗普政府政策的文章。标题为《特朗普政府重塑《第十四修正案》—《黄金德案》并未限制出生公民权》，文章主张："特朗普总统在竞选期间宣布，他将通过行政命令终止出生公民权，这一决定恰逢美国最高法院在《美国诉黄金德案》（United States v. Wong Kim Ark）判决125周年之际。这绝非巧合。在过去一个多世纪里，美国国会、法院、行政部门和公众都一直遵循并承认该案确立的原则，即在美国出生的人（除外交官及外国占领国的子女外）都自动获得美国公民身份。然而，特朗普签署的第14160号行政命令（Executive Order No. 14160）曲解了《黄金德案》的裁决，似乎认为该判决提供了一种限制出生公民权的法律依据，使其仅适用于美国公民和合法永久居民（即“LPR”或“绿卡持有者”）的子女。但事实并非如此。将黄金德的父母错误地“重塑”（retcon）为现代绿卡持有者，既不符合法律，也不符合历史事实。"阅读APA Justice的张涓全文翻译: https://bit.ly/3FYgQx1 2. Timeline Visualization: Past and Present on Birthright Citizenship With few exceptions (such as children of foreign diplomats), anyone born on U.S. soil automatically becomes a U.S. citizen at birth. Birthright citizenship grants automatic citizenship to individuals born within a country's territory, regardless of their parents' nationality or immigration status. In the United States, it is enshrined in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, which states: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." Despite its deep-rooted history, President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January 2025 attempting to strip birthright citizenship, bypassing the constitutional amendment process. APA Justice's Jeremy Wu and Madeleine Gable have created a timeline visualization of 39 stories that traces the historical background, legal struggles, and ongoing battles surrounding this fundamental right. With exceptions of the Native Americans and Pacific Islanders, the United States is a nation built and prospered by immigrants. Some came earlier than others. Some came more willingly than others. But we all belong to this nation. Watch the timeline visualization in 2D or 3D: https://bit.ly/4hvY4L4 3. Amicus Briefs Filed with Supreme Court According to the New York Times on April 4, 2025, immigrant groups and leaders of 22 Democratic-led states pushed back sharply against the Trump administration’s request that the Supreme Court lift a temporary nationwide ban blocking the president’s order to end birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants and foreign residents.Three federal courts, in Massachusetts, Maryland and Washington State, have blocked the Trump executive order while litigation proceeds. · Casa Inc. v. Trump (8:25-cv-00201) @Maryland. “There is nothing ‘modest’ about the government’s request for emergency relief in this case,” according to the brief filed on behalf of two immigrants’ rights groups, CASA Inc. and the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project. If the justices granted the government’s request, the challengers argued, “chaos would ensue.” Supreme Court Case Number is 24A884. · State of Washington v. Trump (2:25-cv-00127) @Washington. The Plaintiffs emphasize in a brief that the injunction upholds over 125 years of constitutional precedent under the Fourteenth Amendment and warn that lifting it would cause profound and irreversible harm to fundamental rights, risking statelessness for newborns and violating core democratic principles. They urge the Court to preserve the injunction while appeals proceed. Supreme Court Case Number is 24A885. State of New Jersey v. Trump (1:25-cv-10139) @Massachusetts. A number of attorneys general of Democratic-led states filed a brief that said lifting the nationwide block would allow the administration “to strip thousands of American-born children of their citizenship, in every state or at least in 28 states, while these challenges proceed — even if doing so would contravene settled nationwide precedent.” Supreme Court Case Number is 24A886. 4. APA Justice Monitors Continuing Developments APA Justice has developed a web page to cover the Birthright Citizenship issue at https://bit.ly/3CNjtR1 . It currently covers: · What is Birthright Citizenship? · Donald Trump Executive Order · Why Protect Birthright Citizenship? · Timeline Visualization · Historical Context · Related Media · Legal Battles · Summary Readers are encouraged to visit the website and send their suggested edits and additions to contact@apajustice.org . Nationwide "Hands Off!" Rallies According to AP News , AsAmNews , CNN , Washington Post , and multiple media reports, on April 5, 2025, " Hands Off! " demonstrations were organized for more than 1,200 locations in all 50 states by more than 150 groups, including civil rights organizations, labor unions, LBGTQ+ advocates, veterans and elections activists. According to AP News , hundreds of thousands of protesters across the United States participated in "Hands Off!" rallies, expressing opposition to President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk . The demonstrations, spanning from New York to Alaska, were fueled by concerns over the administration's policies and Musk's involvement in government affairs, particularly through the "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE). Protesters voiced fears about government downsizing, potential privatization of public services, and the overreach of Musk's influence in public policy. These nationwide protests underscore a growing public apprehension regarding the direction of current governmental actions and the roles played by influential private individuals in shaping policy decisions. According to CNN , the "Hands Off!" protests unfolded across all 50 U.S. states and globally, including London and Paris. Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost spoke at a rally in Washington DC, urging people to take action by protesting, donating to mutual aid, participating in direction action and focusing on legislative strategies. “Throughout human history, authoritarians, they’re never satisfied with the power they have, and so they test the bounds, they push the limits, they break the law, and then they look at the public to see if they’re quiet or if they’re loud,” said Rep. Frost.According to the Washington Post , tens of thousands of protesters gathered in front of the Washington Monument to oppose President Donald Trump and adviser Elon Musk 's policies, including the dismantling of federal agencies and the imposition of sweeping tariffs. Speakers like Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) criticized the administration for economic downturns and authoritarian tendencies. There is no future with a president who has “the politics of Mussolini and the economics of Herbert Hoover... Our founders wrote a Constitution that does not begin with ‘We the dictators,’ the preamble says ‘We the people,’” Rep. Raskin said , holding signs condemning the administration. “No moral person wants an economy-crashing dictator who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.” The White House postponed spring garden tours due to the anticipated size of the protests. AsAmNews published a collection of pictures of Asian Americans participating at the "Hands Off! protest in St. Paul, Minnesota. China Initiative 2.0? The Case of Professor Xiaofeng Wang According to multiple media reports, Xiaofeng Wang 王晓峰 , a prominent cybersecurity professor at Indiana University Bloomington (IUB), was terminated from his position on March 28, 2025—the same day that FBI and Department of Homeland Security agents searched his residences in Bloomington and Carmel, Indiana. The university has not publicly disclosed the reasons for his dismissal.As of now, neither Professor Wang nor his wife, Nianli Ma —a systems analyst at the university—have been arrested or charged with any crimes. Their attorney confirmed that the couple is safe and unaware of any pending criminal charges.The American Association of University Professors' Bloomington chapter has criticized the university's handling of Professor Wang's termination, asserting that it violated due process and university policies. Professor Wang had recently accepted a position at a university in Singapore prior to his dismissal from IUB.The specific reasons behind the federal investigation remain undisclosed, and the search warrants have been sealed. Efforts have been made to unseal these documents to gain clarity on the situation. According to Indiana Public Media , Professor Wang is represented by Attorneys Jason Covert and Jackie Bennett Jr. of Taft Law .APA Justice is monitoring developments in Professor Wang’s case: https://bit.ly/42tbPVR Latest on Litigations Against Trump's Executive Actions As of April 8, 2025, the number of lawsuits against President Donald Trump 's executive actions reported by the Just Security Litigation Tracker has grown to 178 (4 closed cases). These are some of the latest developments: · According to AP News , on April 7, 2025, the Supreme Court ruled in a sharply divided 5-4 decision that the Trump administration can proceed with deporting Venezuelan migrants under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act -- so long as each individual receives a court hearing prior to removal. The decision stems from President Trump's classification of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as an "invading force" in J.G.G. v. Trump (1:25-cv-00766) . TheCourt's conservative majority also determined that legal challenges must ve filed in Texas rather than Washington, D.C. In response, ACLU has filed an emergency lawsuit seeking a new temporary restraining order in a different court, consistent with the Court's ruling, to prevent immediate deportations and ensure due process protections. · Attorneys general from 21 states, led by Rhode Island, have filed a federal lawsuit State of Rhode Island v. Trump (1:25-cv-00128) to block President Trump’s March 14 executive order to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and six other federal agencies. The plaintiffs argue the order violates both the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act by bypassing Congress and abruptly defunding programs without due process. The suit notes that 85% of IMLS staff were placed on leave, grants were rescinded, and no public explanation was offered. The states are seeking an emergency injunction to restore agency functions and prevent irreparable harm to public services and interstate programs. · The New Civil Liberties Alliance, funded by conservatives Leonard Leo and Charles Koch , has filed suit against Trump's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs on Chinese imports. The group argues that this action is unlawful, as the IEEPA was not designed for tariffs and the power to impose them lies with Congress. The lawsuit, Emily Ley Paper Inc v. Trump (3:25-cv-00464) , contends that IEEPA was never intended for economic tariffs and that such powers rest with Congress. The suit is supported by Simplified, a Florida-based importer, and underscores growing unease among business leaders and even some Republicans about the economic fallout of Trump’s tariff policies. The plaintiffs also challenge the administration’s attempt to link the tariffs to the fentanyl crisis, arguing that the rationale is pretextual. News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar 2025/04/13 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/04/14 State of Play Virtual Town Hall2025/04/15 China Connections: A Conversation with Emily Feng2025/04/22 Scholars Not Spies: Fighting for International Academic Workers’ Rights in an Era of Rising US-China Conflict2025/04/24 CHINA Town Hall: The First 100 Days: President Trump's China Policy2025/04/24-26 Committee of 100 Annual Conference and Gala2025/04/27 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/05/05 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/05/06 Asian American Careers - How to Build Your Personal Network, including Through Strategic AlliesVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. Discover China 2025: Summer Youth Exchange to the Greater Bay Area Founded in 2019, US-Sino Culture Exchange Consortium (USCEC) 美中文化促进会 is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering mutual friendship and cultural exchanges between the United States and China. Its mission encompasses four key objectives: · Promoting people-to-people cultural exchanges between China and the United States. · Supporting the development of local U.S. artists. · Promoting traditional Chinese cultural arts. · Safeguarding and advancing the well-being of Chinese Americans. As part of its activities to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and China, USCEC will host a 9-day immersive program titled "Discover China 2025: Summer Youth Exchange to the Greater Bay Area." Total cost is $980 which includes round trip air, visa applications, local accommodations, local transportation, guided tours, and workshops. Application deadline is April 18, 2025. WHAT : Discover China 2025: Summer Youth Exchange to the Greater Bay Area WHEN : June 16-24, 2025 WHERE : Greater Bay Area, China HOST : US-Sino Culture Exchange Consortium (USCEC) 美中文化促进会 DESCRIPTION : A 9-day immersive program for American youth (18-38) to explore China's innovation, culture, and academic exchanges. PROGRAM ITINERARY: https://bit.ly/3R51XLH APPLICATION : https://bit.ly/42nvOUG (deadline April 18, 2025) 3. 2025/04/24 China Town Hall: President Trump's China Policy Each year, the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR) hosts a nationwide town hall, inviting three keynote speakers and broadcasting through their partner network. This year's online event will be held on April 24, starting at 6:30 pm ET. The topic is "The First 100 Days: President Trump's China Policy," featuring: · Ryan Hass , Director, John L. Thornton China Center, Brookings Institution · Matthew Turpin , Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution · Lingling Wei , Chief China Correspondent, The Wall Street Journal As part of the town hall, there will also be in-person discussions hosted by local network partners.In Atlanta, the Carter Center’s China Focus Initiative, in partnership with NCUSCR, Emory University’s Asia Global Collective, and China Research Center, will feature Jeremy Goldkorn , Editor of the China Week, and Editorial Fellow, ChinaFile, as the keynote speaker. His talk will be on “China in the Age of American Isolation.” The in-person event will be held at Emory University, Math and Science Center, Room E208, in Atlanta, with door opening at 5:15 pm ET. Register for the in-person event: https://bit.ly/3Ym8vJI . Register for the virtual event: https://bit.ly/4lCTyNA In Washington DC, the US-China Education Trust, in partnership with NCUSCR and Young China Watchers, will feature Sean Stein , president of the US-China Business Council, as the keynote speaker. The in-person event will be held in Room 505, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University in Washington DC, starting at 5:30 pm ET. For more information and to register for the events, visit https://bit.ly/42tDaGn # # # 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 . Back View PDF April 9, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #254 Citizenship Question; Lawsuit vs Florida SB 264; AA State Legislators; WIRED Report; + #254 Citizenship Question; Lawsuit vs Florida SB 264; AA State Legislators; WIRED Report; + In This Issue #254 · House Vote on "The Equal Representation Act" · Florida's Land Law Impacting Homebuyers and Industry Prompts Another Lawsuit · Trailblazing Asian American State Legislators · "Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act" and WIRED Report · News and Activities for the Communities House Vote on "The Equal Representation Act" During the APA Justice monthly meeting on May 6, 2024, Nisha Ramachandran , Executive Director of Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), alerted the attendees that a vote on H.R. 7109 , the Equal Representation Act, in the House of Representatives was coming up. On May 8, 2024, Chairs of the Tri-Caucus, including CAPAC, Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), recommended their Members vote against this legislation in a joint statement . H.R. 7109 passed the House by a vote of 206-202 along the party line. According to NPR , a growing number of Republican lawmakers are making a renewed push for an unprecedented change to the country's election maps. Their proposals call for excluding millions of non-U.S. citizens from the census results that determine each state's share of House seats and Electoral College votes. In the current Congress, GOP lawmakers have filed at least a dozen measures related to using the next once-a-decade head count to tally how many noncitizens are living in the country, and then subtracting some or all of those U.S. residents from what are known as the congressional apportionment counts.Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, referenced the Supreme Court's unanimous 2016 decision in the redistricting case known as Evenwel v. Abbott , which said that the 14th Amendment "calls for the apportionment of congressional districts based on total population" - the "whole number of persons in each state." Since the country's first population tally in 1790 — when one of the first lines of the Constitution required that an enslaved person be counted as "three fifths" of a free person and "Indians not taxed" not to be counted at all — both citizens and noncitizens living in the United States have been included in the apportionment counts, which the federal government has used to determine the size of each state's congressional delegation and slate of presidential electors.After the Civil War, the 14th Amendment called for the count to include the "whole number of persons in each state." (It took decades before the Census Bureau stopped omitting some American Indians from that tally.)According to The Hill , the government and nonprofits have dedicated years to education efforts encouraging noncitizens to respond to the Census, noting participation is never a basis for immigration enforcement.“A citizen’s only census, as this legislation intends, is reckless, cynical, and frankly, illegal,” Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) said on the House floor. “It is not the Census Bureau’s job to keep track of immigration status.”In a statement of administration policy , the Biden administration said it “strongly opposes” the measure “which would preclude the Department of Commerce’s Census Bureau from performing its constitutionally mandated responsibility to count the number of persons in the United States in the decennial census.”The Supreme Court ruled against a last-minute effort by the Trump administration to add the citizenship question to the 2020 Census. Media reports:2024/05/08 NPR : Republicans in Congress are trying to reshape election maps by excluding noncitizens report 2024/05/08 The Hill: House GOP passes bill to add citizenship question to census 2024/05/08 Government Executive: The House has voted to bring back a citizenship question to the census 2024/05/08 AP News: Republicans renew push to exclude noncitizens from the census that helps determine political power 2024/05/08 Forbes: 'An Insult': Jamie Raskin Trashes GOP Effort To Include Citizenship Question On The Census (7:36) Florida's Land Law Impacting Homebuyers and Industry Prompts Another Lawsuit The New York Times reported on May 6, 2024, that Florida's recent legislation, SB 264, restricting home purchases by Chinese citizens is increasingly affecting both buyers and the state's real estate sector.According to the report, more than three dozen states have enacted or are considering similar laws restricting land purchases by Chinese citizens and companies, arguing that such transactions are a growing threat to national security and that the federal government has failed to stop Chinese Communist Party influence in America. Florida’s law, which went into effect in July, is among the furthest reaching. In addition to barring Chinese entities from buying agricultural land, it effectively prohibits most Chinese individuals without a green card from purchasing residential property.The New York Times conducted more than a dozen interviews. Chinese residents in Florida voiced frustrations about being cut off from the ultimate American dream. Other residents of Chinese descent said they faced discrimination as they tried to buy a home. Some said they lived in fear over whether they may have inadvertently violated the law. The report further pointed out that the law has also had an apparent chilling effect on the real estate industry, an important part of the state’s economy. Developers often rely on Chinese investors to help build projects in Florida, and the law appears to have barred such financing, prompting pushback from a prominent real estate lobbying group. Chinese interests own less than 1 percent of foreign-held agricultural land in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. National security experts said that the specific threat posed by Chinese people owning homes has not been clearly articulated. Civil rights groups and residents have challenged the Florida law in federal court on grounds that it violates the Equal Protection Clause and the Fair Housing Act, and that it undercuts the federal government powers on foreign affairs. “There’s no evidence that Chinese homeownership poses harm to national security,” said Ashley Gorski , senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, one of several groups that brought the suit.In addition, according to a press release on May 6, 2024, the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA), the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA), Housing Opportunities Project for Excellence, Inc., and the Fair Housing Center of the Greater Palm Beach filed a fair housing discrimination suit in federal court in Miami challenging Florida’s SB 264.“Xenophobia has no place in our country—and let there be no mistake, that’s precisely what SB 264 is,” said Noah Baron , Assistant Director of Litigation at Advancing Justice - AAJC. “This legislation echoes last century’s ‘alien land laws,’ which also restricted the property rights of Asian Americans on the basis of stereotypes and prejudice. The United States must not continue down this dangerous road; we know where it leads because we have traveled it before: during World War II when unfounded suspicions of Japanese Americans led to the forced imprisonment of over 120,000 Japanese Americans by the U.S. government and going as far back as the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act.” The lawsuit filed by Relman Colfax, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC, and Courtney Cunningham asserts that SB 264 violates the federal Fair Housing Act, which prohibits acts that are motivated by a person’s national origin or have a disproportionate harmful effect on people from specific countries. As described in the complaint, SB 264 is based on stereotyped and xenophobic generalizations, and is transparently motivated by discrimination against people from the seven targeted countries.Read the New York Times full report: https://nyti.ms/4bldrmi . Read the NFHA press release: https://bit.ly/3UQqGpB . Read the Advancing Justice | AAJC press release: https://bit.ly/3QD0o7Y .Lawsuits against Florida SB 264: · SHEN v. SIMPSON (4:23-cv-00208) , filed on March 22, 2023 · National Fair Housing Alliance, Inc. v. Secretary of Commerce (1:24-cv-21749) , filed on May 6, 2024 Juan Zhang, editor at US-China Perception Monitor, contributed to this report. Trailblazing Asian American State Legislators According to the 19th News , When Dr. Michelle Au mounted her first run for office in Georgia, a political operative said she shouldn’t “waste too much of her time” reaching out to Asian American voters. “Asian people don’t vote,” she was told. Au — elected as a state senator in 2020 and then, after new district lines were drawn, as state representative in 2022 — knows that this is not only inaccurate, but a dangerous miscalculation for anyone who wants to win races in Georgia. There are now more than 328,000 eligible AAPI voters in the state, making up just over 4 percent of the electorate. In Fulton County, where Au’s district is, AAPI voters constitute 10.5 percent of the eligible voter share. Dr. Michelle Au chairs the Georgia legislature’s first AAPI caucus, which is the largest state AAPI legislative caucus in the continental United States. Read the 19th News report: https://bit.ly/4buqUbv According to KGW8-TV , Mae Yih broke barriers to become the first Chinese-born woman in the United States elected to a state legislative chamber. She graduated from Barnard College in New York and was married in 1953. With her husband's job, Mae would soon find herself moving to Albany, Oregon. It was a place neither of them had ever heard of. "We had to look it up on map," said Yih. She became active on the school boards where her sons went to school and admits she was controversial. She would get noticed and soon get an invitation from the Democratic Party to run for office. "I was able to defeat a 14-year incumbent to be elected to the legislature. That's how I got started." She served 6 years in the Oregon House of Representatives (1977–1983) and 20 years in the Oregon Senate (1983–2003). She believes it's important for Asian Americans to keep breaking barriers, especially in politics. "We need more elected Asian Americans in government to uphold equal opportunity and equal justice for all," Yih said. At 95 years old, Mae Yih enjoys staying active. Read the KGW8-TV report and watch the video: https://bit.ly/4bpLgT2 (3:57). On May 6, 2024, Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued a proclamation marking May as Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in Michigan. “Michigan is a beacon of opportunity where people from all over the world came to for economic opportunity and success,” said Governor Whitmer. “In Michigan, we not only value and respect our differences, but we embrace them." Featured in the Proclamation were state Senator Sam Singh (D-East Lansing), state Senator Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit), state Representative Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton), and state Representative Mai Xiong (D-Warren). Read Governor Whitmer's press statement: https://bit.ly/4bry00n "Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act" and WIRED Report During the APA Justice monthly meeting on May 6, 2024, Joanna YangQing Derman , Director, Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights & National Security Program, Advancing Justice | AAJC, reported that the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act was signed into law, reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). It did not include two of the priorities: 1. Requiring the government to obtain a warrant to search through Americans sensitive communications and 2. Closing the data broker loophole. It was not the pursued policy outcome. However, Joanna highlighted that intervention by many AAPI groups has achieved results and paves the way for the longer term, including very strong House and Senate champions on the issue and a clean reauthorization that was not included in a must-pass vehicle. Reauthorization will come up again in two years.According to a report by WIRED on May 8, 2024, a top FBI official is encouraging employees to continue to investigate Americans using a warrantless foreign surveillance program known as Section 702 in an effort to justify the bureau’s spy powers. Obtained by WIRED , an April 20 email authored by FBI deputy director Paul Abbate to employees states: “To continue to demonstrate why tools like this are essential to our mission, we need to use them, while also holding ourselves accountable for doing so properly and in compliance with legal requirements.” Added Abbate: “I urge everyone to continue to look for ways to appropriately use US person queries to advance the mission, with the added confidence that this new pre-approval requirement will help ensure that those queries are fully compliant with the law.” “The deputy director's email seems to show that the FBI is actively pushing for more surveillance of Americans, not out of necessity but as a default,” says US representative Zoe Lofgren , a Democrat from California. “This directly contradicts earlier assertions from the FBI during the debate over Section 702’s reauthorization.”The limits of the 702 program remain murky, even to congressional members insisting that it should not be curbed further. The Senate Intelligence Committee chair, Mark Warner , acknowledged to reporters this week that language in Section 702 needs to be “fixed,” even though he voted last month to make the current language law.FISA experts had warned for months that new language introduced by the House Intelligence Committee is far too vague in the way it describes the categories of businesses the US government can compel, fearing that the government would obtain the power to force anyone with access to a target’s online communications into snooping on the NSA’s behalf—IT workers and data center staff among them.A trade group representing Google, Amazon, IBM, and Microsoft, among some of the world's other largest technology companies, concurred last month, arguing that the new version of the surveillance program threatens to “dramatically expand the scope of entities and individuals” subject to Section 702 orders.“We are working on it,” Warner told The Record on Monday. “I am absolutely committed to getting that fixed,” he said, suggesting the best time to do so would be “in the next intelligence bill.”Read the WIRED report: https://bit.ly/4dwJDoE News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2024/05/13-14 2024 APAICS Legislative Leadership Summit2024/05/14 2024 APAICS: 30th Annual Awards Gala2024/05/14 Serica Initiative: 7th Annual Women's Gala Dinner 2024/05/14 National Historic Landmark Committee Meeting 2024/05/22 Heritage, Culture, and Community: The Future of America's Chinatowns2024/06/02 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall MeetingVisit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. 2. National Historic Landmark Committee Meeting The National Historic Landmark (NHL) Committee under the National Park Service will meet virtually May 14-15, 2024. The Committee will consider eleven new nominations for National Historic Landmark designation, three updated nominations, and one withdrawal. One of the new nominations is Summit Camp, Tahoe National Forest, CA The Committee will recommend NHL actions to refer to the National Park System Advisory Board (NPSAB) for consideration. At its subsequent meeting, the NPSAB will vote on whether to recommend that the Secretary of the Interior proceed with these proposed designations, updated documentation, and withdrawal of designation. Read the meeting agenda and register to attend at https://bit.ly/3WB4bGq 3. Save the Date: 2024 National AAPI Leadership Summit & Presidential Town Hall APIAVote will hold its 2024 National AAPI Leadership Summit on July 11-12, 2024 at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown, where partners, experts, and communities nationwide converge to explore key issues and mobilize the AAPI community for the 2024 elections. The Summit will culminate with the Presidential Town Hall on July 13, 2024, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. This event connects presidential candidates with AAPI community leaders and organizers to discuss crucial issues. For more information, contact admin@apiavote.org Back View PDF May 10, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #122 OSTP Hour; Senate Probes FBI; 4/4 Meeting; Sherry Chen Injustice; Video/Audio Reports #122 OSTP Hour; Senate Probes FBI; 4/4 Meeting; Sherry Chen Injustice; Video/Audio Reports Back View PDF March 31, 2022 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #368 Gary Locke Honored by NAPA; William Tong Elected; APA History in CT; NAPABA Updates; + #368 Gary Locke Honored by NAPA; William Tong Elected; APA History in CT; NAPABA Updates; + In This Issue #368 · NAPA Honors Gary Locke for Excellence in Public Service · Connecticut AG William Tong Elected President of NAAG · Asian Pacific American History in Connecticut Schools · Update from NAPABA · News and Activities for the Communities NAPA Honors Gary Locke for Excellence in Public Service On December 10, 2025, the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) announced that Secretary Janet L. Yellen , American Economist, former Treasury Secretary and former Chair of the Federal Reserve of the United States, and Governor Gary F. Locke 骆家辉 , former U.S. Ambassador to China, U.S. Secretary of Commerce and Washington State Governor, will receive the Elliot L. Richardson Prize for Excellence in Public Service on January 28, 2026.The award ceremony will take place at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center at 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C, from 7-9 p.m. on Wednesday, January 28 after a reception beginning at 6:00 p.m. Journalist Jenn White , host of NPR’s 1A program, will moderate a discussion with the two award recipients as part of the event.The Elliot L. Richardson Prize is presented on a biennial basis to individuals exemplifying the public service virtues demonstrated by the award’s namesake. The prize in the amount of $50,000 will be split between the two awardees. Consistent with the public-spiritedness of Elliot L. Richardson, recipients of the award are required to designate one or more charities to receive half the prize amount they are awarded. Elliot L. Richardson is considered to be one of the nation’s finest public servants. An Academy Fellow, he served in four Cabinet-level positions in the U.S. government: Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW); Secretary of Defense, Attorney General; and Secretary of Commerce under both Republican and Democratic Presidents. Richardson is remembered for his integrity and courage that saved the nation from a constitutional crisis during the “Saturday Night Massacre” incident during the Nixon administration.Gary F. Locke’s legacy has many dimensions reflecting his varied roles as a trailblazing politician, public servant, and a diplomat who has been a leader in the areas of education, employment, trade, human services, and the environment.Locke served as the 10th United States Ambassador to China from 2011–2014, the 36th U.S. Secretary of Commerce from 2009–2011, and Washington State’s 21st Governor from 1997–2005. He was the first Chinese American elected governor in U.S. history, the first Asian American governor in the continental United States, and the first Chinese American Secretary of Commerce.As Governor, Locke earned national recognition for innovations in government efficiency, customer-focused service delivery, and priority-based budgeting. Under his leadership, Washington State was ranked among the nation’s best-managed states, with major initiatives delivered successfully and under budget. His work has been cited by leading scholars and institutions, including Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.Locke later brought his pragmatic, cross-cultural leadership to diplomacy, strengthening U.S.–China engagement while advancing American economic and strategic interests. He currently serves as Chairman of Locke Global Strategies, advising clients on trade, regulatory, and investment matters, and as Chair of the Committee of 100 .Previous recipients of the Elliot L. Richardson Prize include Secretary Norman Mineta . NAPA is a Congressionally chartered, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization that advances excellence in public administration through its research programs and its nearly 1,000 elected Fellows. Comparable in structure and mission to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), NAPA serves as a national resource for objective expertise on governance and public management.Read the NAPA press release: https://bit.ly/4rX1FaI . Register to attend the January 28 event in person or virtually: https://bit.ly/4iZPIgu . Connecticut AG William Tong Elected President of NAAG On December 12, 2025, the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) elected Connecticut Attorney General (AG) William Tong 湯偉麟 as President of the association during its annual Capital Forum, held December 8–10. Attorney General Tong succeeds New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella , who served as NAAG President in 2025.William Tong is the 25th Attorney General of Connecticut, first elected in 2018 and currently serving his second term. A national leader in high-impact litigation and investigations, Attorney General Tong has led bipartisan, multistate efforts to hold the addiction industry accountable for the opioid crisis, restore competition in the generic drug market, and protect consumers from data breaches and unfair practices. He has also prioritized reducing energy costs, expanding broadband access, and ensuring affordable healthcare.The son of immigrant small-business owners, Attorney General Tong brings a personal understanding of the challenges facing working families. He has worked to safeguard civil rights, defend Connecticut’s gun safety laws, and hold corporations accountable for climate-related deception. Before becoming Attorney General, Tong served 12 years in the Connecticut General Assembly and practiced law for nearly two decades. He is the first Asian American elected to statewide office in Connecticut and the first Chinese American elected Attorney General in the United States.During the APA Justice monthly meeting on May 5, 2025, Attorney General Tong reflected on the significance of his historic election, noting that its rarity underscores the continued underrepresentation of AAPI communities in political leadership. He spoke candidly about persistent xenophobia and racism, and about how Asian Americans—particularly East Asian Americans—are often perceived as perpetual foreigners who are quiet, passive, and unlikely to lead, contributing to the rise in anti-Asian hate. Tong argued that greater AAPI representation in positions of power would allow communities to prevent discrimination rather than merely react to it, and he strongly defended birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment as central to his own identity. Drawing on the long history of Chinese American contributions to the nation, he emphasized that AAPI stories are deeply American, concluding with a call for solidarity, collective voice, and mutual protection so that no one in the community faces discrimination alone. Read his remarks at the APA Justice monthly meeting: https://bit.ly/4oYIMSf Asian Pacific American History in Connecticut Schools According to AP News on December 12, 2025, three years after Connecticut mandated Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) history in K–12 education, West Hartford Public Schools are rolling out a comprehensive, year-round curriculum that integrates AAPI history across most grade levels. Students will learn not only about familiar topics like Japanese American incarceration during World War II, but also lesser-known stories such as Medal of Honor recipient Sadao Munemori , as well as immigration history, birthright citizenship cases like Wong Kim Ark ’s, and contemporary figures such as architect Maya Lin . Educators say the expanded curriculum addresses long-standing gaps that left many students feeling invisible and reflects the district’s diverse population. The effort is part of a broader national movement accelerated by the surge in anti-Asian hate during the pandemic, with roughly a dozen states now requiring AAPI history.At the same time, the push for inclusive education has exposed tensions within the AAPI community and across states, particularly where lawmakers resist teaching systemic racism or broader ethnic studies. While AAPI history mandates have sometimes gained bipartisan support, critics argue that similar openness has not been extended to Black, Latinx, or LGBTQ+ histories, raising concerns about sanitized or selective narratives. Educators in Connecticut emphasize that the goal is not ideological instruction but a “deeper, richer” understanding of American history—one that includes struggle, resilience, and achievement. District leaders plan to continue refining the curriculum, using literature and age-appropriate lessons to embed AAPI experiences into a balanced and inclusive view of the nation’s past. Update from NAPABA During the APA Justice monthly meeting on December 1, 2025, Edgar Chen 陳春品 , Special Advisor, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), provided an overview of NAPABA’s recent annual convention and the organization’s broader civil-rights–focused work. He began by thanking APA Justice for the opportunity to share updates and participate in discussion of Florida’s SB 264 during the Q&A.Edgar explained that NAPABA represents more than 80,000 Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students across the United States, with additional Canadian affiliates. Each year, NAPABA convenes members in a different host city for its annual convention. The 2025 gathering took place in Denver, Colorado, and was NAPABA’s second-largest convention ever, with over 2,800 attendees. He noted that last year’s Seattle convention reached a record 3,400 attendees and featured Governor Gary Locke as an opening speaker.Edgar highlighted several elements of the Denver convention that intersect with current civil rights issues. Responding to earlier panel discussion about the federal Community Relations Service (CRS), he noted that CRS — often called “the nation’s peacemakers” — has historically had four directors of Asian American descent: Grand Lum , Rose Ochi , Justin Locke , and Julius Nam . Grand Lum participated in a Denver panel on alternative dispute resolution. Edgar also connected other speakers’ points to NAPABA’s recent work, noting, for example, that NAPABA included the Congressional Gold Medal for Chinese American WWII veterans as part of its 2018 lobby-day agenda.NAPABA’s continuing legal education offerings at the convention spanned more than 43 breakout sessions covering emerging and specialized practice areas, including artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, healthcare law, tariffs, and even Asian American leadership in the outdoor and skiing industries — a nod to the Colorado setting. From this broad program, Edgar emphasized several civil rights sessions that were most relevant to the APA Justice audience. These included programming on birthright citizenship, such as a reenactment of the landmark Wong Kim Ark case; discussions about discrimination against Pacific Islander women; sessions addressing sexual violence; and a program on language access in the wake of the recent rescission of the Clinton-era executive order guaranteeing federal language-access services. The convention also explored book bans and the erosion of intersectional identities in public education and discourse.Edgar personally moderated a panel on immigration enforcement featuring Greg Chen of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. He summarized the panel’s key conclusion: the central issue currently shaping immigration outcomes is “discretion,” particularly the growing use of negative discretion across U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and other parts of the federal immigration system. He stressed that, beyond ICE, these shifts have implications for refugees, asylum seekers, and vulnerable communities — especially in the context of the recent shooting in Washington, D.C., which has further intensified national debate over immigration policy and public safety. The convention also featured a major plenary session with Justice Goodwin Liu of the California Supreme Court and Ajay Mehrotra of the American Bar Foundation. They discussed the “Portrait Project,” a data-driven analysis of AANHPI representation in the legal profession and the barriers that impede career advancement. The research identifies three persistent barriers: lack of mentorship, limited networking infrastructure, and insufficient development of soft skills that are rarely taught in law school but crucial to professional success. Edgar emphasized that first-generation lawyers in particular face challenges in navigating these unwritten rules of the legal profession, and that part of NAPABA’s mission is helping to close these gaps.He also noted that NAPABA honored several Trailblazers this year, including Committee of 100 member Alan Tse and Rutgers Law Professor Rose Cuison-Villazor , both widely recognized for their leadership and contributions to civil rights and legal scholarship. The convention concluded with a gala featuring an in-depth conversation between actor Rich Ting and journalist Katie Fang — a session Edgar described as especially compelling.Looking ahead, Edgar announced that the next NAPABA convention will take place in Los Angeles, where attendance could reach 5,000 members. He invited APA Justice participants and interested community members to follow upcoming announcements about the 2026 program.A summary of the December 1 APA Justice monthly meeting is being prepared at this time. News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2026/01/05 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2026/01/13 Conversations, Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes: Leroy Chiao2026/01/29-30 The Jimmy Carter Forum on U.S.-China Relations2026/02/02 APA Justice Monthly MeetingVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. # # # 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 . Back View PDF December 15, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #183 2/6 Meeting Summary; Alien Land Bills/Louisiana; NIH Director; Heritage Month Videos+ #183 2/6 Meeting Summary; Alien Land Bills/Louisiana; NIH Director; Heritage Month Videos+ In This Issue #183 2023/02/06 Monthly Meeting Summary Posted Latest Developments on Discriminatory Alien Land Bills Including Louisiana Monica Bertagnolli Nominated to Head NIH Heritage Month and Educational Videos/Events 2023/02/06 Monthly Meeting Summary Posted The February 6, 2023, APA Justice monthly meeting summary has been posted at https://bit.ly/42N0htX . We thank the following speakers for their updates and discussions: Nisha Ramachandran , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), provided updates from CAPAC Gisela Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), provided updates from AASF Les Wong , President Emeritus, San Francisco State University, and Frank Wu , President, Queen's College, City University of New York, provided updates on forming a network of Asian American university leaders Michele Young , Attorney, Michele Young Law; Member of Sherry Chen Legal Team was recognized for her historic achievements in the Sherry Chen case. Michele also shared her thoughts and reflections on Sherry's case and the civil rights and civil liberty concerns in the meeting Gene Wu , Member, Texas House of Representatives, led the discussion on Asian American groups and other communities across Texas building a coalition to rally against Texas Senate Bill 147 on "Relating to the purchase of or acquisition of title to real property by certain aliens or foreign entities." Video of his portion of the meeting is posted at https://bit.ly/3DVEdU6 (video 56:48) Latest Developments on Discriminatory Alien Land Bills Including Louisiana 1. CAPAC Chair Statement on Florida Law Banning Chinese Nationals from Purchasing Land, Need for Federal Legislation On May 15, 2023, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair Rep. Judy Chu released the following statement:“I am incredibly outraged by the signing of SB 264 into law. This is the latest state-level effort to restrict the property ownership of Chinese home seekers, who are aspiring small business owners, students, and families seeking to build better lives for themselves here in America. In addition, SB 264 places a disproportionate burden on current Chinese homeowners who now must register their property with a state agency. And as a result of SB 264, Asian Americans living in Florida will now likely face undue suspicion when purchasing property, including potential racial profiling by realtors, lenders, and other professionals in the real estate industry.“The government’s scapegoating and stripping of the land ownership rights of Asian American communities are stains on our nation’s history. SB 264 repeats this shameful discrimination and further stokes current anti-Asian sentiment by equating Chinese people with certain immigration statuses as agents of the Chinese Communist Party. That is why I am currently working with CAPAC Housing Task Force Chair Rep. Al Green of Texas to introduce a bill to preempt at the federal level such discriminatory state laws, and reaffirm my commitment to ensuring the safety of our communities.”“Let me be clear—elected officials must be vigilant about addressing specific threats that foreign state-owned enterprises and entities, companies, and individuals with ties to the foreign government pose to our national security, but policies that target and profile individuals and communities because of their national origin, race, ethnicity, or immigration status, however, are discriminatory and wholly unconstitutional. They harken back to nativist anti-Asian alien land laws in the 19th and 20th centuries after Chinese immigrants first arrived here, and later, a xenophobic suspicion of Japanese Americans during World War II that also led to their blanket incarceration. I will continue to fight for the civil rights of our communities, including the right to purchase and own property, and stand up against all attempts to racially profile our communities.”Read the CAPAC Chair statement: https://bit.ly/3BvCUtk 2. Testimony of High School Senior Abigail Hu in Louisiana Legislature On May 15, 2023, High School Senior Abigail Hu testified in the Louisiana State Legislature against Louisiana House Bill 537 . This is a transcript of her testimony:"Good afternoon Honorable Chairman Miller and distinguished members of the committee,My name is Abigail Hu. I am a proud product of the Louisiana public school system and a recent high school graduate. I'll be attending college in the fall to study Education and Political Science, and I hope to come back to Louisiana to teach middle and high school in the future.My parents, Tony and Chloe, have been living in the US for over 22 years. They came here as young students with very little money, looking for an opportunity to work hard, get good jobs, and start a family.During the COVID-19 pandemic, my dad worked around the clock to help contain the spread of the virus in our city of New Orleans. My brothers and I volunteer regularly, coaching for the local children’s sports club, helping clean up our local park, and registering and canvassing voters in our area. I am incredibly grateful to belong to a country that is a fundamental part of who I am.To us, ownership and belonging are as important as the piece of paper that makes us citizens.House Bill 537 strips us of such rights—rights to owning a house, education, secured employment, rights to starting the kind of life we sacrifice so much for. It prevents stories like my family’s from ever coming to fruition.This bill tells us that we are not good Americans, we are not Americans deserving of protection under the law, we are not Americans that the legislators we elect care to serve. This bill tells us that we are Americans whose lives are pure political pawns, subject to the whims of the state and condemned to exist under a perpetual instability.I would like to take some time to address some of the remarks that were made by Representative Hodges. I believe the language in this bill continues to have an anti-immigrant, xenophobic, fearmongering undertone, regardless of how many amendments we make, it will continue to create suspicion against immigrants and immigrant families in the communities that they live in. It leaves us vulnerable to unlawful investigations, unlawful search and seizure, and loyalty tests by the state. Representative Hodges has also repeatedly said that it is not about the individual, but under this legislation, any individual can be perceived as connected to a "foreign adversary." If you want a more specific example, anybody who is Chinese can be perceived as "nefarious" and acting on behalf of what Representative Hodges calls the communist tyranny of China.The vagueness of this bill presents undeniable dangers to not only our Chinese American community, but to any group of people who could be ambiguously tied to what the legislation describes as foreign adversaries or governments. It brands us as enemies of a country that we love so deeply.This is a civil rights issue, and I urge that the committee to recognize its dire implications and reject the passage of HB 537 before it becomes a civil rights legislation." Monica Bertagnolli Nominated to Head NIH According to Reuters on May 15, 2023, the Biden administration said it intends to nominate cancer surgeon Dr. Monica Bertagnolli to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH) following a 16-month search for a permanent successor to the agency's long-serving director Dr. Francis Collins, who stepped down in December 2021. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Bertagnolli will become the second woman to lead the NIH, the largest biomedical research agency in the world with a budget of $45 billion in 2022. NIH falls under the direction of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Read the Reuters report: https://reut.rs/3MvKzya On March 23, 2023, Science published an investigative report titled PALL OF SUSPICION - The National Institutes of Health’s “China initiative” has upended hundreds of lives and destroyed 6 scores of academic careers and an editorial titled Eroding Trust and Collaboration . "Given the information available in the public domain, the scientific community could easily conclude that this is a xenophobic program to harm Chinese scientists and cut off international scientific cooperation. The federal government needs to figure out a way to let the NIH and the institutions reassure the community that this is all worth it," the editorial concluded. Read the Science report at https://bit.ly/3oWH1eY and its editorial at https://bit.ly/3z24z40 Heritage Month and Educational Videos/Events 1. White House Forum on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders On May 3, 2023, the White House celebrated Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a community-wide program in Washington, DC. This historic forum on Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities features Biden-Harris Administration officials, groundbreaking artists, and trailblazers. Watch the video at https://bit.ly/3BwrPZ9 (video 4:35:34) 2. Exclusion: The Shared Asian American Experience According to a video produced by the 1990 Institute, America has been represented as an open society that welcomes immigrants to a land of opportunities. Many immigrants from Asia came to find a better life for their family, escaping from poverty, prosecution, colonialism, and other political atrocities. But America did not receive them with open arms. Throughout history, people from Asia have been excluded, discriminated against, subjected to violence, and prevented from becoming American citizens. Laws were passed that kept them from voting, owning land, marrying the person they loved, and seeing their relatives again. Though coming from different countries and cultures, the pioneering Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Indians, Filipinos, and more Asians who arrived here each faced similar conditions of exclusion, which forged the beginnings of a common, shared Asian experience in America. This educational video takes you through exclusion experiences that Asians endured then and what they continue to face as Americans now. Watch the video at https://bit.ly/42I4BLq (video 17:24) 0:00 Introduction 0:50 19th Century and Prior 6:36 20th Century 13:03 1965 Immigration Act 3. "Between Black & White: Asian Americans Speak Out" premieres on PBS In honor of Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the Sirica Initiative announced its newest film collaboration with WNET/PBS Between Black & White: Asian Americans Speak Out is premiering Thursday, May 18, 2023.The conversation about race in America is often between Black and White, leaving Asian Americans out of the dialogue. Between Black & White: Asian Americans Speak Out is a three-part series about communities building bridges, confronting racism, discovering surprising connections, and fighting hate – together.To celebrate each episode's launch, three events will be hosted this month, featuring distinguished speakers including President of Queens College, Frank Wu ; media mogul Paula Madison ; and first Filipina American Rabbi Mira Rivera . Watch the Between Black & White trailer at https://bit.ly/3pKsZh1 (video 0:35) 4. AANHPI Heritage Month Celebration in Guangzhou, China Los Angeles-Guangzhou Sister City Association and Asia Pacific and American Network will sponsor the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2023 Gala at the Garden Hotel, Guangzhou, China, on May 27, 2023. The event honors Paula Williams Madison 's work on creating the Finding Samuel Lowe documentary and book and enlightening the public on the immigrant experience, family separation, and family connections, all common themes shared by Asian Americans. Paula Williams Madison and Luo Man Kwan will be keynote speakers. Subscribe to The APA Justice Newsletter Complete this simple form at https://bit.ly/2FJunJM to subscribe. Please share it with those who wish to be informed and join the fight. View past newsletters here: https://bit.ly/APAJ_Newsletters . Back View PDF May 18, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Racial Profiling Politicization of NIH Grant The EcoHealth Alliance has been studying human and animal infectious diseases for 20 years. When unconfirmed reports that Alliance funding had been sent to the Wuhan Institute of Virology emerged in April 2020, the National Institutes of Health cut all future funding toward their research project on bat-human virus transmission. The scientific community is expressing their fear and concern about the politicization of peer-reviewed science. Timeline The New York Times reported that 77 Nobel laureates has asked for an investigation into the cancellation of a federal grant to EcoHealth Alliance, a group that researches bat coronaviruses in China. The pre-eminent scientists characterized the explanation for the decision by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as “preposterous.” May 21 2020 The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) issued a press release and sent a letter of protest to the NIH Director on behalf of 31 scientific societies representing tens of thousands of members. The letter said the grant cancellation politicized science and concluded, “The action taken by the NIH must be immediately reconsidered.” May 20 2020 According to a report by the Daily Beast , "a military contractors’ report circulating on Capitol Hill claims to have evidence that COVID-19 escaped from a Chinese lab. It’s filled with information that’s just plain wrong." May 17 2020 CBS 60 Minutes broadcasted "Why it matters that the NIH canceled a coronavirus research grant " with the byline "Faulty allegations led to cutting $3.7 million dollars to ecologists studying coronaviruses. The ramifications may be felt in future pandemics." May 10 2020 Sarina Neote, ASBMB Science Policy Manager, expressed concerns about increasing fear within the scientific community of being targeted as a result of race or identify and the cancellation of the EcoHealth grant in the APA Justice conference call . She followed with an ASBMB position statement after the call and welcomes Asian American and other organizations to join the effort. May 4 2020 In a CNN opinion piece , Benjamin Corb, ASBMB Public Affairs Director, raised the question: Why did the NIH terminate a grant that supports leading research into how coronaviruses can be transferred from their natural host of bats to humans in the middle of a pandemic? "Politicizing peer-reviewed science is a dangerous threat to the independent American scientific enterprise and is the first step on a deeply concerning slippery slope. If Daszak's research can be stopped by funding cuts at the whim of the President, what other research grants in the future will be pulled because of the left or right leanings of any future president? What damage would such a decision have on the world-leading productivity and reputation of the National Institutes of Health? Science must remain independent and nonpoliticized if it is to be trusted and productive during this pandemic crisis and beyond," Corb said. Apr 30 2020 Politico broke the story that NIH told EcoHealth Alliance, the study’s sponsor on bat-human virus transmission for the past five years, that all future funding was cut. “At this time, NIH does not believe that the current project outcomes align with the program goals and agency priorities,” Michael Lauer, NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research, wrote in a letter to Dr. Pete Daszak, who is President of EcoHealth Alliance. Apr 27 2020 Please contact APA Justice Task Force facilitator Dr. Jeremy Wu at Jeremy.S.Wu@gmail.com or ASBMB Science Policy Manager Sarina Neote at sneote@asbmb.org if you would like to join this very important effort.

Newsletter - #28 Meeting Summaries; Profiling Updates; Presidential Transition; More Events #28 Meeting Summaries; Profiling Updates; Presidential Transition; More Events Back View PDF November 13, 2020 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter