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Newsletter - #253 Forum with FBI; US-China Tensions; Graduate Assistants United; AASF Video Competition #253 Forum with FBI; US-China Tensions; Graduate Assistants United; AASF Video Competition In This Issue #253 · Forum Announced: "A Dialogue Between Academic/APA Communities With The FBI" · The Impact of U.S.-China Tensions on Asian Americans in Government · Graduate Assistants United Rally Against Florida SB 846 · AASF: Video Competition to Honor Asian American Scientists · News and Activities for the Communities Forum Announced: "A Dialogue Between Academic/APA Communities With The FBI" During the APA Justice monthly meeting on May 6, 2024, Nabila Mansoor, President, Texas Multicultural Advocacy Coalition (TMAC), and Dr. Kenneth M. Evans, Scholar in Science and Technology Policy, Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, announced that TMAC and the Baker Institute and Office of Innovation at Rice University will co-host a joint forum with APA Justice on "A Dialogue Between Academic/AAPI Communities with The FBI." WHAT: A Dialogue Between Academic/AAPI Communities with The FBI WHEN: June 6, 2024, 4:00 - 6:00 pm Central Time WHERE: In-person, Rice University, Houston, Texas; virtual Zoom webinar information to be announced HOSTS: Texas Multicultural Advocacy Coalition (TMAC); Baker Institute for Public Policy and Office of Innovation at Rice University; APA Justice SPEAKERS: · Neal Lane , Senior Fellow, Baker Institute; Former Director, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy · Gordon Quan , Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Quan Law Group · David Donatti , Senior Staff Attorney, ACLU of Texas · Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum · Jill Murphy , Deputy Assistant Director for Counterintelligence, FBI Headquarters · Douglas Williams, Jr. , Special Agent in Charge, FBI Houston · Georgette "GiGi" Pickering , Assistant Special Agent in Charge, FBI Houston · Kelly Choi , Supervisory Special Agent, FBI Houston More information about the forum will be announced when they become available. The Impact of U.S.-China Tensions on Asian Americans in Government A morning session at the Committee 100 conference on April 19, 2024, explored the nuanced potential barriers to career advancement that spin from the tensions with China, the complexities of obtaining security clearances, and the uncomfortable scrutiny regarding loyalty that Asian Americans endure due to concerns over foreign influence.Congressman Andy Kim, a Korean American, was not able to participate in the session due to a vote in the House of Representatives. A clip of his interview with MSNBC in 2021 was played to open the session. Congressman Kim revealed that when he worked at the State Department, he had a top secret security clearance and worked in Iraq and Afghanistan, but he was told one day that he was banned from working on issues related to the Korean Peninsula although he did not apply to work on such issues. It left him with the feeling that his own country didn't trust him for some reason because of his last name and because of his heritage although he was born in the United States. He was banned from working on these issues because of concerns about his loyalty and xenophobia. It was deeply hurtful. It took him some time to be able to talk about the episode because part of him wanted to just keep his head down and keep working and show through his hard work that this is wrong. He eventually came to realize that he cannot just assume that these issues of racism will just get better. We have to stand up and speak out on behalf of the victims and many others who are frightened, he said. Congressman Kim delivered brief remarks at the evening gala: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP3RlXrHIcA (2:03). He is married to a Chinese American, and they have two young boys. He also served as a United States National Security Council official under the Obama Administration. Congressman Kim has represented New Jersey's 3rd congressional district since 2019 and is running for the U.S. Senate in 2024. Dr. Jiashen You , Chair of the Asian American Government Executive Network (AAGEN), a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to promote, expand, and support Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander leadership in Government, followed with a 3-slide presentation . Starting with a report published by the Partnership for Public Service, Dr. You quoted a report released by the Partnership for Public Service on trends over 25 years of the Senior Executive Service (SES), the highest level for civil career servants in the federal government. He then shared that the "bamboo ceiling" still exists for Asian Americans to make the leap to an SES, despite the community seeing rapid growth in its share in recent years. He ended the presentation by highlighting the security denial rates for people with family or financial ties to China [link to Bloomberg article https://bit.ly/4b7jWZW . In addition, Dr. You recounted his personal experience hearing about Dr. Wen Ho Lee 's case being widely reported during his semester in college and living in America. Despite being capable of receiving clearance in the past, the impact of the "perpetual foreigner" notion deterred him from applying to many senior-level jobs that require top-secret clearance, leading to an even narrower window of opportunities. This is not an uncommon experience for first-generation Asian American government employees. Carol Lam , Former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, presented a primer on security clearance and remarked that federal policy sets out the aggravating and mitigating factors to be considered in denying or granting security clearance. However, those factors take on more or less weight depending on political relationships between the United States and the country of concern, rendering the final decision somewhat subjective. Ms. Lam noted the importance of keeping the nation's attention on potential unfair biases in security clearance decisions in order to prevent those biases from becoming entrenched. Ms. Lam did note one positive development in the form of Secretary of State Blinken's decision in March 2023 to lift many State Department assignment restrictions based on employees' country of origin or familial or financial relationships in that country. Chuck Rosenburg , Former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, remarked that all nations in the world spy on each other, including China and the United States, with the possible exception of the "five eyes" nations of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. The session was moderated by Paula Madison , Chair and CEO, 88 Madison Media Inc. and a member of the Committee of 100. Graduate Assistants United Rally Against Florida SB 846 Graduate Assistants United (GAU) has been a labor union at the University of Florida (UF) since 1972. It represents 4,400 graduate assistants and research assistants at UF. It was a major organizer of the rally against Florida Senate Bill (SB) 846, which is also called the "Countries of Concern" bill, in Gainesville, Florida, on March 26, 2024. Eva Garcia Ferres , Co-President of GAU, published a report on the rally in the April/May edition of the Gainesville Iguana . According to her report, SB 846 does not specifically prohibit the admission of applicants, but it does create a very important and hostile roadblock for prospective graduate assistants, postdocs, and faculty members. The bill requires an extra screening conducted by a Research Integrity Office. The screening is supposed to verify all attendance, employment, publications, and contributions listed in the application prior to any interview or offer of a position to the applicant.The first problem is logistical. Many graduate applications are due early to late December, and many interviews are offered and conducted around early spring. There are over 4,000 graduate assistants at University of Florida, approximately half of graduate assistants are international students, and of the international student population a substantial portion come from China and Iran. This means that for every application cycle, the Research Integrity Office would need to thoroughly vet and make risk assessments for all applicants within a very limited timeline. The capacity and ability of the Research Integrity Office to do so is questioned. The second point of concern is the lack of transparency regarding the Research Integrity Office and the guidelines they are to use to make the risk assessments. Neither the bill itself nor the Board of Governors’ guidelines provide a definition of risk or a way to measure risk. It thus must fall upon the University and the Research Integrity Office to create the standard and apply it. The offices have not responded to these inquiries.In addition, there are draconian consequences for those who "fail" the screening (i.e., those who are deemed a risk, whatever that may be) because they will be reported to the FBI and any other law enforcement agency as determined by the Board of Governors.The Board of Governors’ guidelines reserve the right to make decisions about applicants and collaborations with entities from the seven countries based on their “value.” The report asks, "How is value determined? What makes the Board of Governors or the Research Integrity Office better suited for determining the value of international applicants and collaborations than the experts in the field?" "We know that applicants are being denied admission offers, that faculty cannot hire their top applicants, and that researchers cannot collaborate with prominent scholarsin the field purely because of nationality," the report said.If departments and faculty cannot hire their top applicants, then research and teaching will suffer. If the University will not accept visiting professors and scholars from“countries of concern,” then the University will miss on key expertise, new perspectives, and important scholarly connections. Learning and innovation are the pillars ofacademia. They are pursued in collaboration and cannot flourish in echo chambers and monoculture settings. They lead to the destruction of academic freedom. Decisions on who to hire, what to teach, and what to research have always been made by experts in the field, but this is no longer the case in Florida, the GAU report concludes.Read the Gainesville Iguana report: https://bit.ly/3ULrHze A lawsuit against Florida SB 846 was filed with the Southern District Court of Florida on March 25, 2024: Yin v. Diaz (1:24-cv-21129) AASF: Video Competition to Honor Asian American Scientists WHAT: Video Competition to Honor Asian American Scientists WHEN: Contest Period: 12:00:01 am Eastern Time (ET) on May 1 through 11:59:59 pm ET on June 7, 2024 ET. WHO CAN PARTICIPATE: Legal residents of the 50 US states or DC who are age 14 - 18 who participate with their parent or guardian’s consent OFFICIAL RULES: https://bit.ly/4bnrPKN PRIZES : Each prize is a $1,000 Visa gift card. 40 prizes available across various categories. Prizes will be awarded to the parent/guardian of each winner, not the entrant. DESCRIPTION: Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month by showcasing the achievements of prominent Asian American scientists. High schoolers are invited to create and share short videos highlighting these scientists, competing for a chance to win a $1,000 visa gift card. Multiple prizes available. HOW TO ENTER: https://bit.ly/3UtbrS5 News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2024/05/13-14 2024 APAICS Legislative Leadership Summit2024/05/14 2024 APAICS: 30th Annual Awards Gala2024/05/14 Serica Initiative: 7th Annual Women's Gala Dinner2024/05/22 Heritage, Culture, and Community: The Future of America's Chinatowns2024/06/02 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/06/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2024/06/06 A Dialogue Between Academic/AAPI Communities with The FBIVisit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. Back View PDF May 8, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #108 Happy New Year! We Are All Gang Chen; OSTP & DOJ; Op-Ed/Anming Hu/Simon Ang; HPD+TYW+ #108 Happy New Year! We Are All Gang Chen; OSTP & DOJ; Op-Ed/Anming Hu/Simon Ang; HPD+TYW+ Back View PDF January 24, 2022 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #330 Fears of the Revival of the China Initiative #330 Fears of the Revival of the China Initiative In This Issue #330 · Indiana University Professor Raided by the FBI, Dismissed without Explanation · New College of Florida Professor Terminated under Controversial State Law · “China Initiative” Webinar Hosted at Michigan State University · Fighting Racial Profiling and the Criminalization of Academia in North America The recent FBI raids on Indiana University professor Xiaofeng Wang , along with the dismissal of another Chinese American professor, Kevin Wang , by the New College of Florida, have stirred deep anxiety among Chinese American scientists and researchers. In this special issue, we take a closer look at the possible revival of the China Initiative - a controversial program launched during the first Trump administration to combat economic espionage but widely criticized for disproportionately targeting Chinese American scientists. The renewed effort has been dubbed by some as “China Initiative 2.0.” APA Justice will continue to monitor these developments and provide updates through our newsletters , social media and monthly meetings . The goal of this issue is to raise awareness and draw attention to this important topic. We invite you to stay engaged and follow our ongoing coverage . Indiana University Professor Raided by the FBI, Dismissed without Explanation On March 28, 2025, based on multiple media reports, the FBI carried out court-authorized searches at two residences belonging to Professor Xiaofeng Wang and his wife, Nianli Ma , located in Bloomington and Carmel, Indiana. While the exact details of the investigation remain unclear, Wang had reportedly come under scrutiny for allegedly failing to disclose a 2017–2018 grant in China that listed him as a researcher. Professor Wang, a Chinese American computer scientist, has been a respected faculty member at Indiana University’s Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering since 2004. A graduate of two Chinese universities in the 1990s, Wang worked as a software engineer and IT specialist before earning his doctorate from Carnegie Mellon University. Over the years, he built a strong reputation as one of the nation’s leading experts in systems security and privacy, overseeing nearly $23 million in grant funding by 2022.Following the FBI raids, Wang’s profile was abruptly removed from Indiana University’s website. The university terminated both Wang and his wife, Ma — who worked as a systems analyst at the university library — four days apart. The university has yet to publicly explain the reasons for their dismissal.Attorney James Covert , representing the couple, confirmed that neither Wang nor Ma has been arrested or charged. “Professor Wang and Ms. Ma are grateful for the support of colleagues at Indiana University and in the academic community,” Covert said in a statement. “They look forward to clearing their names and resuming their careers once the investigation concludes.” Ma spoke about her family situation at the State of Play Town Hall hosted by the Asian American Scholar Forum on April 14. · APA Justice Impacted Person page: Xiaofeng Wang · Professor Abruptly Fired Amid FBI Raid · Fired prof accused of research misconduct, FBI involvement unclear · Wife, son of cybersecurity professor Xiaofeng Wang make first comments since FBI raid · A Cybersecurity Professor Disappeared Amid an FBI Search. His Family Is ‘Determined to Fight’ New College of Florida Professor Terminated under Controversial State Law Meanwhile, in Florida, Professor Kevin Wang, a Chinese national holding valid U.S. work authorization, was abruptly dismissed from his position at the New College of Florida in March. His termination came under Florida’s Senate Bill 846 (SB 846) — a 2023 state law that bars public universities and colleges from employing individuals from so-called “countries of concern,” including China. Wang’s firing has become a flashpoint in a broader legal and civil rights battle challenging Florida’s crackdown on hiring foreign nationals in public higher education. The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida criticized the law, calling it unconstitutional and discriminatory. “The Florida law cited in the firing of this Chinese professor codifies anti-Asian discrimination,” the group wrote in a recent Facebook post. “It’s why we’re fighting it in court.”On March 27, just two weeks after Wang’s dismissal, a federal judge in Miami issued a preliminary injunction temporarily blocking the law’s hiring restrictions, specifically as they apply to international students. Florida has since appealed the ruling and filed a motion seeking to pause the injunction while the case proceeds. Although the ruling addressed students, civil rights advocates believe it could lay the groundwork for broader challenges on behalf of faculty members.The renewed scrutiny of Chinese academics and scientists has stirred memories of the now-defunct China Initiative, which was criticized for disproportionately targeting Chinese and Asian American researchers, often without clear evidence of wrongdoing. · APA Justice Impacted Person page: Kevin Wang · New College fires Chinese professor under controversial Florida ‘countries of concern’ law · Firing of Chinese asylum seeker under SB 846 raises alarm in Florida and beyond · Report: New College of Florida Fires Chinese Adjunct, Citing Regulations · Asian American Scholar Forum Alarmed by Termination of New College of Florida Professor Under Florida’s SB 846 “China Initiative” Webinar Hosted at Michigan State University In a webinar on China Initiative hosted by Michigan State University's Asian Pacific American Studies Program on March 12, Dr. Jeremy Wu , Founder of APA Justice , was a panelist along with Dr. Lok Siu of UC Berkeley. The event was moderated by Dr. Kent Weber of Michigan State University. Dr. Wu provided an in-depth overview of the initiative’s history and impact. Launched in November 2018, the China Initiative aimed to address economic espionage but quickly shifted focus to Asian American academics, particularly those of Chinese descent. Over its 1,210-day duration, it led to 77 known cases and affected 162 individuals. More than two dozen scientists faced prosecution, none for espionage or trade secret theft. The initiative harmed not just individuals but also academic freedom, open science, and U.S. leadership in research.Even before the DOJ’s involvement, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) had already initiated investigations in 2018, sending 10,000 letters to research institutions about alleged foreign ties. In response, advocacy groups and professional networks mobilized, providing support and pushing for policy change. Their efforts ultimately led to the initiative’s termination in February 2022.However, challenges remain. As of now, the U.S. Congress has not officially revived the “China Initiative” in name, but there are signs of similar efforts resurfacing under different guises. Within the current political climate, these types of laws and investigations will likely expand, even if the “China Initiative” name is not used. · China Initiative - Timeline of Major Events · Impacted Persons List · Attempts to Revive China Initiative Fighting Racial Profiling and the Criminalization of Academia in North America On March 21, 2025, the Chinese Canadian Faculty Project at Simon Fraser University, Canada, invited Dr. Anming Hu for an event named Fighting Racial Profiling and the Criminalization of Academia in North America, both in-person and online. The event was moderated by Dr. Xinying Hu of Simon Fraser University. Dr. Jane Wang of University of British Columbia, and Dr. Jie Yang of Simon Fraser University participated as discussants.This event was one of the Chinese Canadian Faculty Project’s ongoing series of Academic Freedom, Anti-racial profiling and Labour Rights. The series is sponsored by the Labour Studies Program and the Simon Fraser University Morgan Centre for Labour Research , Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) and Canada-China Focus (CCF). The purpose of the Chinese Canadian Faculty Project is to engage and support researchers, scholars, as well as graduate students of Chinese descent and other minority groups to fight against racial profiling and defend academic freedom in the increasingly restrictive national security measures adopted by the Canadian government through its Named Research Organizations in Sensitive Technology Research Areas, and legalized control of academic freedom under the newly passed Bill C-70, the Countering Foreign Interference Act. Through organizing open conversations, the Chinese Canadian Faculty Project hopes to foster an inclusive and open academic environment.At the event, Dr. Hu shared his powerful story as the first academic wrongfully charged and went on trial under the China Initiative. He spoke about what he experienced, the impacts on his academic career, his life and his family. He spoke out against racial profiling, and warned about the dangers of overreach in national security measures targeting academia. Immediate impact of the event: As a Chinese Canadian, Dr. Anming Hu’s story was known to the Chinese Canadian academic community. The event attracted attention nationwide in Canada. Scholars in sensitive technology areas have a wide fear of racial profiling and being wrongfully treated by their own government. Therefore, university professors, scholars and students participated widely. There were more than seventy attendees across North America. The participants addressed their concerns during the panel discussion. They consulted Dr. Hu regarding legal concerns and sought advice on how to protect themselves. In response, Dr. Hu shared insights from his own experience. Political impact: Beyond attracting academia attention, the event has also drawn interest from politicians. Senator Yuen Pau Woo participated in person. He was concerned about whether the Canadian government provided adequate support to Dr. Hu when he encountered injustice. He asked whether the Canadian government took any action to help Dr. Hu during his investigation and trial, and if any Canadian diplomats, government agencies or parliamentarians stood up to support him. In addition, Senator Yuen Pau Woo also asked if the Canadian government would provide similar advice and support when a Canadian citizen encountered similar legal problems in China. Dr. Hu responded how the Canadian government instructed him to “follow the U.S. law” and provided no help. In comparison, Dr. Hu addressed how U.S. congressional members provided assistance in his case. He hopes that the Canadian government will be more proactive in protecting its citizens in the future, especially when handling similar legal issues, and can act more forcefully and effectively. Social impact: A local Vancouver social activist Ally Wang participated in the event in person. The Stop Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Advocacy Group , which she co-founded, helped promote the event. She writes articles for Chinese language media. She has translated Dr. Anming Hu’s story into Chinese and will publish in a Chinese language magazine.In conclusion, the event raised attention to racial profiling against Chinese professors in the academy in both Canada and America. It called wide attention to academic independence and impartiality, firmly oppose political interference, and encourage everyone to actively participate in discussions among universities, policymakers and the public to jointly promote the construction of an inclusive and fair higher education environment. # # # APA Justice Task Force is a non-partisan platform to build a sustainable ecosystem that addresses racial profiling concerns and to facilitate, inform, and advocate on selected issues related to justice and fairness for the Asian Pacific American community. For more information, please refer to the new APA Justice website under development at www.apajusticetaskforce.org . We value your feedback. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org . Back View PDF April 30, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #362 Privacy Cases of Drs. Yanping Chen and Wen Ho Lee; AAJC Update; TX/FL Alien Land Laws+ #362 Privacy Cases of Drs. Yanping Chen and Wen Ho Lee; AAJC Update; TX/FL Alien Land Laws+ In This Issue #362 · Brian Sun Comments on the Cases of Dr. Wen Ho Lee and Dr. Yanping Chen · Paula Madison Comments on Dr. Yanping Chen's Case · Updates from AALDEF and AAJC · Fifth Circuit Weighs Challenge to Texas "Alien Land Law" · Federal Appeals Court Refuses to Block Discriminatory Florida Housing Law · News and Activities for the Communities Brian Sun Comments on the Cases of Dr. Wen Ho Lee and Dr. Yanping Chen During the APA Justice monthly meeting on November 3, 2025, Brian Sun 孫自華 , Partner of Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP, who represented Dr. Wen Ho Lee 李文和 in his landmark Privacy Act case, drew strong parallels between Dr. Lee’s experience two decades ago and Dr. Yanping Chen 陈燕平 ’s ongoing case. Brian emphasized that both involved government leaks of protected information to the media, racialized national security narratives, and the challenge of holding officials accountable for violations of privacy and due process.Brian recounted that Dr. Lee, a Los Alamos scientist falsely accused of espionage in the late 1990s, was subjected to highly publicized national coverage media coverage, intense surveillance, and charged with 59 counts of misconduct despite no evidence he shared secrets with China. The case began with leaks to two Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists from the New York Times, Jeff Gerth and James Risen , that led to the government putting 40 agents on Dr. Lee under 24/7 surveillance between March and December 1999, when Dr. Lee was arrested and indicted. Immediately after his release in September 2000, Brian asked Dr. Lee whether he would still pursue the Privacy Act lawsuit that had been stayed by the District Court judge during the pendency of the criminal proceedings. “Yes. I don’t ever want this to happen again to someone else,” Dr. Lee said. The case became a five-year legal battle.Brian described how his legal team deposed senior officials, including FBI Director Louis Freeh and Energy Secretary Bill Richardson , to prove they had exhausted all avenues before seeking to compel journalists including Jeff Gerth and James Risen to reveal their sources. The District Court granted their motion, and when the reporters refused to comply, they were held in contempt by Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson . The D.C. Circuit Court upheld that ruling, narrowly denying an en banc (before the full court) rehearing.Dr. Lee also did not sue the reporters themselves. They simply sought information from them. But during settlement discussions and mediation, the journalists attended with their lawyers, along with government representatives, as the mediator tried to hammer out a deal.A settlement was reached on the eve of the Supreme Court ruling on the journalists’ petition for certiorari (review). The Supreme Court denied the reporters’ petition anyway.The ultimate settlement was $1.645 million, with the government and journalists sharing the payment. Notably, CNN initially refused to pay, but other media organizations covered its share. Brian credited his then firm, Jones Day, for standing by him even after CNN threatened to sever ties.Reflecting on the controversy, Brian underscored that the issue was not opposition to press freedom, but the need to balance journalist privilege with accountability when leaks destroy reputations. Brian’s wife is a former journalist. He cautioned that blind protection of sources can empower rogue officials to leak information without consequence, harming innocent individuals.Brian concluded that Dr. Chen’s case echoes Wen Ho Lee’s ordeal, calling it “history repeating itself.” Both highlight the dangers of racial bias, media sensationalism, and unchecked leaks in national security cases. He praised Attorney Andy Phillips who represents Dr. Yanping Chen and WilmerHale for pursuing justice on Dr. Chen’s behalf, affirming that such cases are “a noble cause” that defend both the rule of law and the integrity of American justice.A summary for the November 3 APA Justice monthly meeting is bring prepared at this time. Paula Madison Comments on Dr. Yanping Chen's Case During the APA Justice monthly meeting on November 3, 2025, Paula Williams Madison 罗笑娜 , Chairman and CEO of Madison Media Management LLC and 88 Madison Media Works Inc., expressed strong concern over the ethical lapses in the Fox News coverage of Dr. Yanping Chen , which she described as “deeply troubling on several levels.” Drawing on her experience as an investigative journalist and media executive, Paula said she carefully reviewed the Fox reports and found that they relied on inflammatory imagery—such as showing Dr. Chen in a military-style uniform with “red epaulets and stars”—to suggest ties to the Chinese Communist Party without substantiated evidence. “It felt like the story was designed to make viewers believe she was exactly what the anonymous source accused her of being,” Paula said.She emphasized that proper investigative journalism requires at least two independent sources before publishing serious allegations, especially when the Justice Department had closed the case without charges. Paula questioned whether fundamental standards of verification, fairness, and editorial oversight had been ignored, perhaps because of racial bias or national security fearmongering. “Some of the basic commandments of investigative reporting seem to have been overlooked—possibly because she’s Chinese, and therefore ‘scary,’” she observed.Paula also raised concerns about editorial accountability, explaining that in any newsroom she led, a reporter’s confidential sources must be known to the editor or news director; otherwise, the story would not run. “If I don’t know who the sources are, that story will never be published,” she said.In referencing her own background, Paula noted that she is both a member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA). Paula’s grandfather was Chinese. She is also a close friend of fellow journalist Helen Zia 谢汉兰 , founder of the Vincent Chin Institute, who shares deep concern about broader implications for racialized narratives in the media. Paula suggested that journalism organizations like Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) and the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) should examine this case as a cautionary example of how bias and weak editorial controls can erode public trust. She also questioned whether Fox News or Catherine Herridge herself is now bearing the legal costs, implying that the network may have distanced itself from the controversy. Updates from AALDEF and AAJC During the APA Justice monthly meeting on November 3, 2025, Jane Shim , Director of Stop Asian Hate Project at Asian American Legal and Education Fund (AALDEF), discussed AALDEF’s role in filing an amicus brief in Dr. Yanping Chen v. FBI that was joined by other civil rights groups. She explained that AALDEF intervened because the government and media narratives portraying Dr. Yanping Chen as working for the Chinese Communist Party—though false and defamatory—were being revived in legal filings despite being irrelevant to the legal issues at hand. Jane emphasized the importance of calling out these racialized national security tropes, which continue to shape public perception and legal arguments against Asian Americans.She also noted the stark contrast between AALDEF’s brief and one filed by Senator Ted Cruz , whose filing used “egregiously fear-mongering language,” portraying Dr. Chen as “a most dangerous spy.” Jane underscored that such rhetoric mirrors longstanding patterns of xenophobia and “national security threat narratives” historically weaponized against Asian and Muslim communities.AALDEF’s amicus brief examined the media’s historical role in fueling anti-Asian and anti-immigrant sentiment, tracing examples from past periods like the Red Scare to illustrate how newspapers and pamphlets helped reinforce state-sponsored discrimination. Jane concluded by reaffirming AALDEF’s ongoing commitment to confronting these systemic biases and welcomed continued collaboration with partners working on similar issues.During the same meeting, Joanna YangQing Derman , Director, Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights & National Security Program, Advancing Justice | AAJC, reported that AAJC continues to monitor developments related to the China Initiative and the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Bill, though progress has been delayed by the government shutdown. In partnership with the Asian American Scholars Forum (AASF) and Gisela, AAJC was co-organizing an Advocacy 101 training on November 3, 2025, to help scholars and academics engage effectively with policymakers. Joanna will explain the federal appropriations process and how the CJS China Initiative language fits within it, joined by Gisela Perez Kusakawa (AASF), Edgar Chen (NAPABA), Kelvin Lum (Stop AAPI Hate), and moderator Professor Xiaodong Zhang .On the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Joanna noted that both chambers of Congress have passed their versions, and AAJC has submitted its annual NDAA letter to the Armed Services Committees as negotiations enter the pre-conference phase. AAJC is particularly concerned about Rounds Amendment No. 3810, which would broaden the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) authority to review foreign agricultural land purchases. While AAJC supports CFIUS oversight, it warns the amendment could transform the process from evidence-based review to broad, prohibitive action against entire categories of persons. Ongoing coordination with Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), House Financial Services, and other congressional allies continues to ensure AAJC’s priorities are reflected in the final legislation. Fifth Circuit Weighs Challenge to Texas "Alien Land Law" According to Courthouse News on November 5, 2025, lawyers from the Texas Attorney General’s Office and the Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance (CALDA) presented arguments before the Fifth Circuit over whether Texas Senate Bill 17 — a new law restricting land purchases by citizens from “adversarial nations” such as China — applies to Chinese citizens residing in the U.S. The law, which took effect on September 1, 2025, bars noncitizens and non–green card holders “domiciled” in China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea from buying or leasing property in Texas for more than a year. Asian American groups denounced it as a modern version of “alien land laws,” which once targeted Asian immigrants. However, the Texas Attorney General’s Office maintains that SB 17 does not apply to Chinese citizens who have established permanent residence in the United States.U.S. District Judge Charles Eskridge previously dismissed CALDA’s challenge, ruling that the plaintiffs lacked standing because they were not domiciled in China under the law’s definition. On appeal, CALDA attorney Justin Sadowsky argued that plaintiff Peng Wang , an F-1 visa holder in Texas for 16 years, remains at risk since visa holders are not considered domiciled in Texas for other legal purposes and must affirm intent to return to their home country. Texas Assistant Solicitor General Benjamin Mendelson countered that Wang is clearly domiciled in the U.S., as his intent is to live and work there permanently. The panel — composed of Judges Andrew Oldham , Kurt Engelhardt , and Jacques Wiener — questioned whether the attorney general’s assurance that he will not enforce the law against Wang ends the case. The hearing parallels an 11th Circuit case in Florida, where a divided panel similarly ruled that Chinese immigrants lacked standing because the state’s comparable law does not apply to those intending to reside permanently in the U.S. Federal Appeals Court Refuses to Block Discriminatory Florida Housing Law With a 2-1 ruling, the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta refused to preliminarily block SB 264, a discriminatory housing law in Florida, on November 4, 2025. The court rejected arguments that the law conflicts with federal law or is discriminatory. The law prohibits people who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and whose “domicile” is in China from purchasing property in Florida. The sole exception is extremely narrow: Individuals with non-tourist visas or those who have been granted asylum may purchase one residential property under two acres, provided it is not located within five miles of any “military installation.” A similar but less restrictive rule also applies to many immigrants from Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Syria. The 11th Circuit rejected claims that the law’s provisions requiring Chinese citizens to register their properties with the state conflict with a federal law governing foreign investments, or that the statute was improperly motivated by racism against Chinese people and Asians. The court also concluded that the four Chinese citizens represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance (CALDA), and other organizations lacked legal standing to sue over Florida's 2023 law because it only applies to people "domiciled" in China, and they have lived in Florida for years. According to this ruling, certain Chinese immigrants who live in Florida and intend to remain there indefinitely are “domiciled” in Florida and thus should be exempt from SB 264’s restrictions on property purchases. The legal team who represented plaintiffs of the lawsuit stated in an ACLU press release : "This decision allows Florida’s unconstitutional ban on Chinese homebuyers to remain in effect, but clarifies that the law applies narrowly.” “All people, regardless of where they come from, should be free to buy homes and build lives in Florida without fear of discrimination,” said Ashley Gorski , senior staff attorney with the ACLU National Security Project. “Although today’s decision is disappointing, we’ll continue to fight laws like these that blatantly target immigrants based on their national origin and ethnicity.” “SB 264 explicitly discriminates against Chinese immigrants, and it has broader chilling effects on Asian Americans in Florida who simply want to buy a home,” said Clay Zhu , president of CALDA. “We will continue to fight SB 264 and similar ‘alien land laws’ across the country.” “SB 264 is not just unconstitutional—it harkens back to discredited century-old alien land laws that told generations of Asian Americans that this country was not their home,” said Bethany Li , executive director of AALDEF. “But our communities survived those past assaults on our rights, and we remain. We will continue to fight back for the dignity and belonging we deserve.” Media links: 2025/11/04 Bloomberg Law: Court Block Reversed on Florida Property Ban on Chinese Citizens 2025/11/04 Reuters: US appeals court says Florida can ban Chinese citizens from buying property 2025/11/04 Florida Phoenix: Federal appeals court nixes Chinese land-buying law challenge 2025/11/04 Florida Realtors: Court Refuses to Block Chinese Property Law 2025/11/05 South China Morning Post: Florida can ban Chinese citizens from buying property, US appeal court rules 2025/11/06 Newsweek: Florida Issues Crackdown on Chinese Citizens Buying Real Estate News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/11/14 Film Screening and Discussion: Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story2025/11/25 Committee of 100 Conversations – “Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes” with Elaine Chao 2025/12/01 Cook County Circuit Court Hearing - Estate of Jane Wu v Northwestern University2025/12/01 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/12/08 Committee of 100 Conversations – “Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes” with Alice YoungVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. C100: Conversations with Alice Young WHAT : Conversations, Recollections, Pioneers and Heros: Alice Young WHEN : December 8, 2025, 6:00 pm - 6:45 pm ET WHERE : Online event HOST : Committee of 100 Moderator: Peter Young , Chair of the Conversations Initiative, Committee of 100 New York Regional Chair, and Board Member Speaker : Alice Young , Trailblazing Lawyer and Advocate for Equality DESCRIPTION : Alice Young served as Partner and Chair of the Asia Practice at leading law firms including Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer and Milbank Tweed, specializing in corporate law, international transactions, and Asia business partnerships. As a member of the first graduating class of women of Yale College and one of the first Asian American women to graduate from Harvard Law School, she broke barriers on Wall Street and paved the way for women and minorities throughout her 40+ year law career. Beyond her legal work, Young has been a tireless advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. REGISTRATION : https://bit.ly/47LX0zn # # # 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 November 7, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #101 White House Initiative; NIH Acting Director; Science Editorials; Lieber Trial; Events+ #101 White House Initiative; NIH Acting Director; Science Editorials; Lieber Trial; Events+ Back View PDF December 13, 2021 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #226 11/6 Meeting Summary; Request for GAO Review; 12/16 Protest in Miami; From Congress; + #226 11/6 Meeting Summary; Request for GAO Review; 12/16 Protest in Miami; From Congress; + In This Issue #226 · 2023/11/06 Monthly Meeting Summary · Congressional Request for GAO to Review Federal Investigations into Foreign Influence of Research · 2023/12/16 Justice4All Protest in Miami, Florida · Latest Activities and Developments from U.S. Congress · News and Activities for the Communities 2023/11/06 Monthly Meeting Summary The November 6, 2023, APA Justice monthly meeting summary is now available at https://bit.ly/41n2TiL . We thank the following speakers for their updates and discussions: · Gene Wu 吳元之, Member, Texas State House of Representatives, described the third special and perhaps more special sessions that the Texas governor has called after the close of the 2023 legislative session. Gene cautioned us not only the possible reintroduction of SB 147 and related alien land bills, but also the passage of dangerous and unconstitutional anti-immigration bills that will create the state's own code-based immigration laws. Gene will continue to conduct his town hall meetings to stay vigilant and informed. It is an effective model for communities across the country to organize and deal with the alien land bills and related issues that are appearing at the state and federal levels. The town hall meetings are organized with Professor Steven Pei and others on Sundays at 8:00 pm CT. All are welcome to join with the Zoom registration link at https://bit.ly/40U6aFS . Andy Kim , Member, U.S. House of Representatives; Executive Board Members, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Congressman Kim serves on the Armed Services Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee, and the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the CCP. These roles give him important insights into some of the dynamics that are both dangerous and concerning about the trajectory and how it intersects with the AAPI community and our nation. Congressman Kim is worried from his close look that the Select Committee is setting the stage for a new era of xenophobia and poorly planned policies that could lead our country and the AAPI community to be less safe. He described the systematic pattern where the decisions are being made about US foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific and parts of Asia that are different from Europe and other parts of the world. Congressman Kim feels very strongly about the need for the AAPI community to get further engaged in a broad array of issues. Congressman Kim is running for the New Jersey Senate seat in 2024. If you wish to support and stay engaged with Congressman Kim, please contact Jack Our at Jack@andykim.com . Dr. Sergio Lira, Co-Vice President, Texas Multicultural Advocacy Alliance (TMAC); President, Greater Houston, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). Formed in 1929, LULAC is the largest and oldest Hispanic and Latin-American civil rights organization in the United States. It has over 135,000 members today. Dr. Lira witnessed a long history of anti-immigrant treatment faced by the Asian American and Hispanic American communities, such as anti-Asian hate incidents during the COVID pandemic; alien land bills in Texas, Florida, and other states across the nation; and the case of New York Police Department Officer Anwang 昂旺. We need to work together to ensure that we fight and advocate together. Working in silos is not going to give us the strength to have real impact on legislation. Dr. Lira is excited to join TMAC and lend his expertise and experience to fight these issues. Together we can make positive change. Cindy Tsai 蔡欣玲 , Interim President and Executive Director, Committee of 100 (C100). C100 is about 35 years old. From its very first day, it has had a dual mission. One is to ensure full inclusivity of Chinese Americans in America. The second is to be a force to encourage constructive relationships between the people in the U.S. and Greater China. In today’s geopolitical world, Cindy said C100 cannot serve one of the missions without thinking about the other. Cindy shared two works in progress during the meeting. One is an interactive map to track state alien land bills with options to filter individual bills by categories and contacts at the state legislature level. The other is a playbook for those who are relatively new in political engagement and advocacy about basic rules and tools that should be understood before we get involved. It is like Political Engagement Advocacy 101 and will lessen some of the obstacles that we face. Cindy invited community members to contact her at ctsai@committee100.org if they wish to participate and contribute to these two resources. Andrew Chongseh Kim , Senior Foreign Attorney (Texas, Illinois), Bae, Kim & Lee LLC in South Korea. Andy Kim, aka amicably as "the other Andy Kim," joined the call from Seoul. Andy is also General Counsel, Korean American for Political Action, and author of a landmark white paper on the Economic Espionage Act. He sent greetings to all the leaders at the monthly meeting, especially to Congressman Andy Kim about the pride, excitement, and warm wishes of the Korean American community about his run for the Senate. Dr. Albert Wang , Chair, API Coalition. Dr. Wang reported on the formation of API Coalition to help unite and connect API elected officials and community leaders. API Coalition would hold a national summit after the end of the APEC meetings, which Congresswoman Judy Chu would also attend and speak. Dr. Albert Wang can be contacted at aybwang@comcast.net . Andy Li , President of API Coalition, can be contacted at andy.j.li@gmail.com . Casey Lee , Policy Advisor, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC). Casey substituted for Nisha Ramachandran , CAPAC Executive Director, and reported that CAPAC was monitoring two appropriation bills in the House that were scheduled for a vote. The first was on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The second was the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act. CAPAC is reviewing any potentially harmful anti-Asian amendments for both that may impact our communities including the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and Section 702 reforms. Joanna Derman , Director, Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights & National Security Program, Advancing Justice | AAJC. Joanna reported on the imminent introduction of a bipartisan FISA 702 reform bill in Congress, a Tri-Caucus briefing on FISA section 702 reform for the first week of December, and continuing efforts to oppose the Rounds amendment in the NDAA. Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), gpkusakawa@aasforum.org . Gisela reported that AASF would have a convening to focus on AI for science and medicine the following Sunday. AASF leadership would also convene. The top priority for AASF is to prevent what AASF sees as multiple attempts to increase disclosure requirements. With legislation, AASF is also concerned with congressional attempts towards reinstating the Department of Justice’s China Initiative, including the use of appropriation bills. Read the 2023/11/06 monthly meeting summary: https://bit.ly/41n2TiL . Read past monthly meeting summaries: https://bit.ly/3kxkqxP Congressional Request for GAO to Review Federal Investigations into Foreign Influence of Research On December 11, 2023, leading Members of Congress requested the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conduct a formal review of ongoing federal efforts to investigate allegations of foreign influence in federally funded research. The Members seek to ensure that researchers are not facing discriminatory treatment while federal agencies implement policies to protect U.S. research security. Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) joined Ranking Members Rep. Jamie Raskin (MD-08) of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (CA-18) of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology to author the letter to Gene Dodaro , Comptroller General of the United States. “As a global leader in scientific research, the United States has long fostered and benefited from a culture of openness and international collaboration,” the Members wrote. “Contributions from U.S. scientists of diverse backgrounds and foreign researchers have made the United States a science and technology powerhouse. In recent years, however, concerns arose about foreign entities, especially from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), attempting to influence U.S.-based researchers whose scientific work is funded by federal agencies.”As a result of these concerns, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) began investigating 246 scientists in 2018, 81 percent of whom identified as Asian. 103 of those scientists eventually lost their jobs. A November 2022 GAO report noted that U.S. university representatives and stakeholder groups have voiced concerns about racial bias in these investigations as well as harm to careers and reputations. “Federal agencies are in the process of implementing new research security policies at the direction of Congress and the White House,” the Members continued. “It is imperative that in developing and carrying out these policies, agencies reject racial biases that have historically plagued attempts to crack down on academic espionage.” To that end, the Chair and Ranking Members request GAO conduct a review and offer recommendations related to due process, agency data, and whether agencies’ present policies, procedures, and training ensure investigations are free from bias and do not result in discriminatory treatment. CONTACTS: Graeme Crews , (202) 597-2923 (CAPAC) Cassie Anderson , (202) 308-1766 (Science) Nelly Decker , (202) 226-5181 (Oversight) Read the Congressional letter: https://bit.ly/3t9rdrR . 2023/12/16 Justice4All Protest in Miami, Florida On December 16, 2023, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm ET, a protest will be held in Miami, Florida. It is an event for community members to gather in solidarity to oppose unconstitutional legislation and unfair property registration requirements targeting specific members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. SB 264, a legislation imposing a restrictive property purchase ban for certain community members, has raised significant concerns. Violations of this ban could result in severe civil and criminal penalties, including imprisonment of up to 5 years. Moreover, SB 264 mandates property registration, threatening law-abiding, taxpaying AAPI community members with an unprecedented and unreasonable penalty of $1,000 per day if their properties remain unregistered by December 31st, 2023. The rally will witness the presence of notable Asian American political leaders including Congresswoman Judy Chu , Texas State Representative Gene Wu , and 2020 Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang . WHAT: In-Person Protest - Justice4AllWHEN: December 16, 2023, 2-4 pm ET/11-12 noon PTWHERE: Torch of Friendship, 301 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132HOSTS: Florida Asian American Justice Alliance, United Chinese Americans, and othersDESCRIPTION: The rally is an urgent call for unity and justice, aiming to bring together individuals of all backgrounds in opposition to discrimination and unfair treatment. It stands as a testament to the unwavering commitment to justice, diversity, and equality that Miami holds dear. For further information, please visit www.FAAJA.org and www.ucausa.org CONTACTS: info@faaja.org or info@ucausa.org . New Florida law blocks Chinese students from academic labs According to Science on December 12, 2023, a new state law is thwarting faculty at Florida’s public universities who want to hire Chinese graduate students and postdocs to work in their labs. In effect since July, the law ( Senate Bill 846 ) prohibits institutions from taking money from or partnering with entities in China and six other “countries of concern.” The list of banned interactions includes offering anyone living in one of those countries a contract to do research. Students could be hired only if they are granted a waiver from the state’s top higher education body. But how that process would work is not clear, and the 12 public colleges and universities covered by the law are still writing rules to implement the statute. More than 280 faculty members at the University of Florida (UF), which has the state’s largest research portfolio, have signed a petition urging UF to clear up the confusion and to voice support for an open-door policy on hiring. The state law applies to all academic interactions with China, Russia, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Venezuela. UF now employs about 350 graduate assistants and 200 postdocs from the seven countries of concern. But UF faculty see a much bigger ripple effect from the new law. “A substantial number of skilled applications for our graduate programs originate from these countries of concern,” the petition notes, singling out China and Iran. “Restrictions on recruiting could significantly reduce our applicant pool … and lead to a significant erosion of UF’s standing within those international communities.” Read the Science report: https://bit.ly/46Ygcr5 Latest Activities and Developments from U.S. Congress 1. Short-Term Renewal of Section 702 of FISA to April 19, 2024 Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which will sunset at the end of the year without congressional action, would stay in place until April 19, 2024, after the Senate voted 87-13 to approve an $886 billion defense authorization bill with a short-term renewal attached. The House passed the measure by a vote of 310-118 on December 14, 2023. Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) voted in opposition of the final version of the NDAA and issued a statement that said in part, "Further, this year’s bill includes a supposedly short-term extension of FISA section 702, which permits warrantless surveillance of Americans, through April 2024. But by failing to include language to prevent FISA Courts from recertifying this surveillance for another year, the bill effectively means a 16-month extension without necessary reforms ... Because the final NDAA fails to reduce wasteful spending and retains troubling policies related to key civil liberties, I voted in opposition.” Read Rep. Chu's statement: https://bit.ly/3TpeZFW . 2. Rep. Chu and Senator Hirono Introduce Resolution to Commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the Repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act On December 14, CAPAC Chair Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) and CAPAC Executive Member Sen. Mazie Hirono (HI) introduced resolutions in both chambers of Congress commemorating the 80th anniversary of the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The Magnuson Act, which passed on December 17, 1943, repealed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. In June 2012, Rep. Chu introduced H.Res. 683, a resolution formally apologizing for the Chinese exclusion laws. The resolution passed the House of Representative unanimously on June 18, 2012. The Senate version of the resolution, S.Res. 201, passed the Senate unanimously on October 7, 2011.Read the Resolution: https://bit.ly/48hrIif . Read the CAPAC press release: https://bit.ly/41kW1T5 . 3. Florida Senator Says Garlic from China is a National Security Risk According to BBC on December 8, 2023, Republican Senator Rick Scott has written to the commerce secretary, calling for a government investigation into the impact on national security of garlic imports from China. In his letter, Senator Scott highlighted "a severe public health concern over the quality and safety of garlic grown in foreign countries - most notably, garlic grown in Communist China" and called for the Department of Commerce to take action, under a law which allows investigations into the impact of specific imports on the security of the US. The Office for Science and Society at McGill University in Quebec, which attempts to popularize and explain scientific issues, says there is "no evidence" that sewage is used as a fertilizer for growing garlic in China. "In any case, there is no problem with this," an article published by the university in 2017 says. "Human waste is as effective a fertilizer as is animal waste. Spreading human sewage on fields that grow crops doesn't sound appealing, but it is safer than you might think." Read the BBC report: https://bbc.in/3RpjjSX 4. Opposition to The DETERRENT Act On December 4, 2023, the American Council on Education (ACE) and a group of higher education associations wrote to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in strong opposition to the "Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Education (DETERRENT)" Act. Read the ACE letter: https://bit.ly/41plhHH . On December 6, 2023, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) took to the House Floor to urge her colleagues to vote in opposition to H.R. 5933, the DETERRENT Act. Just Strategy has created an open petition to strongly oppose the DETERRENT Act for concerned individuals to sign on here: https://bit.ly/47Zu1a0 . News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2023/12/15 Webinar on Voices of AAPI Communities2023/12/16 In-Person Justice4All Protest in Miami, Florida2024/01/07 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/01/08 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2024/01/09 The Jimmy Carter Forum on US-China Relations in Honor of 45th Anniversary of Normalization2024/02/04 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/02/05 APA Justice Monthly MeetingVisit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. 2. APAICS: AA & NH/PI Candidate Pipeline According to the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS), a record 215 Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AA & NH/PI) candidates ran for state and federal office, including in U.S. territories, in the 2023 election cycle. AA & NH/PI candidates running for office increased over 40% this election cycle compared to 2021. With 123 projected winners, there are at least 659 AA & NH/PI elected officials nationwide.Every year, APAICS builds a comprehensive database of candidates through its AA & NH/PI Candidate Pipeline , which monitors general election results for state and federal elections nationwide. The Pipeline also includes information about AA & NH/PI candidates who ran at the state level. 3. Data Analytics, Data Science Degrees See Large Increases in 2022 According to AMSTATNews on December 1, 2023, this fall’s release of the 2022 degree completion data from the National Center for Education Statistics is marked by the large increases in the undergraduate and master’s degrees awarded in the recently introduced categories for data analytics and data science. The number of bachelor’s degrees in data science, for example, jumped to 897 in 2022, from 165 in 2021 and 84 in 2020. For bachelor’s degrees in data analytics, the 2020, 2021, and 2022 numbers are 325, 455, and 767, respectively.The number of bachelor’s degrees in statistics also grew, albeit more modestly than in prior years: 5,408 in 2022, a 2 percent increase over 2021. A 15 percent drop in the number of master’s degrees in statistics to 3,570 in 2022 stood out in the most recent release.Read the AMSTATNews report: https://bit.ly/46VXNep Back View PDF December 15, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #266 Franklin Tao Wins Appeal; NBER Study; 1990 Workshop Video; Wisconsin Farmland; + #266 Franklin Tao Wins Appeal; NBER Study; 1990 Workshop Video; Wisconsin Farmland; + In This Issue #266 · Professor Feng "Franklin" Tao Wins Appeal · Study Shows Drastic Decline in US-China Scientific Exchange · 1990 Institute Teachers Workshop on U.S.-China Relations · WPR : Fears of China-owned Farmland in Wisconsin and US are Exaggerated · News and Activities for the Communities Professor Feng "Franklin" Tao Wins Appeal According to Reuters, Science, and multiple reports, on July 11, 2024, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver overturned the lone conviction of former University of Kansas (KU) Professor Feng "Franklin" Tao for making a false statement related to work he was doing in China.Professor Tao was one of the first academic scientists charged under the now-defunct China initiative launched in November 2018 by then-President Donald Trump to combat Chinese economic espionage. In 2019, DOJ had relied on information provided by one of Tao’s former colleagues — a visiting scholar at KU angry with Tao amid an authorship dispute. The colleague had demanded $300,000 from Tao or she would tell the FBI that Tao was a spy.The FBI investigation found no evidence of espionage involving Professor Tao. However, while still a tenured KU faculty member, he was arrested in August 2019 and spent 1 week in jail. In April 2022, a federal jury convicted him of three counts of wire fraud as well as making a false statement to KU about his ties to Fuzhou University in connection with grants from the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). The university fired him after the jury decision, but 5 months later U.S. District Court Senior Judge Julie Robinson threw out the fraud convictions, citing a lack of evidence. And in January 2023 she rejected the government’s request for jail time and a stiff fine as a penalty for the false statement conviction. Professor Tao was sentenced to time served and a two-year probation, which was later reduced to one year. Professor Tao appealed the jury’s decision on this last remaining count, and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver ruled in a 2-to-1 decision that Professor Tao was right. “We reverse his conviction … and agree with Tao that the government offered insufficient evidence for a rational jury to find that his statement to his employer was material to any DOE or NSF decision” affecting the status of his grants. U.S. Circuit Judge Nancy Moritz , wrote for the majority. Professor Tao is one of many China Initiative cases against U.S. academics that have fallen apart in court. President Joe Biden ’s administration officially ended the program in February 2022. But Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have campaigned for it to be reinstated.Professor Tao said in a statement issued by United Chinese Americans (UCA) after the appeal victory, "Today, I come to you with a mix of heavy and joyous feelings to update you on the outcome of our four-year struggle. The Tenth Circuit Court has removed the last remaining charge against me. These four years of fighting against ten baseless charges have been an unimaginable battle. Without the just legal assistance of our lawyers, Peter Zeidenberg and Mike Dearington , I could not have achieved today's victory. "I want to express my gratitude to our Chinese and Asian communities (including UCA, AAJC, Committee 100, APA Justice, Asian American Scholar Forum, CALDA, AFI, OCAA...) and the many Chinese friends who supported me. I am especially thankful for UCA's continued support and encouragement over these years. Special thanks go to UCA President Haipei Shue and his team for their tremendous support. Without President Shue's personal encouragement and support, we could not have fought to this day!" 2024/07/13 AP: Court voids last conviction of Kansas researcher in case that started as Chinese espionage probe 2024/07/12 CALDA: 陶教授无罪，华人无罪 2024/07/12 Science: Court exonerates Kansas professor in China research fraud case 2024/07/12 Kansas Reflector: Federal appellate court tosses final conviction in case against former tenured Kansas professor 2024/07/11 俄州亚太联盟 OCAA: 罪名被推翻，陶峰教授赢了！ 2024/07/11 美國華人聯盟 UCA: 快讯 | 华裔学者陶丰胜诉，联邦上诉法院推翻定罪 2024/07/11 Reuters: Kansas researcher wins reversal of conviction in Trump-era China probe APA Justice: Feng "Franklin" Tao 陶丰 Study Shows Drastic Decline in US-China Scientific Exchange In its June 2024 issue, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) published a working paper titled Building a Wall Around Science: "The Effect of U.S.-China Tensions on International Science Research." The paper examines the impact of rising U.S.-China geopolitical tensions on three main dimensions of science: STEM trainee mobility between these countries, usage of scientific works between scientists in each country, and scientist productivity in each country. The paper examines each dimension from a “U.S.” perspective and from a “China” perspective in an effort to provide evidence around the asymmetric effects of isolationism and geopolitical tension on science.The paper finds that between 2016 and 2019 ethnically Chinese graduate students became 16% less likely to attend a U.S.-based Ph.D. program, and that those that did became 4% less likely to stay in the U.S. after graduation. In both instances, these students became more likely to move to a non-U.S. anglophone country instead.Second, the paper documents a sharp decline in Chinese usage of U.S. science as measured by citations, but no such decline in the propensity of U.S. scientists to cite Chinese research. Third, the paper finds that while a decline in Chinese usage of U.S. science does not appear to affect the average productivity of China-based researchers as measured by publications, heightened anti-Chinese sentiment in the U.S. appears to reduce the productivity of ethnically Chinese scientists in the U.S. by 2-6%.The results do not suggest any clear “winner,” but instead indicate that increasing isolationism and geopolitical tension lead to reduced talent and knowledge flows between the U.S. and China, which are likely to be particularly damaging to international science. The effects on productivity are still small but are likely to only grow as nationalistic and isolationist policies also escalate. The results as a whole strongly suggest the presence of a “chilling effect” for ethnically Chinese scholars in the U.S., affecting both the U.S.’s ability to attract and retain talent as well as the productivity of its ethnically Chinese scientists.According to a report by the University World News on July 11, 2024, in almost every area, the NBER paper shows that “geopolitical tensions at a much lower level than the formal expulsion of academics or violent warfare can lead to a significant shift in scientist mobility”. Professor Britta Glennon , who teaches management at the Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania) and is one of the study’s four co-authors. “Over the past few decades, science has become more international across many dimensions. Science used to be concentrated in the West, but today there is a much more international scientific community," she said. “For instance, many academics are immigrants, so right there you have a very international community. There are many more international collaborations than there used to be. And, increasingly, citations in papers are from papers produced in other countries. Our study demonstrates in quantifiable terms how this large international scientific community is affected by the geopolitical tensions between the United States and China, which, from a scientific standpoint, are the major players." For their analysis of mobility using the Open Research and Contributor ID (ORCID), on which academics post their curricula vitae, Glennon and her colleagues constructed a database of 836,495 CVs in STEM fields (out of ORCID’s 14 million CVs).Using machine learning methods that infer ethnicity from names, they were able to classify scientists as being “ethnically Chinese”, which was the treatment group. The control group for those analyses was the non-ethnically Chinese complement, which was drawn from graduate students and professors in UK universities.The Pew Research Center reported in 2020 that anti-Chinese sentiment had risen 11 percentage points, from 55% to 66% in the five years since Trump began his first campaign for the presidency, which included significant anti-Chinese rhetoric, and the COVID-19 crisis, which Trump blamed on the Chinese calling it “the China virus”. Glennon and her colleagues also reference the 2021 study, “Racial Profiling among Scientists of Chinese Descent and Consequences for the US Scientific Community”, that found that Chinese scientists “reported considerable fear of US government surveillance” at almost five times the rate of non-Chinese scientists: 50.7% vs 11.7%. An additional chill was Trump’s “China Initiative”. Some 5,000 agents were assigned to the initiative tasked with preventing China from stealing technologies that were vital to America’s economic and military interests. In July 2020, FBI director Christopher A Wray stated that the bureau was “opening a China-related counterintelligence case every 10 hours”. As of September 2021, federal prosecutors had charged 28 researchers under the China Initiative. Of these, there had been about a dozen convictions or guilty pleas. Of the dozen or so Chinese professors or professors of Chinese descent, the government had convicted only four – none for espionage or theft of trade secrets or intellectual property.President Joe Biden ’s justice department closed down the initiative in February 2022.Read the NBER paper : https://bit.ly/4602fKc . Read the University World News report: https://bit.ly/4bLXfKp . 1990 Institute Teachers Workshop on U.S.-China Relations Political campaigns have and continue to portray China through an adverse lens, affecting decades-long efforts to build constructive relations with national and global implications.On June 20, 2024, the 1990 Institute hosted a Teachers Workshop on "U.S.-China Relations: Untangling Campaign Rhetoric and Understanding Policy." APA Justice was one of the co-sponsors for the workshop.China scholars from Yale Law School, the University of Pennsylvania, and New York University’s Steinhardt School spoke at the workshop, providing context with an overview of the history of U.S.-China relations and then delved into issues affecting this global relationship during this election year, including trade, technology, and Taiwan.Watch a recording of the workshop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8AisB1NZYo (video 1:30:03). Read the curated resources and lesson plans in the 1990 Institute's Reference Library. WPR : Fears of China-owned Farmland in Wisconsin and US are Exaggerated According to Wisconsin Public Radio on July 10, 2024, lawmakers and citizens are raising concerns about Chinese companies purchasing U.S. land. But a new analysis paints a different picture of who owns and leases American farmland.Wisconsin is among more than two-thirds of all states that are considering or have enacted laws limiting or banning foreign ownership of land. A Wisconsin state statute restricts foreign private investment in land. Wendon Zhang , an assistant professor of economics with Cornell University, and two other researchers recently published an article — “ Mapping and Contextualizing Foreign Ownership and Leasing of U.S. Farmland ” — in the 2024 Journal of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. In an interview with Wisconsin Public Radio , Zhang said his recent research found that China and other “adversarial countries” hold zero acres of land in the “Lake Region” of the U.S., a space that includes Wisconsin. His team found that Canada, Denmark and Portugal are the top three holders of Wisconsin’s foreign-held land.“The bottom line is, if you’re concerned about significant Chinese holdings of agricultural land in Wisconsin, the evidence seems to say the contrary,” Zhang said.The U.S. has 3.4 percent of all privately-held agricultural land owned or long-term leased by foreign companies. That percentage in Wisconsin is 2.4 percent. Eighty-five percent of all land in Wisconsin that has a foreign interest is forest land. So it is not cropland, not pasture land. It is actually nearly 400,000 acres of forest land, predominantly with Canadian ownership. When you are looking at the adversary countries — China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and Venezuela — based on the public records voluntarily reported to USDA, all these countries do not hold any agricultural land in Wisconsin.However, Zhang also found that more than 51 percent of Wisconsin’s foreign-held agricultural land is categorized without a prominent country code, meaning investors in a particular property come from multiple countries. Zhang said it’s possible China or other countries might hold shares small enough in some types of holdings to fall outside of what is reported to the government, leaving them underrepresented in USDA data.Read the Wisconsin Public Radio report: https://bit.ly/3S3bwvc . Read the journal article: https://bit.ly/3xTZq0N News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2024/07/15 APIAVote: RNC Convention, AAPI Briefing &Reception, Milwaukee, WI2024/07/16-17 National Science, Technology, and Security Roundtable - Capstone2024/07/17 C100 Career Ceiling Summit: Creating a Level Playing Field2024/07/25-28 Leadership Convention by NAAAP (National Association of Asian American Professionals) 2024/07/27-28 Asian American Pioneer Medal Symposium and Ceremony2024/08/04 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/08/05 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2024/08/19 DNC Convention, AAPI Briefing & Reception, Chicago, ILThe Community Calendar has moved. Visit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. Back View PDF July 15, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #33 Call For House Hearing; S. 386/H.R. 1044; Anti-Hate Crime Hero; And Much More #33 Call For House Hearing; S. 386/H.R. 1044; Anti-Hate Crime Hero; And Much More Back View PDF December 10, 2020 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #298 US-China STA Renewed; Arkansas' Laws Halted; Andy Kim on Tolerance; Lisa Su; More #298 US-China STA Renewed; Arkansas' Laws Halted; Andy Kim on Tolerance; Lisa Su; More In This Issue #298 · US-China Science Technology Agreement Renewed · Arkansas' Foreign Ownership Restrictions Halted · Senator Andy Kim on Tolerance and Unity · Time CEO of The Year: Lisa Su · News and Activities for the Communities US-China Science Technology Agreement Renewed According to the Washington Post, Reuters, Nature, Science, NBC News, and other media reports, the United States and China renewed but narrowed a long-running science and technology agreement on December 13, 2024, marking continuity in their ties while also accounting for bilateral tensions that are likely to only grow under the incoming Trump administration. The previous agreement expired on August 27, 2024. The U.S.-China Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement, which was first signed in 1979 to enable basic research collaboration between the two countries, will be renewed for five years under altered terms that reflect the fraught reality of today’s U.S.-China relationship, according to statements from the U.S. and Chinese governments.The new version modifies the terms to account for the increased tensions between the two countries, including clarification of rules on data sharing and how to resolve disputes.With new guardrails around research security and transparency, as well as intellectual property protections, the agreement ensures that any federal science and technology cooperation with China “benefits the United States and minimizes risks to U.S. national security,” according to a State Department statement . “This Agreement does not facilitate the development of critical and emerging technologies.” The State Council of the People's Republic of China issued a statement on December 14. The extension of the Agreement Between the United States and China on Cooperation in Science and Technology is in line with the interests of the two peoples, and is what the international community hopes to see, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on December 16.Many scientists are pleased. “The new agreement is a very positive step,” says Deborah Seligsohn , a political scientist at Villanova University. “It’s a signal to U.S. scientists that their government still values a bilateral relationship with China, even one with more guardrails.” Li Tang , a science policy specialist at Fudan University, calls the latest version “a win-win-win for the U.S., China, and other nations that benefit from not having to take sides” in the growing economic and political competition between the two superpowers.The new agreement also covers the safety of individual scientists. According to State Department official, “We don’t want U.S. researchers involved in an innocuous project to be caught up in a situation where some overzealous official harasses them or detains them. We wanted to signal to Congress that we are aware of issues of arbitrary detention and exit bans in China.”Chinese observers think the concern for researcher safety should cut both ways. “Ensuring fairness and safety for Chinese researchers abroad is essential to re-establishing a stable framework for scientific exchange and joint research,” Tang says, citing the harmful effect on Chinese scientists of a campaign launched by the Trump administration to thwart Chinese economic espionage. 2024/12/16 China Daily : Sino-US sci-tech agreement extended 2024/12/14 NBC News: U.S. and China renew science and technology pact amid growing rivalry 2024/12/13 Washington Post : U.S. and China renew science agreement as officials brace for new tensions 2024/12/13 Reuters : Biden administration inks renewed science cooperation deal with China; Republicans cry foul 2024/12/13 Nature : US and China sign new science pact — but with severe restrictions 2024/12/13 Science : United States and China renew science pact despite rising tensions Arkansas' Foreign Ownership Laws Halted On December 11, 2024, the National Agricultural Law Center reported that a U.S. District Court in Arkansas issued a preliminary injunction in favor of Jones Eagle, LLC., or Qimin "Jimmy" Chen , a naturalized U.S. citizen who lives in New York. Chen controls the firm through Eagle Asset Holding Inc., which owns a majority stake in Jones Eagle. The ruling prevents the state from enforcing its foreign ownership laws against the plaintiff until further notice. This followed an earlier temporary restraining order (TRO) granted to Jones Eagle, which halted Arkansas’s enforcement of its foreign ownership laws for 14 days, expiring on December 9, 2024.In its 43-page ruling , the Court found that the Arkansas laws may conflict with federal law and constitutional protections. It rejected the state's motion to dismiss, affirming the lawsuit's jurisdiction and ripeness.The lawsuit, Jones Eagle LLC v. Ward ( 4:24-cv-00990) , was filed on November 13, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. It challenges Arkansas Acts 636 (2023) and 174 (2024) as unconstitutional. The injunction was granted based on the likelihood that Jones Eagle would succeed on its claims, including arguments about preemption, equal protection, and due process violations. The case continues with a focus on constitutional and federal preemption issues.According to Arkansas Advocate , Jones Eagle filed suit against the state, Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward and Attorney General Tim Griffin . The suit claims the two laws violate the Fourteenth and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution by denying due process, illegally discriminating against a person based on national origin and depriving a person of just compensation for taking property. The plaintiff is represented by Kutak Rock LLP and Paul L. Hoffman, Director of Civil Rights Clinic, and Robert S. Chang, Executive Director of the Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality at University of California Irvine School of Law Act 636 , also known as Senate Bill 383, prohibits ownership of property in Arkansas by companies or individuals connected with the Chinese government and several other countries considered adversaries of the United States. It gives the state agriculture department authority to investigate allegations of such ownership and directs the attorney general to take action to force the divestiture of the property through judicial foreclosure. Act 174 , also known as Senate Bill 79, amended the law regulating digital asset mining operations, also known as data centers, and prohibits ownership by “foreign-party-controlled” interests connected to the same countries listed in Act 636.Read more about Senate Bill 383 and other state alien land bills at the Committee 100 tracker for the 2023 legislative session at https://bit.ly/4cqxFfg The Arkansas lawsuit was discussed briefly by Ashley Gorski , Senior Staff Attorney for ACLU, during the alien land laws webinar co-hosted by the Committee of 100 and APA Justice on December 11, 2024. In response to a question from the audience about who should be contacted by individuals impacted by state alien land laws, Gorski suggests that they may contact ACLU and her at agorski@aclu.org . Information about the about the webinar is located here: https://bit.ly/3CEWK9p . A video recording of the webinar is posted at https://www.youtube.com/user/committee100 Committee of 100 Alien Land Laws Tracker ( 2024 , 2023 )APA Justice: Alien Land Bills 2024/12/10 National Agricultural Law Center: Federal Judge Halts Enforcement of Arkansas' Foreign Ownership Restrictions 2024/12/09 Jones Eagle LLC v. Ward (4:24-cv-00990): Redacted Preliminary Injunction Order 2024/11/26 Arkansas Advocate : Arkansas laws targeting foreign ownership of land and data center put on hold Senator Andy Kim on Tolerance and Unity Newly-elected Senator Andy Kim made a poignant observation as he transitioned from the House to the Senate. Reflecting on the House chamber, he shared something that often goes unnoticed: the center aisle—the one the President walks down for the State of the Union, dividing the Republican and Democratic sides—ends at an inscription of the word "Tolerance." "Why 'tolerance'?" he asked.At first glance, tolerance might not seem particularly inspiring. The word can even sound negative, as in tolerating noise or bad behavior. That’s why political leaders often prefer terms like "unity." Why, then, isn’t "unity" inscribed in this central location? After all, the nation's motto, E Pluribus Unum (Out of Many, One), is inscribed on the Capitol Dome, a symbol of national identity.Senator Kim reflected that tolerance offers a unique path toward togetherness while still recognizing the challenges posed by differences. Unlike unity, which can sometimes suggest total agreement or harmony, tolerance acknowledges that differences exist—and that they always will. It does not suggest a melting pot where everyone is the same or a singular sense of what it means to be American. Instead, tolerance embraces the idea that our belief in freedom is more important than our discomfort with how others live their lives."Tolerance exists in the space between unity and disunity," he observed. It rejects the notion that we are enemies and instead fosters respect for one another despite our differences. Tolerance stands against separation and segregation, promoting coexistence over division. Importantly, tolerance is not a weakness. It does not mean compromising one’s values or ignoring hate. As President John F. Kennedy famously said, "Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one's own beliefs. Rather, it condemns the oppression or persecution of others." Senator Kim acknowledged that building a society grounded in tolerance is not easy. "How do we forge a tolerance that flows in all directions?" he asked. "I don’t claim to have all the answers. But I do think there’s value in the concept and that it should be thought of with similar rigor as we do toward unity."In reframing tolerance as an active and essential value—not merely a fallback from unity—Senator Kim reclaimed the term from its often-dismissive connotations. While unity may inspire, tolerance is the framework that allows a diverse society to function. His remarks invite a deeper engagement with the idea of tolerance, not as an abstract principle, but as a call to action for coexistence and mutual respect. Time CEO of The Year: Lisa Su Lisa Su 蘇姿丰 , the CEO of AMD, was named Time 's 2024 CEO of the Year in recognition of her transformative leadership in the semiconductor industry. Under her guidance, AMD achieved a remarkable turnaround, evolving from a struggling company with stock prices at $3 per share in 2014 to a powerhouse trading at over $130 today. Su's strategic focus enabled AMD to surpass Intel in company value and expand its influence into gaming and artificial intelligence technologies. Time highlighted Su's hands-on leadership style, noting her weekend meetings, detailed review of technical documents, and direct involvement in evaluating prototype chips. Her work ethic and innovation have positioned AMD as a major competitor in the rapidly growing AI chip sector. Su has been lauded as a trailblazer, emphasizing the critical role of semiconductors in shaping the future of AI and other technologies.Su , 55, was born in Taiwan and received her BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees from MIT. She is cousin of Jensen Huang 黃仁勳 , founder, president and chief executive officer of Nvidia. News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2024/12/22 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/01/05 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/01/06 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/01/15 Master Class: Maintaining the Effectiveness of Organizational Equity Initiatives in the Current Environment2024/01/16 Master Classes: Asian American Career Lessons2025/01/19 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/02/02 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/02/13-15 2025 AAAS Annual Meeting2025/02/16 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall MeetingVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. C100 Launches “Master Classes for Organizations: Managing Equity Initiatives” The Committee of 100 is launching a new program under the title of “Master Classes for Organizations: Managing Equity Initiatives” where it will feature experts who will conduct tutorials on various topics related to how organizations (corporate, non-profit, government) can more effectively manage their equity initiatives. Two classes will be held on January 15 and 16, 2025, respectively. This program is separate from the Master Classes for Individuals programs that focus on giving advice to Asian Americans as individuals who are dealing with career ceiling issues. WHAT : “Master Class: Maintaining the Effectiveness of Organizational Equity Initiatives in the Current Environment” WHEN: January 15, 2025, 6:00 - 7:00 pm Eastern Time WHERE : Online Webinar HOST: Committee of 100 Moderator : Peter Young , CEO, Young & Partners; Committee of 100 Speakers: · Joyce Chang , Global Head of Research for J.P. Morgan and Executive Sponsor for J.P. Morgan Chase’s network for employees of Asian heritage (AsPIRE) · Jenny R. Yang , Workplace Equal Opportunity Government Leader, Former Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Former White House, Domestic Policy Council as a Deputy Assistant to the President for Racial Justice and Equity REGISTRATION : https://bit.ly/4iMC1B8 ***** WHAT : "Master Classes: Asian American Career Lessons – Developing a Personal Brand” WHEN: January 16, 2025, 6:00 - 7:00 pm Eastern Time WHERE : Online Webinar HOST: Committee of 100 Moderator : Peter Young , CEO, Young & Partners; Committee of 100 Speaker: Jerry Won , CEO of Just Like Media REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/4ge4gXI 3. SoCal man pleads guilty to hate crime against Asian woman According to AsAmNews and LA Times on December 12, 2024, a Southern California man punched an Asian American woman in the head and shouted slurs at her as she lay injured in the street. Now he has pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime.The victim, who is unnamed in the plea agreement, was walking to work in Culver City at 1 a.m. on June 14, 2021. Jesse Lindsey , 38, described as a homeless man who last lived in Fontana, approached the victim, whom he perceived to be Asian, prosecutors said."You can't say hi to a motherf— white boy?" he reportedly yelled, before punching the victim and knocking her down. According to prosecutors, Lindsey shouted, "You hear what I said?" and referred to the woman using the N-word. "I said good morning, b—." The victim received 11 stitches for her injuries after hitting her head on the street when she fell.He is scheduled to be sentenced in March, 2025. # # # 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 . We value your feedback about the new web page. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org . Back View PDF December 17, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #149 Events/Conferences; Update on Arrowood; Hateful Trump Name-Calling; New from the Fed #149 Events/Conferences; Update on Arrowood; Hateful Trump Name-Calling; New from the Fed Back View PDF October 7, 2022 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #112 FBI/DOJ Accountable? Xiaoxing Xi/OSTP; Science Needs Affirmative Action; COMPETES Act #112 FBI/DOJ Accountable? Xiaoxing Xi/OSTP; Science Needs Affirmative Action; COMPETES Act Back View PDF February 9, 2022 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #283 10/7 Meeting; Firsthand Accounts; Chinese American Survey; McCarthyism; Dr. Min Wu; + #283 10/7 Meeting; Firsthand Accounts; Chinese American Survey; McCarthyism; Dr. Min Wu; + In This Issue #283 · 2024/10/07 APA Justice Monthly Meeting · Firsthand Accounts of the Harmful Effects of the China Initiative · C100 Unveils The 2024 State of Chinese Americans Survey · Dr. Min Wu Recognized with Top Faculty Honor · McCarthyism and the House Un-American Activities Committee · News and Activities for the Communities 2024/10/07 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, October 7, 2024, starting at 1:55 pm ET. In addition to updates by Nisha Ramachandran , ExecutiveDirector, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) and Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), confirmed speakers are: · Grace Meng , Member, U.S. House of Representatives; First Vice-Chair, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus · Gene Wu , Texas State Representative · Min Fan , Executive Director, U.S. Heartland China Association 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 . *****U.S. Congresswoman Grace Meng is serving her sixth term in the United States House of Representatives, where she represents New York's Sixth Congressional District. She returns to update us on the current state of Asian Pacific Americans.State Representative Gene Wu serves the people of District 137 in the Texas House. Rep. Gene Wu will urge the community to wake up to the threats of anti-Asian laws at the state and federal level. Min Fan introduced USHCA to us at the February 2024 monthly meeting. She returns to update us on an upcoming hybrid event "China in the Heartland: Building a Balanced Approach" at the University of Kansas, the 4th Annual U.S.-China Agriculture Roundtable in June, and related activities of USHCA. ***** Summary for the September 2024 APA Justice monthly meeting has been posted here: https://bit.ly/3zzWcjR . In addition to Nisha Ramachandran, Joanna YangQing Derman , and Gisela Perez Kusakawa who gave their updates about CAPAC, Advancing Justice | AAJC, and AASF respectively, we thank these invited speakers: · Christine Chen from APIAVote for her discussion to boost voter participation among AA and NHPI, and its efforts to intensify outreach through events, mailings, and phone banking while emphasizing early and mail-in voting, aiming to engage first-time voters, especially in battleground states. · Jane Shim from AALDEF for her discussion of the ongoing case of Dr. Yanping Chen , who is suing the government for leaking her personal information to Fox News , which falsely implied she was spying for China. AALDEF has filed an amicus brief supporting Dr. Chen’s privacy rights, emphasizing the harm caused by irresponsible media reporting and the need to protect Asian Americans from discrimination. · Sandy Shan from Justice Is Global led a discussion on a brief advocating for a progressive U.S.-China policy to replace the current confrontational approach, which fuels xenophobia and geopolitical tensions. Tori Bateman from the Quincy Institute proposes reforms to foster cooperation, address shared challenges, and promote global sustainability, especially during Congress's "China Week." Read past summaries of APA Justice monthly meetings at https://bit.ly/3kxkqxP Firsthand Accounts of the Harmful Effects of the China Initiative On September 25, 2024, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) posted a video (3:51) on X and Instagram, providing firsthand accounts of the harmful effects of the China Initiative, which "painted academics of Chinese descent as spies for the CCP, leading to the racial profiling and wrongful arrests of innocent researchers." Testimonies were made by Professors Gang Chen , Anming Hu , and Franklin Tao and Hong Peng , Professor Tao's wife. Watch the video on X: https://bit.ly/3zzfwxA and Instagram: https://bit.ly/4eeTHCH C100 Unveils The 2024 State of Chinese Americans Survey On September 25, 2024, the Committee of 100 (C100) unveiled the findings of its 2024 State of Chinese Americans Survey. The survey was conducted to help address the insufficient data necessary to inform and address ongoing discrimination, stereotypes, and misperceptions about Chinese Americans, and the many gaps in knowledge that remain about Chinese Americans’ political attitudes and behaviors.“Understanding the mental health, discrimination and political perspectives of Chinese Americans is essential to create inclusive and informed policies,” said Cindy Tsai , Interim President, Committee of 100. “These insights not only enrich political dialogue but also foster a more equitable society."According to the survey, about three quarters of Chinese American citizens (76%) are certain they will turn out to vote in November’s presidential election. A little less than half of Chinese Americans (46%) identify as Democrats, 31% Republicans, and 24% Independents.Chinese Americans have been targeted in a surge of both popular and policy-driven racism over the last decade. The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated a wave of anti-Asian and anti-Chinese hate across the country that endures at an elevated level, causing lasting and severe financial, social, health, and emotional harm across the Asian American population.Chinese Americans also face discrimination from federal and state policies. Many were falsely accused of espionage under the auspices of the China Initiative, further extending racist stereotypes of the population as perpetual foreigners loyal to Chinese national interests. While the codified racism of the China Initiative formally ended in 2022, many states have recently passed legislation prohibiting U.S. residents with Chinese citizenship from owning property. The Washington Post reported that the survey showed that 68% of Chinese Americans said they face at least one form of discrimination in an average month, while 65% said they think the state of U.S.-China relations negatively impacts how other Americans treat them. The survey also asked about mental health, and 43% of Chinese Americans said they felt depressed. A large majority — 81 percent — of Chinese Americans said they are “at least a little concerned” about rhetoric used by presidential candidates when talking about China or U.S.-China relations, and 61 percent said U.S. news media rhetoric on the subject “negatively affects how strangers treat them,” Read the Washington Post report: https://wapo.st/3XXTUo9 The South China Morning Post reported that nearly six in 10 Chinese Americans reported hearing about legislative efforts by many states and the US Congress to limit individuals who hold Chinese citizenship from owning houses, farmland and other stateside property. Of those who had heard about the legislation, two thirds thought it had a negative effect on how others treated them.“We were surprised at the large percentage of responses when it came to issues of mental health and wellness and how the relationship with the US and China impacts how Chinese-Americans are feeling discriminated against,” said Sam Collitt , a research and data scientist with C100. “We know there are issues related to shame and language barriers that prevent discussions from taking place,” said Collitt, adding that overall Asian Americans were 60 per cent less likely to seek mental health services than other racial groups. Chinese Americans express high levels of concern about the state of U.S.-China relations, the likely sources of poor bilateral relations, and the downstream effects of domestic policy discrimination and discriminatory political rhetoric. Despite this, many Chinese Americans are cautiously optimistic about the ability of the U.S. and China to cooperate on a number of issues. They identified areas where Washington and Beijing could, at the margin, improve ties, including student exchanges and in fighting climate change and infectious diseases.A majority of respondents said being Chinese and being American were very important to their identity.Read the South China Morning Post report: https://bit.ly/4do9g9Y NBC News reported that 54% of Chinese Americans felt that the current relationship between the U.S. and China has had a “somewhat negative” impact on how those of Chinese descent are treated. Another 10% said the current environment had a “very negative” effect on the group. Only about 3% felt that current relations between the two countries had a positive impact on the community. Almost two-thirds think that such contentious relations can affect how other Americans treat them.“Rhetoric and language is impacting relationships with how strangers treat them, acquaintances even treat them, co-workers and colleagues,” said Nathan Chan , a co-author of the study and an assistant professor of political science at Loyola Marymount University. “This is really infiltrating into the lives of everyday Chinese Americans.” Professor Chan pointed to policies like the controversial Trump-era surveillance program the China Initiative and the former president’s language around economic espionage. The “rhetoric is not doing any good for a large swath of Chinese Americans that are then being scapegoated or held under a suspicious lens.” Jo-Ann Yoo , who heads New York City-based Asian American nonprofit Asian American Federation, said that too often, language used by media has been imprecise, leading to “sweeping generalizations” about the Chinese community. Yoo said the study’s results reflect discussions she has heard in the local community. Citing discussions around the land bans and the looming TikTok ban, which was signed into law earlier this year in an effort to combat Chinese influence, Yoo said those in the heavily immigrant community are unsure of their safety amid contentious relations.C100 partnered with NORC at the University of Chicago to reach a sample of 504 Chinese American adults for the survey. Gordon H. Chang , Professor, Stanford University; Daphne Kwok , Vice President, Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Asian American & Pacific Islander Audience Strategy at AARP; and Jeremy Wu , PhD, Founder and Co-Organizer, APA Justice, serve on the Advisory Committee.Read the NBC News report: https://nbcnews.to/4doBjG2 Additional media reports:2024/09/25 AsAmNews: Belonging and discrimination weigh on Chinese Americans 2024/09/25 Bloomberg: Chinese Americans Face Racism, Mental Health Risks Amid Tensions 2024/09/25 AP: The Latest: Candidates try to counter criticisms in dueling speeches Read the C100 press release: https://bit.ly/47EQCcs , executive summary: https://bit.ly/3TIxPHG , and infographics: https://bit.ly/3N0fRfV Dr. Min Wu Recognized with Top Faculty Honor The University of Maryland (UMD) has selected Min Wu 吴旻 , Professor and Associate Dean of Engineering, as 2024 Distinguished University Professor—the highest appointment bestowed on a tenured faculty member. The title is a recognition not just of excellence, but of impact and significant contributions to the nominee’s field, knowledge, profession, and/or practice.According to the UMD announcement, Dr. Wu holds appointments in UMD’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, as well as leads the UMD Media, Analytics, and Security Team (MAST). She is a Fellow of the IEEE, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the National Academy of Inventors. Dr. Wu was elected to serve as president of the IEEE Signal Processing Society for 2024–2025, the first woman of color to be elected to this leadership role.Read the UMD announcement: https://bit.ly/4exf4in McCarthyism and the House Un-American Activities Committee According to Wikipedia, the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloyalty and subversive activities on the part of private citizens, public employees, and those organizations suspected of having communist ties. It became a standing (permanent) committee in 1946, and from 1969 onwards it was known as the House Committee on Internal Security. When the House abolished the committee in 1975, its functions were transferred to the House Judiciary Committee.The committee's anti-communist investigations are often associated with McCarthyism, although Joseph McCarthy himself (as a U.S. Senator) had no direct involvement with the House committee. McCarthy was the chairman of the Government Operations Committee and its Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the U.S. Senate, not the House.In the wake of the downfall of McCarthy, the prestige of HUAC began a gradual decline in the late 1950s. By 1959, the committee was being denounced by former President Harry S. Truman as the "most un-American thing in the country today".HUAC hearings in August 1966 called to investigate anti-Vietnam War activities were disrupted by hundreds of protesters. The committee faced witnesses who were openly defiant.According to The Harvard Crimson :"In the fifties, the most effective sanction was terror. Almost any publicity from HUAC meant the 'blacklist'. Without a chance to clear his name, a witness would suddenly find himself without friends and without a job. But it is not easy to see how in 1969, a HUAC blacklist could terrorize an SDS activist. Witnesses like Jerry Rubin have openly boasted of their contempt for American institutions. A subpoena from HUAC would be unlikely to scandalize Abbie Hoffman or his friends." In an attempt to reinvent itself, HUAC was renamed the Internal Security Committee in 1969. On January 14, 1975, coinciding with the opening of the 94th Congress, the House Committee on Internal Security was officially disbanded. Its files and staff were subsequently transferred to the House Judiciary Committee on the same day. In July 1995, the National Archives and Records Administration published the Records of The House Un-American Activities Committee, 1945-1969, and The House Internal Security Committee, 1969-1976, which is available online at https://bit.ly/4gGw7Aq .Read Wikipedia on the House Un-American Committee: https://bit.ly/3N23NL1 News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events:2024/10/02 C100: Asian American Career Ceiling Initiative2024/10/06 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/10/07 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2024/10/08 Media Training for Election Season2024/10/10 China in the Heartland: Building a Balanced Approach2024/10/11 China and the World Forum2024/10/13 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/10/16 Rebuilding Trust in Science2024/10/20 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/10/25-27 Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the American Studies NetworkVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. Delaware OKs Asian American Studies and new AAPI commission According to AsAmNews , Delaware Governor John Carney signed two bills into law on September 26, 2024, making his state the seventh in the nation to integrate Asian American and Pacific Islander history into k-12 schools along with all other American histories. The other establishes a statewide Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage and Culture. Read the AsAmNews report: https://bit.ly/3TOaF2t 3. 2024 National Overview of AANHPI According to a Fact Sheet based on Census Bureau data created by the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) in collaboration with AAPI Data, the Asian American population was estimated to be around 24.2 million, including one race alone or in combination of other races. The top five ethnic groups are Chinese, Asian Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, and Korean. About 75% are native born or naturalized citizens. The top five most populous states are California, New York, Texas, New Jersey, and Washington. Read the WHIAAPINH Fact Sheet: https://bit.ly/3Nokq45 4. APA Justice Newsletter Web Page Moved to New Website As part of its continuing migration to a new website under construction, we have moved the Newsletters webpage to https://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 September 30, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter