Newsletter - #223 12/4 Meeting; China Initiative/Section 702; Call for WH Apology; Student Exchanges; + #223 12/4 Meeting; China Initiative/Section 702; Call for WH Apology; Student Exchanges; + In This Issue #223 · 2023/12/04 APA Justice Monthly Meeting · No More "China Initiative" or Section 702 Warrantless Surveillance · Call for a White House Statement of Apology on the Chinese Exclusion Act · NYT: Can U.S.-China Student Exchanges Survive Geopolitics? · News and Activities for the Communities 2023/12/04 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, December 4, 2023, starting at 1:55 pm ET.In addition to updates by Nisha Ramachandran , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC); Joanna Derman , Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC; Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), confirmed speakers are: · Matt Jones , Partner, WilmerHale LLP. Matt represents Dr. Yanping Chen 陈燕平 , a naturalized U.S, citizen and founder of the University of Management and Technology in Arlington, Virginia. Matt spoke about Dr. Chen's case at the November 2022 APA Justice monthly meeting . He will give us an update on the latest development. · Michael Bloch , Partner, Bloch and White LLP. Michael represents Baimadajie Angwang 昂旺 , an ethnic Tibetan from China who served in Afghanistan as a U.S. marine and later joined the New York Police Department (NYPD) as an officer. He is a naturalized U.S. citizen. Angwang was arrested in September 2020, charged with acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government under the now-defunct "China Initiative." Michael will give us an update on Angwang's case. A Q&A and discussion session will follow the reports by Matt Jones and Michael Bloch. Confirmed discussants include: · Bethany Li , Legal Director, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) · Paula Madison 罗笑娜, Retired, NBCUniversal Executive; Entrepreneur; Journalist · Brian Sun 孙自华, Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP · Helen Zia 谢汉兰, Activist, Author, and Former Journalist Brian Sun was part of the legal team representing Dr. Wen Ho Lee 李文和 in the criminal trial in 2000. Brian later represented Dr. Lee and won a settlement in a civil lawsuit when Dr. Lee sued the government under the Privacy Act in 2006. Helen Zia co-authored with Dr. Lee and published a book titled " My Country Versus Me " in 2002.The virtual monthly meeting is by invitation only. It is closed to the press. If you wish to join, either one time or for future meetings, please contact one of the co-organizers of APA Justice - Steven Pei 白先慎 , Vincent Wang 王文奎 , and Jeremy Wu 胡善庆 - or send a message to contact@apajustice.org No More "China Initiative" or Section 702 Warrantless Surveillance 1. No More "China Initiative" - Sign-on Letter There is a recent proposal in the US House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and related agencies (CJS) to reinstate the "China Initiative." The "China Initiative" was launched under the Trump Administration on November 1, 2018. It led to the racial profiling and unjust prosecution of U.S.-based Chinese American and immigrant scholars, scientists and researchers. It upended the careers and lives of many, as well as reports such as this Proceedings of National Academy of Science report showing that it created a chilling effect on Asian Americans deterring many from engaging in ordinary activities, like traveling or corresponding with loved ones, for fear of being wrongfully targeted. The "China Initiative" officially ended under the Biden Administration on February 23, 2022. On March 23, 2023, Science described how The National Institutes of Health (NIH) conducted its own “China initiative” that has upended hundreds of lives and destroyed scores of academic careers. Plainly put, it is unacceptable for Congress to bring it back.A coalition letter has been prepared to urge Congress to oppose bringing the "China Initiative" back from the dead. Like-minded organizations are urged to sign on by December 7, 2023. APA Justice is a co-signer of the coalition letter.For more information and support, contact Gisela Perez Kusakawa at gpkusakawa@aasforum.org , Joanna Derman at jderman@advancingjustice-aajc.org , or Kenny Nguyen at knguyen@stopaapihate.org . Read the open letter to Congress: https://bit.ly/3uCGBgx . Read about the "China Initiative:" https://bit.ly/2ZC12up 2. No More Section 702 Warrantless Surveillance On November 28, 2023, a national coalition of 92 civil rights and racial justice organizations sent a letter to all 535 members of Congress, opposing reauthorizing of FISA Section 702 in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2024. APA Justice is a co-signer of the letter. "Reporting indicates certain Congressional leaders are pushing not only to briefly extend this spying power to provide more time for Congress to debate how it should be reformed, but are further considering reauthorizing legislation, likely for a longer period, from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI). Not only was this legislation not included in either NDAA passed by the House or Senate, it has yet to even be introduced or its legislative text published," the letter said. In addition, · Public outlines of the HPSCI legislation reveal that it would serve to expand surveillance of people in the United States in several alarming ways, from targeting immigrants to reviving provisions of the PATRIOT Act that expired years ago. · It would fail to address alarming threats to civil rights, like the government’s purchase of massive amounts of data about American communities without court orders, while depriving members of Congress the opportunity to meaningfully address these threats. · The HPSCI bill would reauthorize Section 702 without in any way addressing the vast majority of the government’s abuses of the authority — abuses that are actively undermining civil rights. In conclusion, Section 702 must not be reauthorized without a meaningful opportunity for members of Congress to reform the authority and other related warrantless surveillance practices. Including in must-pass legislation any extension would sell out the communities that have been most often wrongfully targeted by these agencies and warrantless spying powers generally. Adding legislation to reauthorize Section 702 during conference that has not been debated by either House or Senate Judiciary Committee or either chamber would amount to a profound procedural and substantive failure. Stop AAPI Hate urges like-minded organizations and individuals to amplify the coalition letter by making use of a Social Media Toolkit with sample language and graphics.For more information, contact Andy Wong at andywong@caasf.org . Read the coalition letter: https://bit.ly/410Sf0Y . Read the WIRED report on this topic: https://bit.ly/3uBqJLj . Concerned individuals may also send their opposition of warrantless surveillance to their Congressional members here: https://bit.ly/3EFkg3R . Call for a White House Statement of Apology on the Chinese Exclusion Act On December 17, 2023, it will be the 80th anniversary of the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act. This date holds great significance for the Chinese and Asian Pacific American communities across the country, as it marks the end of a dark era of discrimination and injustice. For more than two generations, the Chinese Exclusion Act tore apart families, denied the Chinese their citizenship and thus their voting rights, and subjected them to discrimination, hate, riots, and even murder. The Chinese community in America, as a result, suffered greatly, and the scars of this legislation continue to be felt to this day. In 2022, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt , the White House issued a well-received presidential proclamation apologizing for the harm caused to Japanese Americans. This gesture of remorse came 34 years after the US Congress passed a law in 1988 to apologize and provide reparations to the Japanese American community. United Chinese Americans (UCA) has organized an open letter to President Joe Biden, calling for the White House to issue a statement of apology on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Like-minded individuals and organizations are urged to sign on to the letter. APA Justice co-signed the letter.Read and sign on to the UCA letter: https://bit.ly/3T5jxRG NYT: Can U.S.-China Student Exchanges Survive Geopolitics? According to the New York Times on November 28, 2023, at a college fair organized by the United States Embassy, the students and their parents hovered over rows of booths advertising American universities. As a mascot of a bald eagle worked the crowd, they posed eagerly for photos.But beneath the festive atmosphere thrummed a note of anxiety. Did America still want Chinese students? And were Chinese students sure they wanted to go to America?Students have been traveling between China and the United States for generations, propelled by ambition, curiosity and a belief that their time abroad could help them better their and their countries’ futures. The first Chinese student to graduate from an American university, Yung Wing , arrived at Yale in 1850 and later helped send 120 more students to America.For the last three years, the number of Chinese students in the United States has fallen. The number of American students in China, meanwhile, plummeted during the pandemic to a mere 350 as of this year compared to more than 11,000 in 2019.Both Beijing and Washington have acknowledged the importance of restoring exchanges. During his trip to San Francisco this month, China’s leader, Xi Jinping , declared that China was “ready to invite” 50,000 Americans to study in China over the next five years. The American ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns , has insisted that the United States welcomes Chinese students. But the official rhetoric belies obstacles that both governments have continued to erect, driven by the same nationalism and concerns about national security that have derailed other parts of the relationship. Chinese propaganda regularly depicts the United States as dangerously crime-ridden, and many Chinese are also worried by increased reports of visa denials or border interrogations in the U.S. upon arrival. For Americans, the appeal of visiting China has dimmed under Mr. Xi, an authoritarian leader who has stoked anti-foreign sentiment. The U.S. government has also prohibited some American students from studying there, and some language-learning programs that it funds have moved from mainland China to Taiwan. Scholarly collaborations at all levels have been eroded by the geopolitical tensions. Chinese university students are still a robust presence in the United States, with nearly 290,000 in the 2022-23 school year. But many Chinese are concerned about programs like the Justice Department’s now-scrapped China Initiative, which critics said discriminated against scientists of Chinese descent.Other students have had visas revoked or denied under a Trump-era order known as Proclamation 10043 , upheld by the Biden administration, that bans students from certain Chinese universities from graduate study in the United States. Washington says those universities — the list is not public — have ties to China’s military.By making Chinese students feel unwelcome, the United States is hurting one of its historic strengths. The flow of Americans to China has always been much smaller. But Washington recognized the importance of increasing it. In 2010, President Barack Obama launched an initiative to send 100,000 American students to China over five years, who the State Department said would be “the next generation of American experts on China.”The Biden administration has also not reinstated the Fulbright program in China, which President Donald J. Trump suspended. Read the New York Times report: https://nyti.ms/47VlAvQ News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2023/12/02 A Virtual Fireside Chat 2023/12/03 Rep. Gene Wu 's Weekly town hall meeting2023/12/04 APA Justice December 2023 monthly meeting 2023/12/05 The Role of Chinese Students in America2023/12/06 1882 Foundation Lecture and Reception: We are Americans 2023/12/10 Rep. Gene Wu 's Weekly town hall meeting2023/12/12 Community Briefing on Section 702 Visit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. 2. A Growing Virginia Asian American Pacific Islander Caucus On November 28, 2023, the Virginia Asian American Pacific Islander Caucus (VAAPI Caucus) hosted a stakeholder listening session ahead of the 60-day Virginia state legislative session starting on January 10, 2024. State Delegate Kathy Tran serves as the Chair of VAAPI Caucus. State Senator Ghazala Hashmi is Vice Chair. The 2024 VAAPI Caucus has 8 members - 3 state senators and 5 state delegates. 3. UCA Virtual Fireside Chat - Journey to Public Service WHAT: Webinar on "A Virtual Fireside Chat with Representatives Ya Liu, Lily Qi and Chao Wu" WHEN: Saturday, December 2, 2023, 7:00 pm ET/04:00 pm PTDESCRIPTION: https://bit.ly/3sPpEPDHOST : United Chinese Americans (UCA)MODERATOR: Haipei Shue , President of UCA SPEAKERS: · Ya Liu, Member, North Carolina House of Representatives · Lily Qi, Member, Maryland House of Delegates · Chao Wu, Member, Maryland House of Delegates REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/3N5JY5W 4. The Serica Initiative Continues; The China Project Ends On November 7, 2023, The China Project (formerly SupChina) announced its shutdown due to many accusations in both the U.S. and China of working for nefarious purposes for the government of the other. Launched in 2016 with the aim of informing the world about China with a breadth and depth that general interest news organizations cannot devote to one country. It has incurred enormous legal costs and made it increasingly difficult to attract investors, advertisers, and sponsors. On November 29, 2023, The Serica Initiative , The China Project’s New York-based sister nonprofit organization, announced that it will carry forward the mission to both advocating for greater Asian American inclusion and advancing positive social impact in U.S.-China relations. Back View PDF December 2, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #99 MIT Technology Review on "China Initiative+; Dr. Mingqing Xiao; Rally in Philly; TYW + #99 MIT Technology Review on "China Initiative+; Dr. Mingqing Xiao; Rally in Philly; TYW + Back View PDF December 6, 2021 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #296 APA Justice Applauds New CAPAC Leadership #296 APA Justice Applauds New CAPAC Leadership FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDecember 5, 2024 APA Justice Applauds New CAPAC Leadership On December 4, 2024, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) announced its leadership for the 119th Congress. Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) transitions to Chair Emerita. The newly elected leadership includes Rep. Grace Meng (NY-06) as Chair, Rep. Mark Takano (CA-39) as First Vice-Chair, Rep. Jill Tokuda (HI-02) as Second Vice-Chair, Rep. Ami Bera, M.D. (CA-06) as Whip, and Rep.-elect Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10) as Freshman Representative.APA Justice applauds CAPAC for electing a new leadership team committed to representing the voice of the Asian Pacific American community and building on the remarkable legacy established under the leadership of Congresswoman Judy Chu, the first Chinese American woman elected to Congress. APA Justice was formed in fall 2015 in response to Chair Chu’s call to build a platform to connect members of Congress, concerned organizations and individuals in wake of the troubling trend of innocent Asian Pacific Americans being unjustly accused of espionage-related charges. With CAPAC’s support under Chair Chu’s leadership, APA Justice played a crucial role in helping achieve the historic settlement for Chinese American scientist Sherry Chen with the Departments of Commerce and Justice, and end the government’s misguided “China Initiative”, which had disproportionately targeted Asian Americans and academic communities, harming academic freedom and open science.We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Congresswoman Grace Meng on her election as the next CAPAC Chair. As the first Asian American elected to Congress from New York, Rep. Meng has been instrumental in advancing CAPAC’s mission. She has tirelessly championed issues vital to the Asian Pacific American community, particularly in combating racial bias and hate directed toward Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Rep. Meng, a regular speaker at APA Justice’s monthly meetings, has shared insights on her groundbreaking work, including the passage of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act and the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture Act. She has been a steadfast supporter of APA Justice’s mission and initiatives.We also congratulate Rep. Mark Takano, Rep. Jill Tokuda, Rep. Ami Bera, and Rep.-elect Suhas Subramanyam on their election to CAPAC’s new leadership team. As we navigate unprecedented challenges in this critical moment in history, we look forward to continuing our collaboration with CAPAC to address social justice and civil rights issues impacting the Asian Pacific American community and to ensure government accountability. # # # 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 APA Justice website at www.apajusticetaskforce.org .As part of its continuing migration to a new website under construction, we have moved the Newsletter webpage to www.apajusticetaskforce.org/newsletters . Content of the existing website will remain, but it will no longer be updated. We value your feedback about the new web page. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org . Back View PDF December 5, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #222 12/04 Monthly Meeting; PNAS Opinion; Upcoming Activities; ACP Conference and Retreat + #222 12/04 Monthly Meeting; PNAS Opinion; Upcoming Activities; ACP Conference and Retreat + In This Issue #222 · 2023/12/04 APA Justice Monthly Meeting · PNAS Opinion: The High Price of Overzealously Defending The US Research Enterprise Against Theft by China · Upcoming Activities: The Role of Chinese Students and The Repeal of The Chinese Exclusion Act · ACP Conference and Community Leadership Retreat in Dallas · News and Activities for the Communities 2023/12/04 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, December 4, 2023, starting at 1:55 pm ET. In addition to updates by Nisha Ramachandran , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC); Joanna Derman , Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC; Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), confirmed speakers include: · Matt Jones , Partner, WilmerHale LLP. Matt represents Dr. Yanping Chen 陈燕平 , a naturalized U.S, citizen and founder of the University of Management and Technology in Arlington, Virginia. She was a cardiologist and medical researcher with the astronaut program in China prior to coming to the U.S. to study in 1987. In 2010, Dr. Chen became the focus of an FBI investigation. After 6 years of investigation, Dr. Chen was told that no charges will be filed against her in 2016. However, confidential information from the investigation was leaked to Fox News in or around 2017. On December 21, 2018, Dr. Chen filed a privacy lawsuit against the federal government. After several years of motion and discovery, the leaked reports are traced back to former Fox News reporter and now CBS News reporter Catherine Herridge . For months, Fox News and Herridge argued that they are protected under the First Amendment and free press. In August 2023, the presiding judge ruled "... Chen’s need for the requested evidence overcomes Herridge’s qualified First Amendment privilege in this case." Matt spoke about Dr. Chen's case at the November 2022 APA Justice monthly meeting . He will give us an update on the latest development. · Michael Bloch , Partner, Bloch and White LLP. Michael represents Baimadajie Angwang 昂旺 , an ethnic Tibetan from China who served in Afghanistan as a U.S. marine and later joined the New York Police Department (NYPD) as an officer. He is a naturalized U.S. citizen. Angwang was arrested in September 2020, charged with acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government under the now-defunct "China Initiative." He was jailed pre-trial for six months in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. All the charges against Angwang were dropped in January 2023. U.S. prosecutors said they uncovered new information that warranted the dismissal. Angwang was reportedly surveilled under Section 702 of FISA. Despite the dismissal of all charges, Angwang faced an administrative trial conducted by NYPD in September 2023 for failing to attend a 5-day, 1,700-questions investigative hearing. The trial may result in the termination of Angwang's employment with NYPD. Michael will give us an update on Angwang's case. A Q&A and discussion session will follow the reports by Matt Jones and Michael Bloch. Discussants include: · Bethany Li , (confirmed) Legal Director, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) · Paula Madison 罗笑娜 (confirmed), Retired, NBCUniversal Executive; Entrepreneur; Journalist · Brian Sun 孙自华 (confirmed), Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP · Helen Zia 谢汉兰 (confirmed), Activist, Author, and Former Journalist · Patrick Toomey/Ashley Gorski (invited), National Security Project, ACLU Brian Sun was part of the legal team representing Dr. Wen Ho Lee 李文和 in the criminal trial in 2000. Brian later represented Dr. Lee and won a settlement in a civil lawsuit when Dr. Lee sued the government under the Privacy Act in 2006. Helen Zia co-authored with Dr. Lee and published a book titled " My Country Versus Me " in 2002.The virtual monthly meeting is by invitation only. It is closed to the press. If you wish to join, either one time or for future meetings, please contact one of the co-organizers of APA Justice - Steven Pei 白先慎 , Vincent Wang 王文奎 , and Jeremy Wu 胡善庆 - or send a message to contact@apajustice.org PNAS Opinion: The High Price of Overzealously Defending The US Research Enterprise Against Theft by China On November 22, 2023, The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) published an opinion by Stanford University physics professors Steven A, Kivelson and Peter F. Michelson . According to the opinion, the US government—reflecting rare bipartisan consensus—has, of late, undertaken increasingly expansive and intrusive actions to stem the illicit flow of proprietary secrets and intellectual property to China. These actions also aim to reduce the benefits that accrue to China from expertise acquired by Chinese scholars and students during visits or extended stays in the United States. Underlying this consensus is evidence that China is stealing valuable proprietary information from the United States, characterized by FBI Director Christopher Wray as “a whole of society effort to steal from the United States” Although these government actions are well-intentioned, significant harm has resulted. The benefits to the United States from the influx of talented Chinese students, immigrant scientists, and visiting scholars to our universities have largely been ignored or poorly understood by policymakers. Numerous examples highlight the importance for the United States of welcoming talent from around the world, but most particularly from China. Understanding the implications of these examples underscores just how much we lose by enacting Draconian measures to stop Chinese scientists from coming to the United States.Many of the concerns focused on intellectual property theft, economic competitiveness, and advancing military capabilities—extensively discussed in numerous articles and policy papers —are well founded. However, as professors of physics pursuing basic research, we argue that government must take into account the serious costs of restrictive US policies—adopted or proposed—that are seen as responses to these threats, particularly as they relate to fundamental scientific research at US universities.Read the PNAS opinion: https://bit.ly/3sOrq3s Upcoming Activities: The Role of Chinese Students and The Repeal of The Chinese Exclusion Act 1. Webinar: The Role of Chinese Students in America: A Conversation with Former Students from China On December 5, 2023, The US-China Education Trust, the Carter Center, and the US Heartland China Association will host a webinar on "The Role of Chinese Students in America: A Conversation with Former Students from China." WHAT: Webinar "The Role of Chinese Students in America: A Conversation with Former Students from China"WHEN: December 5, 2023, 6:30 - 9:00 pm ETDESCRIPTION: As Chinese international students have become a focal point of rising U.S.-China tensions, some Americans contend that the risks of educating students from China outweigh the benefits. The voices of those who have lived the Chinese student experience in America are essential to this debate, yet often overlooked. To add this personal perspective, USCET has assembled a panel of former Chinese students, all now successful Americans making significant contributions in their chosen fields.MODERATOR: Madelyn Ross , President, US-China Education Trust PANELISTS: · Min Fan, Executive Director, United States Heartland China Association · Dawn Li, educator, entrepreneur, and writer · Yawei Liu, senior advisor for China at The Carter Center and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations · Yi Zheng, tenured professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and Director of the Nano Energy Laboratory at Northeastern University in Boston, and founder of the cleantech start-up, Planck Energies. REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/47sjeow 2. In-Person Event: We Are Americans On December 6, 2023, a coalition of organizations led by the 1882 Foundation will host an in-person event "We are Americans" to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act and the 125th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision on birthright citizenship. WHAT: In-person Reception and Lecture on "We are Americans" WHEN: December 6, 2023, 2:30 - 5:00 pm ET LOCATION: Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street SE, Washington DC, 20003 DESCRIPTION: A reception and a lecture to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act and the 125th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision on birthright citizenship. SPECIAL REMARKS: Judy Chu , Member, U.S, House of Representatives LECTURER: Martin Gold, Counsel to The 1882 Project HOSTS: The 1882 Foundation, CACA, UCA, OCA, and JACL REGISTRATION : https://bit.ly/3Gibn10 ACP Conference and Community Leadership Retreat in Dallas On November 11, 2023, the Association of Chinese Professionals Foundation (ACP) celebrated its 30th anniversary at its annual MetroCon conference and gala in Dallas, Texas. The conference included a session on "Critical Issues Facing Chinese Americans Today." The panelists were Gene Wu , Texas State Representative; Haipei Shue , President of United Chinese Americans (UCA); Echo King , President of Florida Asian American Justice Alliance (FAAJA); and Steven Pei , Professor of University of Houston. Cindy Tsai , Interim President and Executive Director of the Committee of 100, was keynote speaker at the gala.A community leadership retreat was held the next day on November 12, 2023. News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2023/12/03 Rep. Gene Wu 's Weekly town hall meeting2023/12/04 APA Justice monthly meeting 2023/12/05 The Role of Chinese Students in America2023/12/06 1882 Foundation Lecture and Reception: We are Americans 2023/12/10 Rep. Gene Wu 's Weekly town hall meeting2023/12/12 Community Briefing on Section 7022023/12/17 Rep. Gene Wu 's Weekly town hall meetingVisit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. 2. NPR Report on GOP Plan to Revive Citizenship Question According to NPR , a coalition of conservative groups is preparing for a chance to shape the country's next set of census results in case a Republican president returns to the White House in 2025. Their playbook includes reviving a failed push for a citizenship question and other Trump-era moves that threaten the accuracy of the 2030 national head count. The plan also calls for aligning the mission of the government agency in charge of the next tally of the country's residents with "conservative principles." Many census watchers, including a former top Trump administration official, tell NPR they find this position particularly alarming. The policy proposals — led by The Heritage Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank — are part of a broader "Project 2025" plan for dismantling aspects of the U.S. government. Back View PDF November 27, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #232 2/5 Monthly Meeting; AI Safety Cooperation; Carter Legacy; China Initiative 2.0; + #232 2/5 Monthly Meeting; AI Safety Cooperation; Carter Legacy; China Initiative 2.0; + In This Issue #232 · 2024/02/05 APA Justice Monthly Meeting · White House OSTP Director on US-China AI Safety Cooperation · Invited Report - A Speech by David Lampton: The Carter Legacy and Beyond · Possible Reinstatement of the China Initiative Denounced · News and Activities for the Communities 2024/02/05 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, February 5, 2024, starting at 1:55 pm ET. In addition to updates by Nisha Ramachandran , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC); Joanna YangQing Derman , Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC; and Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), invited and confirmed speakers are: · Erika Moritsugu (invited), Deputy Assistant to the President and Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Senior Liaison, The White House, will kick off the Lunar New Year by reviewing the Year of the Rabbit (2023) and looking forward to the Year of the Dragon (2024). · Lora Lumpe, Chief Executive Officer, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, will tell us about the Quincy Institute and its plans and activities. The Quincy Institute promotes ideas that move U.S. foreign policy away from endless war, toward military restraint and diplomacy in the pursuit of international peace in a world where peace is the norm and war is the exception. On November 13, 2023, it led a coalition of diverse organizations in a letter to Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping calling for more stable and productive bilateral ties. · Min Fan 范敏, Executive Director, US Heartland China Association (USHCA) will introduce USHCA and describe its mission and activities. USHCA covers 20 states that stretch from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. 430 Fortune 1000 companies are headquartered in 84 of the cities within the Heartland region. Mayors of the region lead 37 of the 100 largest cities in the United States. The original organization was founded in 2003 as the Midwest China Association by U.S. Senator Adlai Stevenson (IL); John Rogers, lawyer and professor; and Governor Bob Holden (MO), former Chairman of the Midwest Governors Association. USHCA led a bipartisan delegation of six U.S. mayors representing communities along the Mississippi River Basin to visit their counterparts in China in 2023 - the first since the pandemic. · Sandy Shan, Executive Director, Justice is Global, will share how individuals and organizations can help support grassroot rollout of a US-China climate cooperation bill this spring. In 2020 and 2022 , Justice is Global conducted two community canvassing projects that engaged swing state voters susceptible to anti-immigrant sentiments in conversations about the future of US-China cooperation. The positive outcomes from these two projects informed Justice is Global’s current work in supporting the rollout of a climate cooperation bill. The virtual monthly meeting is by invitation only. It is closed to the press. If you wish to join, either one time or for future meetings, please contact one of the co-organizers of APA Justice - Steven Pei 白先慎 , Vincent Wang 王文奎 , and Jeremy Wu 胡善庆 - or send a message to contact@apajustice.org White House OSTP Director on US-China AI Safety Cooperation According to the Financial Times , Arati Prabhakar , Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), said the US will work with China on the safety of artificial intelligence (AI) systems in the coming months. The two countries are committed to working together to lessen the risks of AI and assess its capabilities.“Steps have been taken to engage in that process,” Prabhakar said of future collaboration with China on AI. “We have to try to work [with Beijing].” “We are at a moment where everyone understands that AI is the most powerful technology . . . every country is bracing to use it to build a future that reflects their values,” said Prabhakar, who advises President Joe Biden on issues including AI regulation. “But I think the one place we can all really agree is we want to have a technology base that is safe and effective,” she added. “So I think that is a good place for collaboration.”The regulatory frameworks for AI vary between the two nations. China, for instance, has issued comprehensive guidelines for AI development, with a particular emphasis on content control. By contrast, in October last year, Biden issued a sweeping executive order with a specific focus on addressing threats related to national security and consumer privacy.Read the Financial Times report: https://on.ft.com/3UfwlWm In an editorial published online on January 25, 2024, Science reported that "the power and accuracy of computational protein design have been increasing rapidly with the incorporation of AI approaches. This promises to transform biotechnology, enabling advances across sustainability and medicine. However, as with all major revolutionary changes, this technology is vulnerable to misuse and the production of dangerous biological agents." "Enhanced security need not threaten information sharing or transparent communication, the hallmarks of modern science; the use of biosecurity as an excuse to not share new methods and advances should be discouraged by science funders, publishers, and policy-makers. Rather, security in this fast-moving field should be framed as maximizing progress to address pressing societal concerns," the editorial concludes. Read the Science editorial: https://bit.ly/47UHcIm The Science editorial referred to a global AI Safety Summit in the United Kingdom in November, 2023. The editorial emphasized that the "road to regulating AI is likely to be long and complicated." At the Summit, representatives from 28 countries worldwide including the United States, China, European Union, and other nations in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, endorsed The Bletchley Declaration on AI safety. This declaration acknowledges the need to comprehend and collaboratively address potential risks associated with AI. Its goal is to ensure the development and deployment of AI in a safe and responsible manner for the benefit of the international community. At the conclusion of the Summit, South Korea committed to co-hosting a mini virtual summit within the next six months, followed by France hosting the subsequent in-person Summit half a year later.Read more about the AI Safety Summit: https://bit.ly/3SlWYqe Invited Report - A Speech by David Lampton: The Carter Legacy and Beyond Author: Juan Zhang , Editor, US-China Perception Monitor/ 中美印象, Carter Center, Juan.Zhang@cartercenter.org Professor David Lampton is a towering figure in America's collective effort to understand China and to maintain a peaceful and productive relationship with China. At the Inaugural Jimmy Carter Forum on U.S.-China Relations, Lampton offered an excellent description of President Jimmy Carter 's remarkable contributions to global peace, with a particular emphasis on the normalization of relations between the United States and China. Lampton elaborated on how four leadership approaches of President Carter have all played a big role in his visionary China policy. These approaches "served our nation and the world well." Dr. Yawei Liu , Senior Advisor at the Carter Center’s China Focus, lauded Lampton's speech as the most comprehensive summary of President Carter's contributions to peace and prosperity in the U.S. China and the world. To read the full speech, please click here . To find Professor Lampton’s latest book Living US-China Relations: From Cold War to Cold War . Click here . Possible Reinstatement of the China Initiative Denounced On January 26, 2024, the Committee of 100 (C100), an outspoken critic of the China Initiative, issued the following statement from Interim President and Executive Director Cindy Tsai :“The China Initiative was a failed program that fueled racial animosity, xenophobia, and suspicion towards the AAPI community and Chinese Americans in particular. Reimplementing this program would send shockwaves of fear across the AAPI community. We welcome the opportunity to work with Congressional leaders to recognize, address, and prevent future harms to the AAPI community and continue the dialogue towards a shared vision of a better, more secure and inclusive America.” In October of 2021, C100 and researchers from the University of Arizona unveiled a joint research project focused on race and ethnicity in science and research. The survey data showed that the China Initiative was producing a wave of fear among scientists of Chinese descent, where scientists have described cutting ties with their collaborators in China, no longer hiring Chinese postdocs, and limiting communications with scholars in China, even at the expense of their own research projects. Additionally, research jointly led by C100 and legal scholar Andrew Chongseh Kim shed light on significant racial disparities in the implementation of the Economic Espionage Act (EEA) of 1996 and under the China initiative. Data from the research was drawn from nearly 300 defendants across nearly 200 separate cases. Half of the defendants with Western names (49%) convicted under the EEA were given sentences of probation only, with no incarceration. In contrast, the vast majority of defendants of Asian descent (75%) were sent to prison, in particular defendants of Chinese descent (80%). Additionally, Chinese and Asian defendants convicted of economic espionage received average sentences of 27 and 23 months respectively, roughly twice as long as the average sentence of 12 months for defendants with Western names. Read the C100 press release: https://bit.ly/4bpO6si Excerpts from a Boston Globe opinion by Professor MIT Professor Gang Chen 陈刚 on January 16, 2024,"In January 2021, I was wrongfully indicted under the China Initiative launched in 2018 by the US Department of Justice. The indictment contained a laundry list of normal activities for a university professor, such as reviewing proposals and writing recommendation letters. Thankfully, MIT — where I’m a professor of mechanical engineering — and the scientific community came to my defense, with a rallying cry 'We are all Gang Chen.' After a year of grueling legal proceedings, the DOJ finally dropped my case."One month later, in February 2022, the DOJ terminated the Trump administration’s China Initiative, admitting that it created a 'harmful perception' of bias against people with 'racial, ethnic, or familial ties to China.'"Despite the harm the initiative created, the House Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations bill, H.R. 5893, seeks to mandate the DOJ to reinstate the China Initiative."The proposal is another stab at a deep wound in my heart that has yet to heal. Despite the warm welcome back to campus from colleagues at MIT, my wrongful prosecution has done irreversible damage to my family, my career, and the United States. "Politically motivated, racially biased criminal justice initiatives lead to wrongful prosecutions. The China Initiative led to numerous wrongful prosecutions of scientists of Chinese origin. When catching real spies proved to be difficult and time-consuming, federal agents turned their attention to straw man targets — university professors. Espionage is the antithesis of open science — one operates in the shadows, shrouded in secrecy, and the other seeks truth and consensus through exploration and collaboration. Researchers at universities in the United States do not conduct classified research on campus. We carry out basic research and publish our findings for all to see. "Some initiatives by the government, such as the China Initiative and the National Institutes of Health’s investigation into academics’ collaborations with China, weaken rather than strengthen US national security. American scientific prowess has been built on the United States’ ability to attract the best and the brightest minds from around the world."Passage of the House’s appropriation bill as it’s currently written would once again push out talent and human capital at the expense of scientific advancement and national security. The China Initiative harmed Americans and failed our national interests miserably. Let us not repeat history with the same mistakes." News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2024/02/01 CAMDC Deadline for Essay Contest2024/02/04 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/02/05 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2024/02/10 New Year's Day of the Year of the Dragon2024/03/03 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/03/04 APA Justice Monthly MeetingVisit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. 2. AAGEN 2024 Leadership Workshop WHAT: In-person event - AAGEN 2024 Leadership Workshop: “Identity, Integrity, and Influence - How to Lead in Uncertain Times” WHEN: Thursday, May 2, 2024, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm ETWHERE: Partnership For Public Service - 600 14th Street NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005HOST: Asian American Government Executives Network (AAGEN)DESCRIPTION: Join other professionals and leaders from across government for a professional development training event with interactive panel discussions focused on developing leadership resiliency to build a strong and healthy workforce. Come for individual advice from Senior Executives in the Coaching/Resume Review sessions and hear inspiring AANHPI leaders from the White House and other federal agencies share their leadership stories and career advice. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: https://bit.ly/3UiHMwrREGISTRATION : https://bit.ly/47MG2yB 3. Lunar New Year is a Holiday in Some States According to Denverite , on June 2, 2023, Lunar New Year became an official state holiday after Governor Jared Polis signed a bill and will be celebrated by Coloradans the first Friday of every February. Vương-Sandoval , chair of the Lunar New Year Allies Advisory Group, spearheaded the bill, continuing her efforts to bolster and display Denver’s large Vietnamese and Asian community. The City of Denver recently apologized for its role in an anti-Chinese/Asian riot of 1880 that resulted in the death of Look Young, a Chinese laundry worker, and the destruction of historic Chinatown, a once-thriving community of Chinese-owned properties; The area is now LoDo. Colorado is the second state, after California, to recognize Lunar New Year as an observed holiday. According to NBC News on September 12, 2023, the Lunar New Year will now be observed in all public schools in the state of New York, following legislation signed by Governor Kathy Hochul . “It is not just a day off from school — it is an opportunity for our children to learn about and celebrate their own or different cultures and traditions,” Hochul said in a news release. New York is home to the second largest Asian population in the U.S., which is the fastest-growing racial and ethnic group nationwide, with 1.9 million residents, The new legislation comes months after New York City Mayor Eric Adams added Diwali, also known as the festival of lights, to its list of public school holidays.On January 12, 2024, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed a joint resolution AJR201/SJR111, designating the first new moon of the first month of the lunar calendar as Lunar New Year in New Jersey. The holiday has been recognized and celebrated internationally for thousands of years by Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders to welcome good fortune in the new year. 4. Asian American Mayor of Wichita Lily Wu was sworn in as Wichita’s 103rd mayor on January 8, 2024. She is the first woman elected to a full term and the first Asian-American mayor of the largest city in Kansas. Mayor Lily speaks Cantonese and Spanish, was born in Guatemala, and immigrated to Wichita, Kansas with her family in 1993. On her 30th anniversary of coming to America, she announced her candidacy for mayor. She champions an inclusive vision for the entire city focused on ensuring public safety, strengthening the economy, restoring trust in City Hall and building a united community. Prior to being elected, Mayor Lily spent 12 years as a journalist, serving as an anchor and reporter for Wichita television stations KAKE and KWCH 12 News. Read the NextShark report: https://yhoo.it/3Omi3iO Back View PDF January 29, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #211 10/2 Meeting; Florida SB264 Town Hall; Angwang NYPD Hearing; Wing Luke Hate Incident #211 10/2 Meeting; Florida SB264 Town Hall; Angwang NYPD Hearing; Wing Luke Hate Incident In This Issue #211 2023/10/02 APA Justice Monthly Meeting FAAJA Hosts Town Hall Meeting on Senate Bill 264 and Its Impact Administrative Hearing of NYPD Officer Angwang 昂旺 Wing Luke Museum in Seattle Damaged in Hate Incident News and Activities for the Communities 2023/10/02 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, October 2, 2023, starting at 1:55 pm ET.In addition to updates by Nisha Ramachandran , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC); Joanna Derman , Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC; Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), and Clay Zhu 朱可亮 , Partner, DeHeng Law Offices 德恒律师事务所, confirmed and invited speakers include: Tammy Duckworth (invited), US Senator of Illinois, on issues of import to the Asian American communities, people of Illinois, and the nation Nancy Chen (confirmed), Founding President, Chinese American Women in Action (CAWA) on the history of CAWA and its interests and concerns in Illinois and national issues Andy Wong (confirmed), Managing Director of Advocacy, Chinese for Affirmative Action, on the coalition letter on Section 702 reforms, responses, and related CAA activities such as the recently launched "Stop The Blame" campaign The virtual monthly meeting is by invitation only. If you wish to join, either one time or for future meetings, please contact one of the co-organizers of APA Justice - Steven Pei 白先慎 , Vincent Wang 王文奎 , and Jeremy Wu 胡善庆 - or send a message to contact@apajustice.org NOTE: A shutdown of the federal government happens when Congress fails to pass some type of funding legislation that is signed into law by the president. Current funding expires on September 30, 2023. While some government entities will be exempt, other functions will be severely curtailed. FAAJA Hosts Town Hall Meeting on Senate Bill 264 and Its Impact Florida Asian American Justice Alliance (FAAJA) will host an unprecedented virtual town hall meeting with Florida state legislators on the current status of the discriminatory Senate Bill 264 (SB264) and its actual impact on the Chinese community. The meeting will focus on Section 7 of SB264 which talks about both the Chinese government and Chinese people living in Florida who want to buy a home. The town hall meeting will be held on September 26, 2023, starting at 5:00 pm ET. For more information to attend the town hall meeting, visit the APA Justice Community Calendar at https://bit.ly/45KGyga Administrative Hearing of NYPD Officer Angwang 昂旺 According to USChinaPress.com 侨报网 , community activists are urged to attend the administrative hearing of New York Police Department (NYPD) Officer Angwang 昂旺 , which will be held at the NYPD headquarters, 4th floor, Departmental Trial Room A, 1 Police Plaza, New York NY on September 26, 10 am ET. 社区人士呼吁民众26日早上10点前往曼哈顿警察总局参加旁听警局行政庭审，支持华裔藏族警官昂旺。Read the case of Officer Angwang: https://bit.ly/3RIqXId . Read the USChinaPress.com 侨报网 report: https://bit.ly/3ruZqBd (in Chinese) Wing Luke Museum in Seattle Damaged in Hate Incident According to the Seattle Times , Craig Milne , 76, was charged on September 18, 2023, with a hate crime after he used a sledgehammer to smash about 10 windows of the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle, as dozens of patrons inside were touring an exhibit. Milne, who is white, also was charged with first-degree malicious mischief for causing more than $100,000 worth of property damage. After smashing the windows, Milne remained outside the building, and was heard saying he had come to the Chinatown International District to cause damage and that “the Chinese ruined my life,” according to witnesses. Almost an hour later, when Seattle Police Department officers arrived and arrested Milne, he “continued making racially biased statements and expressed no remorse,” the charging documents stated, with Milne telling officers, “The Chinese have tortured and tormented me for 14 years. I don’t regret anything I did here.”This is not the first time Milne has been accused of a hate crime. In October 2013, Milne was arrested for allegedly attacking and repeatedly punching an Asian man in the locker room at the Spartan Recreation Center in Shoreline.According to the museum website , the museum is named after Wing Chong Luke 陆荣昌 , who was the first person of color elected to the Seattle City Council and the first Asian American elected to public office in the Pacific Northwest. Luke served as an assistant attorney general of Washington for the state civil rights division from 1957 to 1962. He was a member of the Seattle City Council from 1962 until his death in 1965 in a plane crash. Read the Seattle Times report: https://bit.ly/48xeTBh News and Activities for the Communities 1. Community Calendar The APA Justice Community Calendar is located on the front page of the APA Justice website at https://www.apajustice.org/ . Upcoming Events: 2023/09/25-27 AAUC National Unity Summit 2023/09/26 NYPD Trial of Officer Baimadajie Angwang 昂旺 2023/09/26 FAAJA Town Hall Meeting on SB264 and Its Impact 2023/09/27 1990 Institute: Teaching Asian American Narratives through Literature 2023/09/27 U.S.-China Climate Cooperation Organizing Webinar Visit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. 2. Meeting of Consortium of Global Hakka Studies According to Wikipedia, the Hakka (客家) is a Chinese subgroup. Unlike other Chinese subgroups, the Hakkas are not named after a geographical region, e.g. a province, county or city, in China. The word Hakka or "guest families" is Cantonese in origin and refers to the Northern Chinese migrants fleeing social unrest, upheaval and invasions in northern parts of China since the fourth century AD. Worldwide population of Hakka is estimated to be in the tens of millions. Read the Wikipedia description of Hakka people worldwide: https://bit.ly/3Pvmec2 According to Hakka News , The Consortium of Global Hakka Studies (GHAS) functions as an academic platform of dialogue and communication for international Hakka and ethnic studies. On September 22-23, 2023, GHAS hosted the World Hakka Research Conference with the theme of "Hakka's Local and Global Diversity" in Taoyuan City. Taiwan. The conference featured reports on the Hakka people in Central and South American and the Caribbean Sea. Paula Madison 罗笑娜 , retired NBCUniversal executive whose family moved from Jamaica to the U.S., told her story about finding her maternal grandfather in China and the documentary "Finding Samuel Lowe : From Harlem to China" ）《尋找 羅定朝 ：從哈林區到中國》. Read the Hakka News report: https://bit.ly/3RFFEOd (in Chinese) Back View PDF September 26, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #360 11/3 Meeting; 10/16 Webinar Videos; Advocacy 101; PBS: Builders of the Silicon Dream;+ #360 11/3 Meeting; 10/16 Webinar Videos; Advocacy 101; PBS: Builders of the Silicon Dream;+ In This Issue #360 · 2025/11/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting · Video of 10/16 Webinar on Bridging Nations Posted · Advocacy 101 for Scholars, Scientists and Researchers · PBS Documentary: Builders of the Silicon Dream · News and Activities for the Communities 2025/11/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting left to right: Andy Phillips, Jane Shim, Paula Madison, Brian Sun The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held on Monday, November 3, 2025, starting at 1:55 pm ET.In addition to updates from: · Judith Teruya , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) · Joanna YangQing Derman , Program Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC · Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) We are honored by and welcome the following distinguished speakers: · Andy Phillips , Managing & Founding Partner, Meier Watkins Phillips Pusch LLP · Jane Shim , Director, Stop Asian Hate Project, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund · Paula Williams Madison , Chairman and CEO of Madison Media Management LLC and 88 Madison Media Works Inc.; Retired Executive, NBCUniversal · Brian Sun , Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP The virtual monthly meeting is by invitation only. It is closed to the press. If you wish to join, either one time or for future meetings, please contact one of the co-organizers of APA Justice - Steven Pei 白先慎 , Vincent Wang 王文奎 , and Jeremy Wu 胡善庆 - or send a message to contact@apajustice.org . *****Attorney Andy Phillips represents Dr. Yanping Chen 陈燕平 . On September 30, 2025, the D.C. Circuit unanimously affirmed the district court’s decision in Yanping Chen v. Federal Bureau of Investigation , concluding that the reporter’s qualified First Amendment privilege did not shield Catherine Herridge from being compelled to identify her source after Dr. Chen showed the information was central to her Privacy Act claim and had exhausted other channels. Andy will update us on the ruling by the Appeals Court on Dr. Chen's case.The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) filed an amicus brief in Dr. Chen’s case against the Federal Bureau of Investigation, highlighting the racial profiling and law-enforcement overreach experienced by Asian Americans and supporting her claim that her Privacy Act rights were violated. Jane Shim will discuss the role of AALDEF and the importance of community advocacy.Drawing from her distinguished career in journalism and media/community leadership, Paula Madison will share her observations and insights on the case of Dr. Chen. Brian Sun 孫自華 , renowned trial attorney who represented Dr. Wen Ho Lee 李文和 in his landmark civil lawsuit against the U.S. government and major news organizations two decades ago, will offer his reflections on the Wen Ho Lee and Yanping Chen cases, highlighting their legal and civil rights implications for the Asian American community. Video of 10/16 Webinar on Bridging Nations Posted On October 16, 2025, the Committee of 100, the U.S.-China Education Trust (USCET), and APA Justice, co-hosted a webinar titled "Bridging Nations: People-to-People Exchange in U.S.–China Relations," featuring Ambassador Julia Chang Bloch and Governor Gary Locke as speakers with Professor Jessica Chen Weiss moderating the discussion. Dr. Jeremy Wu , Co-Organizer of APA Justice, and Rosie Levine , Executive Director of USCET, gave opening and closing remarks respectively. This webinar was the first in the "Global Tensions, Local Dimensions: Navigating the U.S.-China Relationship" series. The series focuses on the intersectionality between U.S.-China relations and Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) civil rights concerns. The first installment delved in the importance of people-to-people connections—academic exchange, business collaboration, and community relationships—that has historically stabilized bilateral relations, as well as the downstream effect of the relationship on AAPI communities and U.S. policies. Julia and Gary reflected on their personal experience through cycles of tension and engagement between the United States and China in recent decades. They noted that while competition and disagreement are not new, the current environment is distinguished by a deep sense of strategic rivalry, pervasive mistrust, and the breakdown of traditional channels for cooperation. They underscored the need for balanced leadership that protects national interests while upholding America’s values of inclusion and fairness. USCET has posted its post-program summary at https://bit.ly/4hyaUJW , highlight three quotes from the webinar: · “[Asian Americans] should not have to prove our loyalty than anyone else [should]… and we should not be forced to choose between heritage and country.“ · “We are losing something essential: our ability to see each other as people first.“ · “[Racial profiling and discrimination] are not just some moral failures. They are strategic disasters.“ C100 has posted its summary and video at https://bit.ly/494JtoT . APA Justice posted the webinar video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3I_G37uUY4 (59:33)The next webinar is being planned for mid-January of 2026. Advocacy 101 for Scholars, Scientists and Researchers On November 3, 2025, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) and Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC will co-host a webinar titled " Advocacy 101 for Scholars, Scientists and Researchers ." The training session will equip participants with the knowledge and advocacy tools needed to advocate on issues that directly impact them, such as the China Initiative, research security, fundamental rights and academic freedom in our country.Dr. Xiaodong Zhang 张晓东 , Robert M. Critchfield Professor in Engineering at Ohio State University, will serve as moderators. Speakers are: · Edgar Chen 陳春品 , Special Advisor, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association · Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum · Kelvin Lum , Director of Federal Policy, Stop AAPI Hate · Joanna YangQing Derman, Director, Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights and National Security, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC Register to attend the webinar by scanning the QR code above or visit: https://bit.ly/43zA4lk . PBS Documentary: Builders of the Silicon Dream Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) has premiered Builders of the Silicon Dream , a landmark documentary celebrating the often-overlooked and pivotal contributions of Asian immigrants and Asian American innovators to the creation and growth of Silicon Valley. The 51-minute film debuted nationally on October 4, 2025. It is available on https://www.pbs.org/video/builders-of-the-silicon-dream-b60su7/ and https://siliconaapi.com/ . The film traces how U.S.-educated Asian scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs from the 1960s and 70s helped propel Silicon Valley's rise.The film situates this transformation within a broader historical context. The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, which abolished racially restrictive quotas, opened U.S. doors to skilled Asian professionals and triggered the first great wave of immigrant talent that would shape the Valley’s emergence. Many of these pioneers came from modest beginnings, facing barriers of language, culture, and discrimination, yet their perseverance and technical brilliance became a driving force of American innovation. Builders of the Silicon Dream features trailblazers whose work and vision redefined industries and communities: · Kenneth Fong 方瑞賢 , a pioneering biotech entrepreneur (Clontech Laboratories) and philanthropist who mentored the next generation · Ta-Lin Hsu 徐大麟 , founder of MediaTek and a cross-Pacific venture capital pioneer who helped establish Taiwan as a semiconductor powerhouse · David Tsang 臧大化, who built multiple storage and semiconductor companies and co-founding Alexander’s Steakhouse with his wife Cathy · Hsing Kung 龔行憲 , an expert in optics, which forms the backbone of internet infrastructure, and a technology executive, civic leader, and advocate for Asian American participation in public life The documentary also covered · 1957 Nobel laureates Chen Ning Yang 杨振宁 and Tsung-Dao Lee 李政道, as well as Chien-Shiung Wu 吳健雄 , a pioneering experimental physicist whose collaboration with Yang and Lee helped reshape modern physics and inspired generations of young scientists from Asia to pursue their dreams in the United States · The "bamboo ceiling" faced by Morris Chang 張忠謀, who returned to Taiwan and founded Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world's largest independent manufacturer of advanced semiconductor chips, after he was passed over for CEO at Texas Instrumen · Chenming Hu 胡正明 , inventor of the FinFET transistor that revolutionized microchip design · Annalee Saxenian , Dean Emerita of UC Berkeley’s School of Information and daughter from Armenian immigrant parents, whose scholarship illuminated how immigrant networks and transnational collaboration fueled Silicon Valley’s success Beyond professional success, the film humanizes the immigrant experience—revealing the sacrifices, family separations, and perseverance behind the pursuit of the American dream. It does not shy away from the darker realities of exclusion, from the Chinese Exclusion Act and the murder of Vincent Chin to the resurgence of anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic, reminding viewers that progress and prejudice have always intertwined in the Asian American story.More than a historical account, the documentary celebrates how diversity and shared purpose—rather than competition alone—built the foundation for the Silicon Dream that continues to inspire the world today.Featuring voices such as Congresswoman Judy Chu 赵美心 and Hsing Kung, the documentary calls for greater Asian American civic participation and political engagement to ensure that their stories and contributions are represented in policymaking. It concludes with a timeless message: that technology must enhance humanity, and that true success is not measured by wealth or fame, but by how much one contributes to the greater good.The documentary was directed and produced by Tony Shyu 徐國興 (Himalaya Entertainment) and co-produced by Diana Ding 丁維平 and the Silicon Valley Community Media . News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/11/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/11/03 Advocacy 101 for Scholars, Scientists, and Researchers2025/11/14 Film Screening and Discussion: Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story2025/11/20 Cook County Circuit Court Hearing2025/11/25 Committee of 100 Conversations – “Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes” with Elaine Chao Visit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story WHAT: Film Screening and Discussion: 'Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story' WHEN: November 14, 2025, 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm CT WHERE: In person event: 1370 Southmore Blvd, Houston, TX 77004 HOSTS: Asia Society Texas; Friends of the National Asian Pacific American Museum Moderator : Donna Fujimoto Cole , Founder, Cole Chemical Speakers : · Jennifer Takaki, Director, The Corky Lee Story · Raj R. Vaswani , Producer, The Corky Lee Story DESCRIPTION: For over five decades, Corky Lee 李扬国 used his camera as a tool for activism, capturing the vibrant, complex, and often overlooked stories of Asian American communities across the United States. From Chinatown protests to landmark civil rights moments, Lee's work challenged stereotypes, reclaimed histories, and demanded visibility for the marginalized. The film not only chronicles Lee's remarkable career but also explores the intersection of art, identity, and social justice — a reminder of the enduring power of photography to make change.Following the screening, director Takaki and producer Vaswani will be joined by Cole Chemical President and CEO Donna Cole for a conversation reflecting on Corky Lee's impact and the role of visual storytelling in shaping cultural and historical narratives. The event is free, but registration is required. To learn more, please visit photographicjustice.com/screenings REGISTRATION : https://bit.ly/4qx0EWk # # # 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 October 27, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #22 ARPP Webpage; Lost Students Or Inept Spies; Tao And Lieber Cases; Media Reports #22 ARPP Webpage; Lost Students Or Inept Spies; Tao And Lieber Cases; Media Reports Back View PDF October 13, 2020 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #174 4/3 Meeting; Texas SB 147; NYT Editorial; Arati Prabhakar; New Bills; Community News #174 4/3 Meeting; Texas SB 147; NYT Editorial; Arati Prabhakar; New Bills; Community News In This Issue #174 2023/04/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Opposing Texas SB 147 and Related Discriminatory Bills New York Times Editorial: "Who Benefits From Confrontation With China?" Disturbing Science Interview with OSTP Director Arati Prabhakar Two New Bills on TikTok and Beyond: The DATA Act and RESTRICT Act News and Activities for the Communities 2023/04/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held on Monday, April 3, 2023, starting at 1:55 pm ET. Confirmed speakers include: Nisha Ramachandran , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) John Yang 杨重远 , President and Executive Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC Gisela Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum Robert Underwood, Member, President's Advisory Commission on AANHPI; Former President, University of Guam; former Chair, CAPAC; Co-Chair of the United States Institute of Peace China-Freely Associated States Senior Study Group John Liu 刘醇逸 , Senator, New York State Senate Paula Williams Madison, Former Print and TV Journalist, Retired NBCUniversal Executive and GE Company Officer, Former Vice President of the Los Angeles Police Commission and Owner of The Africa Channel The virtual monthly meeting is by invitation only. If you wish to join, either one time or for future meetings, please contact one of the co-organizers of APA Justice - Steven Pei 白先慎 , Vincent Wang 王文奎 , and Jeremy Wu 胡善庆 - or send a message to contact@apajustice.org . Opposing Texas SB 147 and Related Discriminatory Bills The UCA Action, a sister organization of the United Chinese Americans (UCA), is launching a media campaign against Texas Senate Bill 147 and other discriminatory bills in Texas. This campaign will soon come to the other states where similar bills have been introduced. According to UCA Action, this is a defining moment for our community as we seek equal protections under the law. This is an opportunity to join the Chinese American civil rights movement. The future of our community depends on each and every one of us rising up to this historic challenge. Visit the UCA Action website at: http://bit.ly/3G60QGg Federal Level of Texas SB147. On March 30, 2023, Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), along with Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama), introduced the Not One More Inch or Acre Act , legislation. The bill prohibits the purchase of public or private real estate by any Chinese citizen, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) entity, or CCP agent. It is essentially a federal version of Texas SB 147. New York Times Editorial: "Who Benefits From Confrontation With China?" According to an editorial published by the Editorial Board of the New York Times on March 11, 2023, America’s increasingly confrontational posture toward China is a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy that warrants greater scrutiny and debate.For most of the past half-century, the United States sought to reshape China through economic and diplomatic engagement. The Biden administration, by contrast, has shelved the idea that China can be changed in favor of the hope that it can be checked.The White House has moved to limit economic ties with China, to limit China’s access to technology with military applications, to pull back from international institutions where the United States has long sought to engage China and to strengthen ties with China’s neighbors. In recent months, the United States has restricted semiconductor exports to China, and it moved ahead with plans to help Australia obtain nuclear submarines. The administration also is seeking to impose new restrictions on American investments in certain Chinese companies. In treating China as a growing threat to American interests, it is acting with broad support, including from leading Republicans, much of the military and foreign policy establishments, and a growing portion of the business community.It is true that engagement with China has yielded less than its proponents hoped and prophesied. China also is demonstrating a greater willingness to engage in worrying provocations and sailing a balloon over the United States. Yet the relationship between the United States and China, for all its problems, continues to deliver substantial economic benefits to the residents of both countries and to the rest of the world. Moreover, because the two nations are tied together by millions of normal and peaceful interactions every day, there is a substantial incentive to maintain those ties and a basis for working together on shared problems like climate change. Americans’ interests are best served by emphasizing competition with China while minimizing confrontation. Chinese actions and rhetoric also need to be kept in perspective. By the standards of superpowers, China remains a homebody. Its foreign engagements remain primarily economic. China has been playing a much more active role in international affairs in recent years, but China continues to show strikingly little interest in persuading other nations to adopt its social and political values.There are also signs that China’s leaders are not united in supporting a more confrontational posture. It behooves the United States to reassure those who may be open to reassurance. America and China are struggling with many of the same challenges: how to ensure what President Xi Jinping has termed “common prosperity” in an age of income inequality; how to rein in the worst excesses of capitalism without losing its vital creative forces; how to care for an aging population and young people who want more out of life than work; how to slow the pace of climate change and to manage its disruptive impacts, including mass migration.The core of America’s China strategy, building stronger relationships with our allies, is sound policy. Over time, the United States ought to seek a greater alignment between its economic interests and other national goals. But the United States should not pull back from forums where it has long engaged China. Declining to support the World Trade Organization is a mistake. The construction of a rules-based international order, in which America played the leading role, was one of the most important achievements of the 20th century. It cannot be preserved if the United States does not continue to participate in those institutions. The Biden administration’s continuation of Trump-era restrictions on trade with China, and its imposition of a host of new restrictions, is also a dubious strategy.The confrontational turn also makes it harder for the United States and China to cooperate on addressing climate change and on other issues where national interests could plausibly align.Much of the shift in China policy has been justified as necessary for national defense. National security considerations can provide a legitimate rationale for limiting some types of trade with China. But it can also provide a legitimizing vocabulary for protectionist measures that are not in the interest of Americans. In the long term, the best guarantee of American security has always been American prosperity and engagement with the rest of the world.That’s true for China, too.Read the New York Times editorial: https://nyti.ms/3K2svJm 2003 Academy Award-Winning Best Documentary - The Fog of War THE FOG OF WAR is the story of America as seen through the eyes of the former Secretary of Defense, under President John Kennedy and President Lyndon Johnson , Robert S. McNamara . McNamara was one of the most controversial and influential political figures of the 20th century. In the documentary, he offered a candid and intimate journey through some of the most seminal events in American history. As leader of the world's most powerful military force during one of this nation's volatile periods, McNamara offers new and often surprising insights into the 1945 bombing of Tokyo, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the effects of the Vietnam War. THE FOG OF WAR won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2003 In a preview of the documentary, McNamara was asked, "have you ever been wrong, sir?" At the end of the preview, McNamara said, "we saw Vietnam as an element of the Cold War, not what they saw it as a civil war. We were wrong." Watch the preview of THE FOG OF WAR: https://imdb.to/3JTpsED Disturbing Science Interview with OSTP Director Arati Prabhakar Arati Prabhakar was confirmed by the Senate to serve as the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology (OSTP) on October 3, 2022. According to a report by Science on March 28, 2023, she laid out her vision for the $700-billion-a-year enterprise in her first extended media interview on March 24, 2023.The daughter of Indian immigrants who came to the United States when she was 3 years old, Prabhakar flagged a more diverse scientific workforce as another essential ingredient. But Prabhakar offered no olive branch to those scientists of Chinese ancestry who feel the U.S. government has unfairly targeted them in seeking to thwart China’s efforts to overtake the United States in science and innovation.Earlier on March 23, 2023, Science reported that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) conducted its own version of the “China initiative” and has upended hundreds of lives and destroyed scores of academic careers. Michael Lauer , NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research, led the NIH "China Initiative." He has also been a Co-Chair of the National Science and Technology Council's Subcommittee on Research Security, working closely with OSTP for the past two plus years.Also on March 23, 2023, a Science editorial called for the federal government to account for NIH's xenophobic program to harm Chinese scientists and cut off international scientific cooperation.In the original excerpt from the Science interview with Arati Prabhakar: Q: Do you think that Chinese-born scientists working in the United States have been unfairly persecuted as agents of the Chinese Communist Party and are owed some kind of apology from the government? A: I’m not in a position to comment on that. I don’t know enough about it. I don’t think it’s our role to determine precisely what happened in the past. … But the world has changed, and [China] has taken actions that are very concerning. And it’s very much our role to find a path forward for research security, one that treats people with respect but that also wrestles with this very tough issue. The subsequent revised excerpts from the Science interview with Arati Prabhakar: Q: Anything new on research security? A: It is one of the hardest issues that everyone is grappling with right now … because of the changes that have happened in the world, the competition that we’re in, and clear actions [by China] that are concerning. And there’s no place for xenophobia and people have to be treated fairly. Q: In that regard, do you think Chinese-born scientists working in the United States have been unfairly persecuted as agents of the Chinese Communist Party and are owed some kind of apology from the government? A: I’m not in a position to comment on that. I don’t know enough about [specific cases]. I don’t think it’s OSTP’s role to determine precisely what happened in the past. … [But] it’s very much our role to find a path forward for research security, one that treats people with respect but that also wrestles with this very tough issue. And we’re doing that work, because I think it has to get done. Note by Science: Update, 29 March, 5:10 p.m.: This story has been revised to include additional comments by Arati Prabhakar on research security and to clarify her response to a question about how Chinese-born scientists have been treated. For the many Chinese-born scientists who have been unfairly persecuted, their past sufferings are still their present and future that must not be ignored.Read the Science report: https://bit.ly/40rTbu3 Two New Bills on TikTok and Beyond: The DATA Act and RESTRICT Act According to a report by Lawfare on March 23, 2023, on February 24, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) introduced the Deterring America’s Technological Adversaries (DATA) Act , which would provide the president with more authorities to block transactions associated with the import or export of Americans’ “sensitive data” where there are national security risks. The bill quoted previous, public comments from FBI Director Christopher Wray , Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines , and CIA Director Bill Burns that they believe TikTok presents national security risks to the United States. On March 1, 2023, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) condemned the DATA Act, due to First Amendment concerns. Jenna Leventoff , senior policy counsel at ACLU, issued the following statement: “We’re disappointed that the House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to approve a bill that would effectively ban TikTok in the United States, in violation of Americans’ First Amendment rights. We urge legislators to vote no on this vague, overbroad, and unconstitutional bill.”On March 7, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), along with 10 other senators, introduced the Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology (RESTRICT) Act . It would authorize the secretary of commerce to review and prohibit certain transactions between persons in the U.S. and foreign adversaries, focused on information and communications technologies (ICTs) that pose risks to U.S. national security—put simply, investigating tech products and services that could pose national security risks. The bill did not name TikTok specifically, but it was clearly one of the companies in mind when the bill was written. According to a press release by ACLU on March 7, 2023, the RESTRICT Act would significantly expand the Executive Branch’s power to control what apps and technologies Americans can access, while limiting Americans’ ability to challenge those actions in court. It would also impose civil and criminal penalties for violating bans imposed pursuant to the legislation, which could be used against people attempting to evade a TikTok ban. Jenna Leventoff said in the press release, “the Senate bill would ultimately allow the Commerce Secretary to ban entire communications platforms, which would have profound implications for our constitutional right to free speech. If the Secretary uses this newfound power to ban TikTok or other communications platforms without evidence of overwhelming, imminent harm, it would violate our right to freedom of expression.”Read the Lawfare report: http://bit.ly/3ZqsaG1 1 . Republican Senator Rand Paul blocks bid to ban Chinese-owned TikTok . According to a report by Reuters on March 29, 2023, U.S. Republican Senator Rand Paul blocked a bid to fast-track a ban of popular Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, which more than 150 million Americans use, citing concerns about free speech and uneven treatment of social media companies."I think we should beware of those who use fear to coax Americans to relinquish our liberties," Paul said on the Senate floor. "Every accusation of data gathering that has been attributed to TikTok could also be attributed to domestic big tech companies.""If Republicans want to continuously lose elections for a generation they should pass this bill to ban TikTok -- a social media app used by 150 million people, primarily young Americans," Paul said on the Senate floor. "Do we really want to emulate Chinese speech bans?... We're going to be just like China and ban speech we're afraid of?" A small but growing number of Democrats and Republicans have raised concerns, citing free speech and other issues and have objected to legislation targeting TikTok as overly broad.Read the Reuters report: https://reut.rs/3nB8FNZ 2 . TikTok creators, some U.S. Democratic lawmakers oppose ban on app. According to a report by Reuters on March 22, 2023, TikTok creators and three U.S. Democratic Party lawmakers said they opposed any potential ban on the Chinese-owned short video sharing app that is used by more than 150 million Americans.Representatives Jamaal Bowman , Mark Pocan and Robert Garcia and TikTok creators called at a press conference in Washington for broad-based privacy legislation that would address all large social media companies. "Why the hysteria and the panic and the targeting of TikTok?" Bowman asked. "Let's do the right thing here - comprehensive social media reform as it relates to privacy and security." Creators talked about posting videos of baking cakes or selling greeting cards to TikTok followers. Some held up signs saying TikTok benefits small businesses. TikTok says 5 million businesses use the app.TikTok creator Jason Linton uses TikTok to share videos of his three adopted children in Oklahoma and has interacted with people around the world. "I am asking our politicians - don't take away the community that we've all built - a community that lasts, that loves," Linton said at the press conference. Pocan said a "xenophobic witch hunt" is motivating some in Congress to seek a TikTok ban. "Banning TikTok isn't the answer. Making sure Americans data is safe is," he said.Senator Ed Markey , a Democrat, said on the Senate floor that TikTok is a threat that needs to be addressed but it is not the only surveillance threat to young people. That position "is deliberately missing the Big Tech forest for the TikTok trees." Read the Reuters report: https://reut.rs/3TZoc67 News and Activities for the Communities On March 21, 2023, the 1882 Foundation presented The Summit Tunnel: Diversity and Pride in Building the American Nation, a film screening and reception event featuring film screenings and discussions with subject matter experts on the Summit Tunnel, a historic part of the Transcontinental Railroad constructed through the Sierra Nevada mountains by largely unrecognized Chinese workers. The Summit Tunnel is a critical cultural and historical site to Chinese Americans, but is threatened by graffiti defacement and a lack of preservation. Watch the video: https://bit.ly/3TXgJV8 (1:19:49) 2. The Data Delusion. On March 27, the New Yorker published a report on The Data Delusion. Jill Lepore , Professor of History at Harvard University, asks “What’s the price to humanity of uploading everything anyone has ever known onto a worldwide network of tens of millions or billions of machines and training them to learn from it to produce new knowledge?” The report goes through the history of data science, and examines the ways that humans have been collecting information—long before A.I. became the latest obsession. Even modern tools, with their bits and bytes of magic, have limits. It explores how ambitious endeavors in the field may eventually underwhelm us, and surveys the genius and folly of modern innovators. It turns out there is plenty of value left in older forms of knowledge. No one, after all, wants to sound like the disgraced cryptocurrency investor Sam Bankman-Fried, who declared in an interview last year, “I would never read a book.” Read the New Yorker report: http://bit.ly/3zluqUr 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 April 1, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #155 Special Edition: Justice for Sherry Chen with Historic Settlement #155 Special Edition: Justice for Sherry Chen with Historic Settlement Back View PDF November 15, 2022 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #311 Stand w Asian Americans; Rights Tool Kit; Privacy at Risk; Trump Policies on Science+ #311 Stand w Asian Americans; Rights Tool Kit; Privacy at Risk; Trump Policies on Science+ In This Issue #311 · SwAA: Justice and Equality Through Law, Education, and Community · AALDEF: Immigrant Rights Toolkit · U.S. Personal Information and Privacy at Risk Abroad and at Home · WP : Trump Policies Sow Chaos, Confusion Across Scientific Community · News and Activities for the Communities SwAA: Justice and Equality Through Law, Education, and Community In the aftermath of the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings, where six Asian women were among the victims, Stand with Asian Americans (SWAA) emerged to combat anti-Asian hate and advocate for justice. In 2022, SwAA launched the Workplace Justice Initiative to address workplace discrimination, bias, and barriers that Asian Americans face in professional settings. Its mission is to protect and advance the rights of Asian Americans against discrimination at the workplace through three key activities: · Power of Law – SwAA provides legal support through a discrimination reporting portal, direct legal services, and a public relations strategy to raise awareness and advocate for workplace justice. · Education – The organization equips individuals and employers with human resources tools, educational workshops, and panels such as Shattering the Myth of Asian Passivity, Know Your Rights, and Leadership Empowerment to foster inclusion and leadership opportunities. · Community – SwAA supports mental health initiatives and amplifies stories to strengthen solidarity and resilience within the Asian American community. If you or anyone you know is experiencing racial discrimination at work or in business, you may reach out to SwAA for legal, education, and community support. SwAA's discrimination portal containing resources is here , and ways to support the SwAA mission here . Michelle Lee , President, General Counsel and Board Chair, and Brian Pang , Chief Operating Officer and Head of Partnerships will speak at the next APA Justice monthly meeting on March 3, 2025. AALDEF: Immigrant Rights Toolkit During the APA Justice monthly meeting on February 3, 2025, Bethany Li , Execuitve Director of Asian American Legal and Education Defense Fund (AALDEF), offered an Immigrant Rights Toolkit designed to inform individuals about their legal rights, particularly concerning expedited removal procedures. This toolkit is part of AALDEF's broader Immigrant Rights Program, which provides legal representation, policy advocacy, community education, and organizing support for Asian immigrants across various backgrounds. The program aims to promote humane and dynamic immigration laws and policies that uphold the dignity of all migrants. Here are some of the links to AALDEF's Immigrant Rights Toolkit : · Know your rights if you are detained and facing expedited removal (AALDEF) · Use this tool to request immigration documents to help prepare you against ICE (AALDEF) · Know your rights for dealing with ICE (Immigrant Defense Project) · Know your rights during an ICE check-in (Know Your Fight) · Know your rights if ICE comes to your workplace (National Day Laborer Organizing Network) · Know your rights as a worker, regardless of your immigration status (AALDEF) · Watch these videos about dealing with ICE in different scenarios (We Have Rights) · Print pocket cards to hand to ICE if they approach you (Immigrant Legal Resource Center) · Learn and stay updated on what the Trump Administration has done so far (Guttentag, Immigration Policy Tracking Project) U.S. Personal Information and Privacy at Risk Abroad and at Home According to an exclusive report by the Washington Post on February 7, 2025, security officials in the United Kingdom have demanded that Apple create a back door allowing them to retrieve all the content any Apple user worldwide has uploaded to the cloud, which if implemented would undermine Apple’s privacy pledge to its users. According to the report, the UK government has issued a "technical capability notice" to Apple under the Investigatory Powers Act, commonly known as the "Snoopers' Charter." The notice mandates that Apple create a backdoor to its encrypted iCloud services, enabling law enforcement agencies to access user data. Apple has consistently maintained that introducing such backdoors would compromise user privacy and global cybersecurity. In response to the UK's demand, Apple is reportedly considering discontinuing some of its services in the UK rather than compromising its encryption standards.Read the Washington Post report: https://wapo.st/3CHgF7U Here at home in the United States according to multiple media reports, the "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) under billionaire Elon Musk has gained access to databases at the Treasury , Education and Labor departments that contain sensitive data about Americans, such as Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and financial transactions. Federal officials have been terminated or forced to resign for protecting access to these critical data systems. Unions, students and public interest groups have filed lawsuits alleging the administration of violating privacy laws by allowing DOGE access to the databases. On February 6, 2025, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia restricted access to a Treasury Department payments system that various DOGE surrogates had infiltrated at the direction of Elon Musk. In her ruling on Alliance for Retried Americans v. Bessent (1:25-cv-00313) , the judge stated that the defendants cannot “provide access to any payment record or payment system of records maintained by or within the Bureau of the Fiscal Service.” Tom Krause and Marko Elez , two DOGE-linked “special government employees” at the Treasury Department, were granted “read-only” access to Bureau of Fiscal Service systems “as needed for the performance” of their duties. According to The Washington Post on February 7, the Treasury Department is appointing Krause as assistant secretary, replacing David A. Lebryk , who resigned after opposing Krause’s efforts to access senstive government payment systems—a move Lebryk deemed illegal. Booz Allen Hamilton, a contractor running a threat intelligence center for the Treasury Department, reported that DOGE’s access to the payment network should be “immediately” suspended as it represented an “unprecedented insider threat risk.” Bloomberg later reported that the Booz Allen Hamilton's subcontractor had been dismissed.On February 7, 2025, the New York Times reported that U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer in the case of State of New York v. Donald J. Trump (1:25-cv-01144) issued an emergency order temporarily restricting access by DOGE to the Treasury Department’s payment and data systems, saying there was a risk of “irreparable harm.” Judge Engelmayer ordered any such official who was granted access to the systems since January 20 to “destroy any and all copies of material downloaded from the Treasury Department’s records and systems.” He also restricted the government from granting access to “special government employees.”Several members of Congress have publicly expressed concerns regarding Elon Musk's DOGE gaining access to the U.S. Treasury's federal payment systems. Congressman Bill Foster said in a February 3 statement , "Elon Musk is an unelected oligarch with no regard for national security, conflicts of interest, or ethical standards. Americans deserve answers as to why his team was given unrestricted access to the U.S. Treasury payment system, which gives them the ability to spy on U.S. treasury payments to private American citizens, as well as Musk's business competitors. This power grab is corrupt and unprecedented, and my colleagues and I are doing everything we can to put a halt to this." On February 7, 2025, District Court Judge John D. Bates denied the motion for a temporary restraining order in the case of American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations v. Department of Labor (1:25-cv-00339) . The AFL-CIO contends that granting DOGE access to Department of Labor systems could lead to conflicts of interest, especially concerning sensitive information related to investigations of Musk's companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, and The Boring Company. They argue that DOGE's involvement might compromise the integrity of these investigations and potentially expose confidential data. Judge Bates' ruling stated that the union did not demonstrate sufficient harm resulting from the Department of Labor's actions. The judge ordered that the parties shall file a proposed preliminary-injunction motion briefing schedule by not later than February 12, 2025. The Education Department case, University of California Student Assocation v. Carter (1:25-cv-00354) , is pending. The Univrsity of California Stucent Association is the official systemwide student advocacy organization representing over 285,000 students across all ten University of California campuses.Two groups of FBI agents have sued the Justice Department to block any public release of a list of thousands of employees who worked on investigations tied to President Donald Trump or the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. On February 6, 2025, U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb of the District of Columbia ordered the consolidation of Federal Bureau of Investigation Agents Assocation v. Department of Justice (1:25-cv-00328) and Does 1-9 v. Department of Justice (1:25-cv-00325) . On February 7, Judge Cobb issued a temporary restraining order (TRO), which had been mutually proposed by the parties. The TRO prohibits the government from publicly releasing any list before the court rules on whether to grant a preliminary injunction. The briefings for a preliminary injunction will be filed by March 21, 2025.As of February 9, 2025, the number of legal challenges to Trump administration actions reported by the Just Security Litigation Tracker has increased to 41.On February 7, 2025, the Washington Post reported the following summary of where Trump action court cases stand: WP : Trump Policies Sow Chaos, Confusion Across Scientific Community According to the Washington Post on February 6, 2025, President Donald Trump 's executive orders targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within federally funded programs have led to significant concerns in the scientific community. The National Science Foundation (NSF) suspended grant disbursements, leaving researchers without salaries. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed materials on clinical trial diversity from its website, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) took down tools and data related to health disparities, including the Social Vulnerability Index and the Environmental Justice Index. These actions have disrupted ongoing research and raised fears about political interference in scientific endeavors. Dr. Sudip Parikh , CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), expressed concern, stating, "The scientific community is deeply troubled by these developments, which threaten the integrity and progress of our research."On February 5, 2025, Dr. Parikh testified at a hearing of the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on The State of U.S. Science and Technology: Ensurig Global Leadership . His written testimony emphasized the importance of a strong and adaptable American science and technology enterprise, highlighting the role of research institutions, industry, and the workforce in driving innovation and prosperity. Dr. Parikh stressed that the U.S. faces challenges from accelerating technological change, existential threats to public health and security, and growing international competition, particularly from China. He called for a comprehensive approach to strengthening the U.S. science and technology sector, advocating for reduced inefficiencies, investment in workforce development, and strategic research commitments. He also warned against actions that undermine the scientific community, such as spending freezes or policies that alienate international talent. Dr. Parikh concluded by urging the U.S. to adapt to new global realities and secure its future leadership in science and technology.Part of his testimony says,"The American science and technology enterprise is strong, but its continued strength is not guaranteed. We must be proactive in implementing our vision by being open to change and disruption without dismantling our foundational principles and strengths."Through an enterprise that includes industry, academia, and sources of capital to scale, we have turned the discoveries of the past 80 years into technological innovations that have increased our prosperity and security."Many of the structures and institutions that have contributed to our achievements are outdated. They were the result of a vision after World War II that the investments in science and technology we had made during a time of war should be continued during a time of peace. Over generations, we have made substantial and sustained federal investments in fundamental research — much of it carried out at our universities, research institutes, and national laboratories where research and education take place side-by-side. Industry translated and scaled discoveries into technologies and products with intellectual property protections that incentivized continued innovation. It was a relatively simple vision with profound consequences. It created the modern world."But we are at a crossroads. "Three things are happening at once. First, the pace of change is accelerating so rapidly that the tools and strategies that brought us here are insufficient to ensure our future. Transformational technologies are reshaping our way of life. Second, we face existential threats to our health; food supply and water security; environmental resilience; energy production, utilization, and storage; and our overall wellbeing. Third, more than ever, we are competing with other nations —particularly China — that rival us in talent, infrastructure, and capital investment and that can put our economic prosperity and national security at risk. China trains more scientists and engineers than we do; files for more international patents than we do; publishes just as many highly cited scientific papers as we do; and is leading us in several critical research and technology areas. "I know for all those here today what the answer is: We want America to lead."The good news is that we have a suite of significant assets that our nation can leverage. "We must recognize that the enterprise as a whole — from federal investment to workforce to industry investment to tax and regulatory policy — is what differentiates our nation from all others. "In addition to these holistic recommendations, we must stop hurting our own enterprise with self inflicted wounds. Two examples illustrate the point. "First, while we must recognize the global competition and take it seriously, we must not demonize people or international collaboration in the process. Our colleagues of Chinese, Indian, and other immigrant backgrounds make up a substantial percentage of the American science and technology workforce. They are colleagues and friends and deserving of respect. We must ensure that our drive to compete does not alter our humanity. When we make America less welcoming to scientists who are immigrants or those who have been here for generations, we only hurt our own competitiveness and opportunity for prosperity. In addition, science is a global activity. When we close ourselves off to international collaboration, we lose visibility to advances made around the world and slow progress for everyone."Second, last week, the announcement of an abrupt spending freeze on science and technology funding broke trust and hurt the S&T enterprise. This is the kind of action that, even if brief, can have a lasting negative impact. Many scientists, particularly those early in their careers, live paycheck-to-paycheck. I was most saddened to hear from these scientists who began questioning whether they should even continue their scientific pursuits or switch careers. Scientists and engineers are resilient, and I have no doubt that most will persevere because they care deeply about solving problems and better understanding the world around them. But every time we stop and start, lose focus, break continuity across funding and intellectual property protections, we lose some of the next generation of science and technology talent and hurt America’s competitiveness. "The stakes are enormous, the necessary actions are clear, and the time is now."Read Dr. Parikh's testimony: https://bit.ly/40S7iug News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/02/10 Federal Employees: What are my whistleblower rights?2025/02/12 Federal Employees: How might my benefits be affected?2025/02/13 China Initiative: Impacts and Implications2025/02/13-15 2025 AAAS Annual Meeting2025/02/16 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/02/18 Protecting Our Organizations: 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Compliance Virtual Training2025/02/23 World Premier of "Quixotic Professor Qiu" with Xiaoxing Xi2025/03/02 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/03/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/03/12 MSU Webinar on China InitiativeVisit 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 February 10, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #32 12/02 Webinar; Franklin Tao; 12/07 Meeting; 2020 Census #32 12/02 Webinar; Franklin Tao; 12/07 Meeting; 2020 Census Back View PDF December 1, 2020 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter