NCVA REPORTER
- October 19, 2004
In this NCVA Reporter:
Events
Funding Opportunities
Jobs/Internships
Tips/Resources
News
******************
EVENTS
SEMINAR
ON VIETNAMESE AMERICANS IN CALIFORNIA TEXTBOOKS
Friday, October 22, 2004
This event is co-sponsored by NCVA.
The
events of the seminar on Vietnamese Americans in California Textbooks
are taking place at the Hinson Center and the Learning Center at
De Anza College, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd. Cupertino, 95014 over a
period of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Most events take place in the Hinson Center, Rooms A &B.
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Exhibit of the work of photographer Nguyen Ngoc
Hanh, official war photographer of the Republic of South Vietnam, 1961-1975;
political prisoner of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, 1975-1983; escaped
among "boat people" in 1989 and now a Vietnamese American in San Jose,
California. Informal discussion with the photographer and his students
throughout the morning.
10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Workshops Titles:
* Institutional exclusion/inclusion of South East Asians in California-- T.
Van Do, facilitator
* Vietnamese American representation in California textbooks -- Nguyen-Khoa
Thai Anh, facilitator
* Critique of the Oakland Museum exhibit "What's Going on: California and
the Vietnam Era" -- Trinh Do, facilitator.
11:00 a.m. Tour of the De Cillis Collection, the Learning
Center--Dean John Swensson, facilitator
11:30 - 12:30 Student achievement in science, PLTL and NASA/Ames
Internship students -- Dr. Madeline Adamczeski, facilitator
12:30 - 1 p.m. Reports from workshop facilitators and ideas for the
future.
Lunch in the Fireside Room by Vietnamese Students Association. Please
RSVP counselor K.D. Le,
Lekd@fhda.edu
The lunch is honoraria for presenters and facilitators, courtesy John
Swensson, dean of Language Arts, De Anza College. $15 for others benefits
VSA.
1 - 2 p.m. Ceremony of welcome and reunion -- Madison Nguyen and
Diem Truong, emcees. Reunion of Col. Noburu Masuoka, USAF (ret.) and the
poet Nguyen Chi Thien, political prisoner in North Vietnam for 27 years.
Music by Kim-Mai Nguyen, student. Honor guard of USA and ARVN veterans.
2 - 2:30 p.m. "What Happened to Vietnam After 1975?" Trinh Do,
author of Saigon to San Diego; Memoir of a Boy Who Escaped from Communist
Vietnam.
2:30 - 2:45 p.m. "Plans for a Museum of Vietnamese American History
in San Jose." Loc Vu, director, Immigration Resettlement and Cultural
Center
2:45 - 3 p.m. Welcome Home to honored guest Nguyen Chi Thien, poet.
Jean Libby, U.S. History Instructor, De Anza College, and students reading
the work of Jose Rizal, Nelson Mandela, and Abraham Lincoln.
3 - 3:45 p.m. "Resistance to Tyranny and Oppression." Nguyen Chi
Thien, former resident of the Hanoi Hilton prison, now Vietnamese American
resident of Garden Grove, California. Assisted by Nguyen Ngoc Bich, scholar
and former diplomat, Republic of South Vietnam, now a Vietnamese American
resident of Virginia.
3:45 to 4:30 p.m. Book signing, Flowers of Helland Prison Songs by
Nguyen Chi Thien, translated by Nguyen Ngoc Bich. From Saigon to San Diego:
Memoir of a Boy Who Escaped from Communist Vietnam.
4 - 5 p.m. Meeting of steering committee to continue the work of the
seminar in changing the textbooks. California History Center.
The press in all formats is welcome at the events. Please call Jean Libby,
415-505-5131 (cell phone) or Diem Truong 408-515-3408 (cell phone) if
further information is needed.
Seminar information: Lisa Christiansen, CHC archivist 408-864-5486
or Loc Vu, IRCC director, 408-971-7878.
******************
October 18, 2004
For Immediate Release
Media Contact: (832) 229-2626
VIET
NAM 2005: DEVELOPMENT FUTURES AND GLOBAL INTEGRATION
Symposium on Viet Nam’s Development Futures at University of St. Thomas
A symposium on Viet Nam’s Development Futures will be held at the University
of St Thomas (UST) in Houston, Texas on November 12 and 13, 2004. The
purpose of the symposium, “Viet Nam 2005: Development Futures and Global
Integration”, is to provide an academic environment in which high caliber
overseas Vietnamese scholars and activists in the U.S. and elsewhere, will
have an opportunity to share research on current developments in Viet Nam
and projections on the near-term economic and political future of Viet Nam.
This symposium is jointly sponsored by the Center for International Studies
at UST, the Vietnamese Culture and Science Association (VCSA) and Ngay Nay
Newspaper.
Dr. Hans Stockton, Assistant Professor in the Center for International
Studies at UST and Program Chair of the event, stated: “the challenge we
pose to participants is to explore the implications of WTO accession and to
discuss future development trajectories that will arise as a result of
Vietnam’s integration into the liberal economic order. Participants are
encouraged to address topics from the perspective of ‘looking forward on
Vietnam’ rather than the standard historical approach of ‘looking back on
Vietnam’.”
With respect to the composition of panelists, Nguyen Quoc Cuong, the
Program Coordinator of the event, explained: “participants are selected
from a wide spectrum of scholars, activists and opinion leaders spanning
several generations of overseas Vietnamese living in the U.S. and in other
parts of the world, in order to present a mix of generations, with
different views. They should include representatives of the war generations
on both sides of the conflict, as well as the younger post-war generations
of immigrants.”
The followings have accepted our invitation to participate: former
Ambassador Bui Diem (Washington D.C.); Mr. Nguyen Quoc Khai (Washington
D.C.); Professor Le Xuan Khoa (Washington D.C.); Ms. Ong Thuy Nhu-Ngoc
(California); former Ambassador Nguyen Xuan Phong (Lubbock); Colonel (Ret)
Bui Tin (France); and Mr. Nong Duy Truong (Houston).
The symposium will have three panel presentations and a round-table
discussion. All events are open to the public. Panel topics are as follow:
1. Panel One: Viet Nam 2004 and Prospects for WTO Assession and Economic
Development
2. Panel Two: Prospect for Political Development
3. Panel Three: Prospect for Civil Society
4. Round-Table Discussion: Viet Nam 2005, Development Futures and Global
Integration
All panels will be held in the Ahern Room (Crooker Center, 3909 Graustark,
Houston, 77006) on the University of St. Thomas campus. Panel
One presentations begin at 10:00 a.m. and end at noon, on November 12,
2004. Panel Two presentations will begin at 2:00 p.m. and end at 4:00 p.m,
on November 12, 2004. Panel Three will begin at 10:00 a.m. and end at noon,
on November 13, 2004. Round-Table Discussions will begin at 2:00 p.m. and
end at 3:30 p.m. on November 13, 2004.
Papers presented at this workshop will be translated into Vietnamese and
compiled in a edited volume for publication and distribution within the
overseas Vietnamese community at-large. The English version of these papers
may also be eligible for publication in an edited volume.
(www.vietnam2005.org)
******************
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
LIEMANDT FOUNDATION: HIDDEN
AGENDA
Hidden Agenda, sponsored by the Liemandt Foundation, offers a $25,000 to a
college student, or team of students, to develop a video game that teaches a
middle school subject. Applicants may build any theme, type and genre of
game as long as on the whole it fulfills the requirements of one subject
from the teaching list available on the Hidden Agenda website. Entry forms
are due December 15, 2004. Game entries are due May 2, 2005.
(http://www.hiddenagenda.com/)
******************
NASA EXPLORER SCHOOLS PROGRAM
The Application Season is Now Open
Schools from across the country are eligible to apply online for an
opportunity to partner with NASA in a program designed to bring engaging
mathematics, science, and technology learning to educators, students, and
families. Each spring, a three-year partnership is established between NASA
and 50 new NASA Explorer School teams, consisting of teachers and education
administrators from diverse communities across the country. The deadline for
submission of the online application for NASA Explorer Schools is January
31, 2005.
(http://explorerschools.nasa.gov/portal/site/nes/)
******************
CALIFORNIA COUNCIL FOR THE HUMANITIES: FOCUS ON THE CALIFORNIA STORIES
UNCOVERED
The California Council for the Humanities, in partnership with Califa,
invites 100 public libraries throughout the state to join California Stories
Uncovered, the April 2005 statewide campaign under the California Stories
initiative. California Stories Uncovered will seek to uncover and reveal
today's California by engaging thousands of people throughout the state in
sharing their own stories, reading and discussing contemporary and classic
works by California writers.
(http://www.calhum.org/guidelines/guidelines_uncvrd_libraries.htm)
******************
NORTHROP GRUMMAN HEALTH SOLUTIONS: FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDERS
Northrop Grumman Health Solutions is requesting proposals from juvenile,
dependency, or family court service units in the 50 United States, the
District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. This initiative is to mobilize and
build capacity of local juvenile courts to develop and implement policies
and procedures to identify, diagnose, and treat juveniles with fetal alcohol
spectrum disorders. Proposals must be submitted online by November 23, 2004.
(http://www.fasdcenter.com/rfp/juvenile.cfm)
******************
AMERICORPS NATIONAL
PLANNING GRANTS
March 8, 2005 is the deadline for the 2005 AmeriCorps National Planning
Grant, available to organizations working in two or more states to provide
services to foster community-needs programs.
Applicants are eligible in the areas of Health, Education, Community
Development, and Law, Justice, and Legal Services, among others. Maximum
award amount is $50,000. The full grant announcement can be viewed
online.
Applications should be filed
electronically, through eGrants. If an eGrant application is impossible,
a paper application along with a diskette or CD-ROM with an exact duplicate
of the application can be sent to the Corporation for National and Community
Service, AmeriCorps National FY 2005 Planning Grant, 1201 New York Avenue,
NW, 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20525.
(http://www.fedgrants.gov/Applicants/CNCS/OGM/OGM/CNCS-GRANTS-100804-002/Grant.html)
(http://www.nationalservice.org/egrants/index.html)
******************
FANNIE MAE FOUNDATION ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS FOR JOHNSON FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAM
Deadline: December
31, 2004
A program of the
Fannie Mae Foundation, the James A. Johnson Fellowships Program
recognizes and rewards urban and rural affordable housing and community
development professionals for their years of service to the field.
Each year, the Fannie Mae Foundation selects up to six seasoned
professionals as Johnson Fellows. These fellows design and pursue
development plans that can include research, travel, study, self-designed
internships, and other activities that enhance their skills and knowledge.
Fellows meet as a group four times during the fellowship year and take
purposeful time away from their current positions to pursue their personal
and professional fellowship goals.
The Johnson fellowship provides each fellow with a $70,000 grant and a
stipend of up to $20,000 for travel and education-related expenses. The
nonprofit organization with which each fellow is associated (through paid or
volunteer employment) may apply for a grant of up to $25,000 for
transitional costs related to the temporary absence of the employee or
volunteer.
To be eligible for nomination, individuals must meet the following criteria:
have a minimum of eight years in the affordable housing and community
development field; have current full-time (paid or volunteer) duties in the
field; and be employed or affiliated with a neighborhood-based nonprofit
organization or community-based nonprofit intermediary organization focused
on affordable housing or housing-related community development.
For detailed information about the program and nomination materials, see the
Fannie Mae Foundation Web site.
(http://www.fanniemaefoundation.org/grants/johnson.shtml)
******************
J. JILL COMPASSION FUND OFFERS FUNDING FOR PROGRAMS AIDING WOMEN AND
CHILDREN
Deadline: December 15, 2004, annually
As a nationwide retailer of women’s clothing,
J. Jill Group, Inc. focuses its philanthropic efforts on issues
affecting disadvantaged women and children. As part of that outreach, J.
Jill has established the J. Jill Compassion Fund at the Boston Foundation.
The primary goal of the fund is to provide financial support on a national
scale to community-based organizations and/or programs whose mission focuses
on aiding women and children in need.
The J. Jill Group considers written proposals for cash grants from nonprofit
organizations within the United States only. Organizations serving homeless
or at-risk women and children by providing job training, transitional and/or
affordable housing, education, emergency shelter, or other types of aid will
be considered upon submission of a grant proposal.
The company will consider grants only for existing programs. Grant requests
should be between $250 and $15,000.
Organizations requesting grants must provide proof of 501(c)(3) IRS
tax-exempt status.
(http://www.jjill.com/about/community.asp)
******************
JOBS/INTERNSHIPS
APPLICATIONS INVITED FOR WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP FOR
MINORITY STUDENTS
Deadline: March 15, 2005
The
Nonprofit Sector Research Fund, a grantmaking program of the Aspen
Institute in Washington, D.C., annually offers the William Randolph Hearst
Endowed Scholarship.
The scholarship, which is based on academic excellence and need, is open to
both undergraduate and graduate students who are members of minority groups.
The Hearst Scholar serves as a summer intern with the fund. Through the
program, the fund seeks to introduce a diverse group of students to issues
relating to philanthropy, voluntarism, and nonprofit organizations. In
addition, recipients may arrange with their colleges or universities to
receive academic credit for the experience.
The ideal candidate for the scholarship is a highly motivated continuing
graduate or undergraduate student from an underrepresented community. The
student must be able to intern for ten to twelve weeks full-time during the
summer at the Washington, D.C., office of the Aspen Institute. All travel
and housing costs must be covered by the student.
A scholarship grant of between $2,500 and $5,000 will be awarded, depending
on the recipient's educational level, financial need, and time commitment.
(http://www.nonprofitresearch.org/newsletter1530/newsletter_show.htm?doc_id=16318)
******************
CARNEGIE
ENDOWMENT FOR PEACE OFFERS JUNIOR FELLOWSHIPS
Deadline: January 15, annually
Founded in 1910, the
Carnegie Endowment for Peace is a private nonprofit organization
dedicated to advancing cooperation among nations and promoting active
international engagement by the United States. Each year the Endowment
offers up to ten one-year fellowships to uniquely qualified college seniors
and individuals who have graduated during the past academic year from one of
some two hundred colleges.
Carnegie Junior Fellows work as research assistants to the Endowment's
senior associates, providing assistance to associates working on projects
such as nonproliferation, democracy building, international economics,
migration, and Russian/Eurasian issues.
Applicants must be graduating seniors or students who have graduated during
the last academic year. Individuals who have started theur graduate studies
are not eligible for consideration. While applicants need not be U.S.
citizens to apply, all applicants must be eligible to work in the United
States.
Applications will not be accepted directly from students; instead,
applications must be submitted through participating universities via
designated nominating officials (see the CEIP Web site for a current list of
participating colleges).
Colleges generally set an earlier application deadline than the Endowment's
own January 15 deadline. Potential applicants should speak to their Career
Services/Placement Office to learn more about the application process.
Contact:
Lynne Sport
Coordinator of the Carnegie Junior Fellows Program
1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20036-2103
Tel: (202) 483-7600
Fax: (202) 483-1840
E-mail:
jrfellowinfo@ceip.org
(http://www.ceip.org/files/about/about_junior.asp)
******************
JOB ANNOUNCEMENT for OCA's Gates Millennium Scholars/APIA Program:
PROGRAM MANAGER – STUDENT
SERVICES
The Organization of Chinese Americans, Inc. (OCA), a national non-profit
advocacy and civil rights organization founded in 1973, is headquartered in
Washington, D.C. On behalf of the diverse Asian Pacific Islander American
communities, OCA administers the Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) program.
The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) is a scholarship program aimed at
expanding access to higher education for students who reflect the diverse
society in which we live. Established in 1999 by the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation, this is a twenty-year commitment designed to fund the college
education of twenty thousand high achieving low-income minority students.
The Gates Millennium Scholars program is administered by the United Negro
College Fund (UNCF), which works with three partner organizations who assist
in the implementation of the Program: the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF),
American Indian Graduate Center Scholars (AIGCS), and the Organization of
Chinese Americans (OCA). For more information about the program, please
visit the following websites:
www.gmsp.org and
www.ocanatl.org
The Student Services component encompasses scholarship processing, academic
review, records retention, leadership development and scholar relations.
PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
In accordance with GMS policies and procedures, assess eligibility of
students for funding each academic year. Apply appropriate screening
priorities, documentation, and follow-up, to ensure that scholars are given
appropriate GMS status designation. Communicate and coordinate with external
agencies, staff and GMS scholars to obtain and/or provide information
related to the scholarship. Assist with the Scholar selection process; GMS
leadership programs and scholar relations. Perform other job related duties
as directed. This position is based in Washington, D.C. and reports to the
Director of Student Services.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS include at least a Bachelors degree; a proven
record (at least three years) of higher education experience in the area of
student support services; demonstrated organizational skills; outstanding
communication and interpersonal skills; technological literacy; commitment
to student development; demonstrated skills in fostering interagency
collaboration; knowledge of program evaluation procedures; good analytical
skills; ability to work with diverse constituencies in the Asian American
and Pacific Islander communities; and familiarity with the Family Rights and
Privacy Act to maintain confidentiality of records.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
* Pay commensurate with experience
* Health benefits
* Paid vacation and holidays
HOW TO APPLY:
* Send a resume with cover letter outlining experience and working
knowledge.
* Send names and contact numbers of three professional references.
MAIL TO:
Gates Millennium Scholars/APIA
OCA
Attn: GMS/APIA Program Director
1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW, #725
Washington, D.C. 20036
Or Fax to: 202-530-0643, Attn: Program Director
Or Email to:
gale@ocanatl.org
APPLICATION DEADLINE: November 5, 2004 or until filled.
The Organization of Chinese Americans, Inc. (OCA), a national non-profit
advocacy organization founded in 1973, is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
OCA represents 10,000 members in more than 80 chapters and college
affiliates. OCA seeks to improve the livelihood of Chinese Americans and
Asian Pacific Islander Americans, promote civic participation at all levels
of government; and monitors and advocates on behalf of Asian Pacific
Islander Americans to ensure equality and justice.
(www.ocanatl.org)
******************
TIPS/RESOURCES
ONLINE AUCTION
OPTIONS FOR NONPROFITS INCREASE
Online auctions are becoming a key fundraising tool for nonprofits,
Guidestar reported in its April 2004 newsletter, with multiple organizations
offering their services to nonprofits.
One such tool is
cMarket, which helps charities combine Internet and live auctions and
easily communicate with their communities. There is no up-front fee for
nonprofits to run an auction through the site.
Other charities have achieved success through
Giving Works, which allows nonprofits to run charity auctions through
the dominant eBay system. The King and Kitsap Counties chapter of the
American Red Cross, for example, raised $547,472 in the 2002-2003 year
through online auctions.
In total, nonprofits have raised an estimated $30 million via eBay trading
alone.
(http://www.guidestar.org/news/features/online_auctions.jsp)
(http://www.cmarket.com/)
(http://pages.ebay.com/givingworks/)
******************
BUILDING A BETTER WEBSITE
E-Philanthropy solutions, which help nonprofit organizations develop
websites that can be used to collect donations and attract volunteers, are
becoming more accessible,
Guidestar reported in its July 2004 newsletter.
For a fixed price, sites such as
Charity Finder are making the development of charity website with built
in e-philanthropy a more feasible solution. Other sites, such as
NPower and
HelpForCharities, provide similar solutions.
A robust website allows visitors to join or renew memberships, donate funds,
make referrals, give feedback, sign petitions, and increase advocacy,
greatly increasing membership and desirability.
(http://www.charityfinders.com/cf/jsp/home_cf.jsp)
(http://www.npower.org/)
(http://www.helpforcharities.com/)
******************
NEWS
October 13, 2004
ASIAN AMERICAN
STARS TARGET ASIAN YOUTH VOTE
Peter Tran,
Viet Weekly, News Feature
With Election Day nearing, people are beginning to show their support for
their candidates through bumper stickers of "Vote Kerry" or "4 More Years!"
lawn signs and coming together at rallies.
Vietnamese-American filmmaker Timothy Linh Bui decided to show his
democratically powered opinion by launching an anti-Bush Web site and
selling t-shirts.
"This war in Iraq is a big mess. We went there for the wrong reasons and now
that there are is no proof of weapons of mass destruction, we can't get out
of it, and Bush was the one that got us there," said Bui, calling from his
Los Angeles home. Bui wrote, produced and directed the hit movies "Green
Dragon" and "Three Seasons."
Bui is among a majority of Asian Americans who believe that this 2004
presidential election is one of the most important of their lifetime.
Compelled to take action, Bui and other Asian-American activists have
launched grassroots political campaigns to urge voters in their demographic
to participate in this election. Asian-American voter turnout typically has
been low.
The political youth movement that has emerged looks to appeal to voters
through popular media, such as the Internet and film. Some grassroots
campaigns, such as the short sci-fi film, "The Least Likely" (www.leastlikely.com),
airing on MTV this month, have a simple message: Asians should get out and
vote. Other efforts, such as Bui's, "Speak Up, Vote 2004", have a clear,
anti-Bush message: Vote for change.
The "Least Likely" short film, complete with karate fight scenes and a
futuristic setting, serves as a public service announcement and features an
all-star Asian Pacific American cast including Kelly Hu (X-Men 2), Ming-Na
("ER"), Russell Wong ("Romeo Must Die") and John Cho ("Harold & Kumar Go To
White Castle").
The "Speak Up" campaign, organized by Bui and his friends, was launched
online. The Web site
www.nobush.net promotes stylish, 100% organic cotton t-shirts that are
proudly "Made in the USA."
The t-shirt design includes a large red symbolic revolutionary star in the
background and a female silhouette powerfully pumping her fist in defiance
in the foreground. The shirt's slogan printed in large black letters read:
"No Bush! We Like it Shaved."
Bui said he wants to engage the youths of America in politics and get them
motivated, because they are one of the most underrepresented voting groups.
While many people may not agree with Bui's anti-Bush viewpoint, the message
to vote is getting out.
“I feel that it’s a creative way to speak up and reach out to the public
using a different canvas,” said Jeffrey Tang, 19, a student at University of
California at Irvine.
Bui never thought that he'd be a political activist.
"Like many of us, I didn't vote in the last election and I regretted it,"
said Bui, who came to the United States in 1975 and studied at the Columbia
film school in Los Angeles.
"So recently, I went to the post office and re-registered to vote. But
somehow I didn't feel satisfied. Maybe it was the fear that my one vote
wasn't going to be enough," said Bui. He felt compelled to start up a
movement at www.nobush.net. "Being a citizen and having a right to vote is
very important and I wanted to emphasize that."
Bui wanted to get people's attention in a comical and fun way. Working with
his friends, including hip hop artist Antoneus Maximus and Lyla Rose, to
design the t-shirt, Bui used his own finances to print out a hundred shirts.
Bui has spent the last month traveling swing states to sell his shirts and
spread his ideas by yelling on the streets.
"I don't know much about Kerry, but I saw a film of him back in the '70s,
standing in front of Congress. This young soldier that had gone and fought,
saw his comrades die, and came back to tell these people what it meant to
him," Bui said.
Bui believes that Kerry is a genuine candidate, a man that has been there
and seen war. Because of that, Bui believes that Kerry is a better choice
than Bush.
"This year's election is going to be close. If you are unhappy with the
status quo, you need to stop complaining and go out and vote. Vote for
change," Bui said.
(http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=dfae7416a8a5acd67b538905a8b01e25)
******************
October 15, 2004
NEARLY HALF OF
FOREIGN-BORN ADOPTEES ARE ASIAN
By Eugenia Chien, AsianWeek
Asian
children comprise 48 percent of the nearly 258,000 internationally born
children adopted in the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s
first-ever study on adopted children.
Adoptees born in Asia come mainly from South Korea — 22 percent of all
foreign-born adoptees — followed by 9 percent from China and 4 percent each
from India and the Philippines.
The proportion of foreign-born adoptees is unevenly distributed across age
groups. Out of adoptees under 6, 15 percent are from South Korea and 28
percent from China. For adoptees 6 years or older, less than 3 percent are
from China. Thirty-five percent of all foreign adoptees ages 12 to 17 are
from South Korea.
The study, Adopted Children and Stepchildren: 2000, commented on an
increase in the adoption of Chinese children, citing China’s one-child
population policy as a source of the large number of orphan girls.
Specifically, the number of immigrant visas granted to orphans from China
has increased sharply. According to the U.S. State Department, 61 visas were
issued to Chinese orphans in 1991 and 5,053 in 2000.
Adopting foreign children has been made easier with legislation that
increased financial assistance for adoptive families, the study said. The
number of visas issued to orphans coming to the United States has increased
from 7,000 in 1990 to 18,000 in 2000.
About 1 in 6 adopted children is of a different race than the adoptive
parents. The majority (75 percent) of adoptive parents are white; 2 percent
are Asian.
(http://news.asianweek.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=688e4de2eb0edf92b4def6522ab77da9&this_category_id=169)
******************
October 16, 2004
VIETNAMESE AMERICANS MOSTLY IGNOR ‘WAR HERO’ KERRY, SUPPORT BUSH
FALLS CHURCH, Virginia, Oct 17 (AFP) - White House aspirant John Kerry is
hailed by his Democratic Party as a Vietnam War hero but the senator is
waging an uphill battle convincing 1.5 million Vietnamese Americans to vote
for him.
Many of them are expected to vote for incumbent George W. Bush in the
November 2 presidential polls because decorated naval officer Kerry returned
from combat to denounce the United States for going to war against then
communist North Vietnam, community leaders say.
Another reason Vietnamese Americans are reluctant to vote for Kerry, who
spent four months in South Vietnam, is that he blocked legislation intended
to force the current communist government in Vietnam to stop human rights
abuses.
A bill tying US aid to improvement on the human rights record in Vietnam was
passed 410 to 1 in the House of Representatives three years ago but Kerry
blocked it in the Senate, preferring constructive diplomacy.
Following pressure from rights groups which have long charged the communist
regime with smothering all dissent and jailing democracy or human rights
activists, the bill was resuscitated and again passed the House this year
with a 323-45 majority.
The Senate did not endorse it before breaking up for polls.
"Obviously most Vietnamese Americans who lost their homeland to the
communists do not like Senator Kerry because he was antiwar and he
denigrated the cause of the South," said Dan Hoang, representative of an
advocacy group promoting awareness among Vietnamese American voters.
"But the key reason many of them are expected to vote against him in this
election is that he has been very nonsupportive of human rights in Vietnam,
which is by far the most predominant issue of the community here," said
Hoang from the Vietnamese American Public Affairs Committee.
At the Eden shopping centre in Falls Church, one of many business areas that
cater to the large Vietnamese community in northern Virginia, some
establishments displayed posters backing President Bush and running mate
Vice President Dick Cheney.
Kerry's Democratic Party campaigners, who arrived in a van equipped with
loudspeakers to woo shoppers, were told they were in unwelcome territory.
"Kerry, go home. We support Bush," shouted a silver haired ex-military
officer with the South Vietnamese government, suggesting that Kerry had
abetted the communists and caused American prisoners of war to be not
released by his vociferous antiwar campaign on his return from duty.
"We will continue to demand for human rights in our motherland," he said,
repeatedly pointing to a yellow flag with three red stripes fluttering
beside the US Stars and Stripes flag on long poles outside the shopping
center.
The yellow-red flag represented South Vietnam before the nation fell into
enemy hands but Vietnamese American leaders say it is a symbol of resilience
and freedom deeply rooted in the cultural heritage of the community.
They have successfully lobbied 70 US counties and cities and several states
to pass resolutions honoring and recognizing the flag.
"Our simple understanding is that Kerry supports the communist government in
Vietnam. How do you expect us to back a person who supports a brutal regime
from which we fled and risked our lives in the process," said Toam Nguen,
60, a noodle shop owner at Eden Center.
Choked with emotion, he said he had to flee by boat in a perilous journey
with his family to the United States on the eve of the fall of South Vietnam
to the communists in 1975.
"Now you know why I will cast my vote for President Bush? I have also told
my daughter, who is 20 years old, to vote for Mr Bush but I leave it
entirely to her to decide," Nguen said.
While Nguen and other older Vietnamese Americans see Kerry as a turncoat,
many younger voters are more open-minded, Hoang said.
Some are eager to put the war behind them and move on, and this is the group
which is expected to vote for Kerry, political observers say.
Hoang said that initially, Vietnamese Americans were probably overwhelmingly
Republican because of the perception that the party was anti-communist but
over time, younger members of the community became Democrats because of
"social issues."
"I would say the predominance of voter registration is probably still
Republican."
(http://www.turkishpress.com/turkishpress/news.asp?ID=30908)
******************
October 16, 2004
REFUGEE IN 4-WEEK HOLDING
PATTERN
By Bob Pool, Times Staff Writer
He speaks only Jerai, an obscure tribal dialect found in a corner of
Vietnam's Pleiku district.
So for nearly a month, a homesick Vietnamese refugee stranded at Los Angeles
International Airport slept on benches and spent his days silently dreaming
of getting out of Los Angeles.
Then the man, yearning to see relatives in one of Vietnam's Montagnard
villages, was embraced by an unexpected "family" — airport police, airline
employees and others who work at the Tom Bradley International Terminal and
who offered him food and shelter.
The 47-year-old villager has been stuck at the airport since Sept. 20, when
he and two other refugees arrived from Charlotte, N.C., to start the first
leg of an overseas trip they hoped would eventually land them in Ho Chi Minh
City.
Visa problems prevented them from boarding their flight, although the
villager's two friends were eventually able to catch a plane to Cambodia by
way of Taipei, Taiwan.
But the Montagnard was stranded after he lost his refugee passport and his
North Carolina identification card, which were necessary to board an
international flight.
The refugee's dilemma is similar to that of Tom Hanks' character in the
recent film "The Terminal," in which a visitor to the United States is
stranded because of a political coup in his native country.
"But this one's a true story," said Lacy Smith, superintendent of terminal
operations at LAX. "This isn't a movie."
On Friday, Smith and other Bradley Terminal employees and airport officials
continued to feed and house the stranded villager and to try to replace his
missing travel documents.
Airport administrators have withheld the man's name and refused to allow his
face to be photographed at the urging of U.S. immigration officials and
refugee resettlement experts.
Because of the Montagnards' close cooperation with the United States during
the Vietnam War, disclosure of the man's identity "would endanger his life
further" in Vietnam, said Nancy Castles, public relations director for Los
Angeles World Airports, the city agency responsible for running LAX.
"He's been advised by many, many people that he is putting his life in
jeopardy by returning to Vietnam," Castles said. "He's been told it's
dangerous. But he's obsessed about getting home."
Castles, who has driven the man to an airport maintenance facility so he
could wash up in a shower area used by LAX employees, said the Montagnard
was part of a group of 900 Vietnamese refugees resettled in North Carolina
in 2002.
He and his two companions worked as laborers through a Charlotte-based
resettlement organization that Castles said had asked not to be named. But
the trio became homesick for Vietnam and saved up to buy plane tickets.
Because they were Montagnards, the Vietnamese Consulate in Washington
refused to issue them visas to return home. And because they lacked the
proper visas, China Airlines would not allow them aboard its Taiwan-bound
plane Sept. 20, Castles said.
Airport Traveler's Aid workers noticed the three stranded Vietnamese several
days later and arranged a place for them to stay at a downtown Los Angeles
mission and then in the Vietnamese community in Orange County. But both
times the trio quickly returned to the airport.
Along the way, however, the 47-year-old lost his refugee passport and
identification card. He was left behind after his companions were able to
exchange their plane tickets to Vietnam for tickets to nearby Cambodia and
were allowed to take off.
When Airport Police Sgt. Vince Garcia spotted the villager sitting in a
Bradley Terminal waiting area, he summoned a Vietnamese-speaking airport
telecommunications department worker. Although translation proved difficult,
the man's story began to come to light. By this week, his life was starting
to get easier.
Airport police officers began collecting money to pay the man's way to San
Francisco in case he needed to go there to obtain the proper visa. They
found a place near a police security checkpoint where he could sleep at
night and officers could watch over him.
LAX administrators contacted U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to
get a duplicate refugee passport for him and arranged for a cot for him to
sleep on in a little-used room in the Bradley Terminal.
Airport visitor information center representative Geraldine Garcia and her
co-workers brought food from home for the refugee. Others treated him to
meals at terminal restaurants.
"They bought him food twice a day for 3 1/2 weeks — cops and airport people.
He always picks rice and chicken, and sometimes Mongolian or beef broccoli,"
said Faviola Ochoa, a server at the Hamada restaurant.
"Poor dude. He doesn't speak one word of English. He just points. I'm
rooting for him to get home."
Traveler's Aid officials said this stranded-traveler case was like no other
in LAX history.
"It's been the most unusual situation we've dealt with, and we've been at
this airport since 1950," said Christine Okinaga, Traveler's Aid director of
volunteers.
"He's stubborn," she said. "He refuses to go to a hotel. Since he's been
here almost a month, he feels comfortable here."
On Friday, the refugee was clearly appreciative of his benefactors. He was
spending his time watching planes take off and reading his Bible and a small
book designed to teach children English.
Smith, the Bradley Terminal's superintendent, said he planned to move the
man to a more comfortable room during the weekend, after a movie crew
shooting "Otherwise Engaged," starring Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Costner,
finished filming and moved out. The hope is that the man will soon receive
his replacement refugee passport. He plans to go to Cambodia, which shares a
border with Vietnam.
Smith said his unexpected guest's situation was not unlike that of Hanks'
character in "The Terminal" — a movie Smith had not yet seen.
But now, he said, he doesn't have to see it. He's living it.
(http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lax16oct16,1,2671910.story)
******************
October 18, 2004
INCUMBENTS ENJOY READY
FLOW OF FUNDS
State Rep. Talmadge Heflin has raised nearly 14 times as much cash as
opponent
By Janet Elliott
Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau
AUSTIN - State
Rep. Talmadge Heflin, chairman of the Texas House Appropriations Committee,
raised more than a quarter million dollars this summer, more than any other
Republican or Democratic candidate involved in a contested House race.
The Houston Republican, who was first elected to the House in 1982, is one
of the most powerful lawmakers at the Capitol because he holds the purse
strings on the state's $118 billion biennial budget.
So when Heflin stepped up his quest for campaign donations this past summer
in his race against Democrat Hubert Vo, he tapped a ready source of cash
from political action committees and lobbyists representing nearly every
type of business in Texas.
From chiropractors to cable companies, plumbers to pilots, Heflin received
donations from more than 100 different PACs as he raised $270,151 from July
1 to Sept. 23. Vo raised less than $20,000 in that same period.
Money from PACs and law firms accounted for nearly half of the total Heflin
reported in his latest filing with the Texas Ethics Commission.
"Powerful chairmen like that have the ability to attract money and that
money keeps them safe," said Craig McDonald, head of a group that tracks
political donations. "Those people that need access to him can be assured
that he will be there. It's a cycle."
McDonald's group, Texans for Public Justice, last year issued an extensive
report on money in 2002 Texas elections. It found that Austin — home to the
lobby — accounted for 59 percent of money raised in statewide and
legislative races.
According to the report, House candidates raised just 24 percent of their
money within the districts that they represent.
PACs collect money from employees and affiliated individuals for donations
to candidates. Though corporate donations are illegal in Texas, corporate
PACs are allowed to give directly to candidates.
Heflin said he agrees that his status as a veteran lawmaker who chairs the
most powerful committee in the House helps with fund raising.
"It would be foolish to deny that," he said. "Generally, the kind of folks
who fund these races tend to go with who they think the winners are going to
be."
Heflin said he plans to raise $500,000, more than he's ever spent on a race.
Heflin said his races keep getting more expensive, noting that he spent only
$19,000 when he initially ran for the House.
"It's a fact that the Democratic Party put a target on my race to win,"
Heflin said. "That's the reason I felt like we had to run a very aggressive
campaign."
In the three-month period, Vo raised only $18,163 with the largest donation
being $10,000 from Albert Huddleston, a Dallas oilman who has been shopping
his plan for revising the state's school finance and tax systems to
lawmakers.
But Vo, who put $87,500 of his own money into his campaign earlier in the
year, said he's not discouraged. In recent weeks, he has had a fund-raiser
hosted by a board member of Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast
Texas.
Vo said John Sharp, a former state comptroller and a leading Democrat, is
planning an event. In his earlier campaign finance reports, Vo reported a
number of contributions from Vietnamese Americans.
"Whatever it takes to run a professional and grass-roots campaign, we will
do so," said Vo, a real estate investor and developer. "I'm willing to put
my own money in."
The race between Heflin and Vo has been billed as tight largely because of
the demographics of District 149, which includes parts of Alief, West
Houston and Katy.
There are 62 matchups statewide between Republican and Democratic candidates
for seats in the 150-member House of Representatives. Libertarian Party
candidates are on the ballot in a number of races.
Republican and Democratic candidates are facing off in nine of 25 House
districts in Harris County this year. Only Heflin's district and two others
in southwest Houston are considered competitive because the 2001
redistricting.
There are no contested Texas Senate races in the Houston area involving the
two major political parties.
Rep. Scott Hochberg, a Houston Democrat who has served in the House since
1993, raised $59,435. His Republican opponent in District 137, Ann Witt,
reported $92,290 in donations.
Hochberg's biggest donation was $8,500 worth of polling by Texans for
Insurance Reform, a PAC funded by personal injury lawyers.
Witt received $40,000 from Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC, which works to
limit lawsuit damages. Witt did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Another Houston area House candidate Jim Dougherty said it's been "very hard
as a challenger" trying to tap into the political money that almost always
flows to incumbents.
"It's sort of amazing to me how the political action committees, if they're
forthright about it, will tell me they only give money to incumbents," said
Dougherty, a Democrat running against incumbent Martha Wong for District
134.
Dougherty, a lawyer and accountant, raised $23,214 compared to $53,879
reported by Wong. While Wong had contributions from political action
committees representing apartment owners, gun owners and hospitals,
Dougherty's main support came from the River Oaks Area Democratic Women.
The district includes Montrose, River Oaks, Meyerland, West University Place
and Bellaire.
Less than one-fourth of the donations Wong collected during the summer came
from PACs. She said she is having a harder time raising money this year than
she did for her initial race in 2002, although she has $163,523 on hand from
prior fund raising.
Wong, the only Asian-American serving in the House, has received financial
support from Asian communities in Dallas and Austin.
janet.elliott@chron.com
(http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/page1/2852768)
******************
October 18, 2004
VIETNAMESE-OWNED BANK TO OPEN IN SOCAL’S ‘LITTLE SAIGON’
WESTMINSTER, Calif. (AP) -- A plan to create what backers claim will be the
only U.S. bank owned and operated by Vietnamese-Americans has cleared a
regulatory hurdle and is expected to begin operating early next year, the
company's chief executive officer said Monday.
The proposed First Vietnamese American Bank has received approval to begin
organizing itself from the California Department of Financial Institutions,
though it must still get permission from federal regulators and raise
investor capital, said CEO Hieu T. Nguyen.
The bank proposes to focus initially on consumer and business banking
services in Orange County's Little Saigon area, which includes parts of the
cities of Westminster and Garden Grove, but may consider expanding to other
states in the future, Nguyen said at a news conference.
"We're confident that this concept will appeal to the local community and
business owners because it is created by individuals who have a deep
understanding of the Vietnamese culture and the way Vietnamese-Americans
choose to handle financial matters," he said.
The Little Saigon area is home to the largest concentration of people of
Vietnamese descent outside of Vietnam, and many do not use institutions that
are active in the area such as Bank of America or Washington Mutual because
they don't trust banks, do not speak English or lack the credit history
needed to get a loan.
In the past, there have been at least two previous Vietnamese-owned banks in
Little Saigon but those efforts failed. Nguyen said there are also other
banks with investors or directors from Vietnam but none that he is aware of
that are primarily owned and operated by Vietnamese-Americans.
(http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/10/18/state1858EDT0158.DTL)
******************
October 19, 2004
BATTLE FOR
SUPERVISOR SEAT MAKES DEMOCRATS RIVALS
Either Lou Correa or Bruce Broadwater will provide the board's first
partisan diversity since 1987. The race turns on their real differences.
By Jean O. Pasco, Times Staff Writer
It's two weeks before the Nov. 2 election, and the race has begun in earnest
for a seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
Assemblyman Lou Correa (D-Anaheim) and Garden Grove Mayor Bruce Broadwater
are vying for the only open countywide seat. They emerged the top
vote-getters among four candidates in the March primary, with Correa polling
44% and Broadwater 23%.
Both are Democrats, assuring the first partisan diversity in the otherwise
nonpartisan — but all-GOP — board since Supervisor Ralph B. Clark retired in
1987.
But Correa and Broadwater have some clear ideological differences.
Broadwater is campaigning on the issue of fiscal discipline, and he boasts
of restoring his city's financial health without raising taxes. Correa has
the support of law-enforcement unions thankful for his backing of a bill
that resulted in sweetened pension benefits.
The race also pits a younger Latino candidate, whose first elected office
was in Sacramento, against an older member of the county's Democratic
political establishment who draws support from the Vietnamese community.
Correa, 46, said his secret weapon is a dedicated core of campaign
volunteers who began with his first unsuccessful race for Assembly in 1996.
His state district overlaps about 70% of the county district, adding
Westminster and parts of Garden Grove.
"What people in this district want are solutions," Correa said. "They're
interested in things like public education, health care, safe streets,
transportation, jobs. They want to know where the county is headed and
whether it's headed in the right direction."
Broadwater, 65, a deputy state labor commissioner, has banked on his success
in Garden Grove, where he has been mayor for 10 years. During that time, he
said, the city has gone from fiscal instability to $10 million in reserves.
"The state of California is billions of dollars in debt, and [Correa] was
part of the train wreck that made that happen," Broadwater said.
The 1st Supervisorial District includes Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Westminster
and the unincorporated area of Midway City. Its population is 617,000, with
about 194,000 registered voters.
It is the most densely populated of the five supervisorial districts but
consistently has the lowest voter turnout. In the March primary, only 62,000
votes were cast for the four supervisorial candidates.
Democrats have traditionally outnumbered Republicans in the district, though
the numbers have squeaked closer in recent months. Democrats now outnumber
Republicans by just 2,700 registered voters — 40% to 39%. Voters choosing
not to state a party affiliation account for about 17% of those registered.
Though the usual factors are expected to come into play in the election —
name recognition, issues resonating from candidates' mail pieces, the
ability to get supporters to the polls — an ethnic component is also
expected, with Correa drawing Latino votes and Broadwater drawing Vietnamese
voters.
The two have several areas of disagreement: Correa supports a light-rail
line through Santa Ana called CenterLine, and Broadwater opposes it; Correa
voted to allow driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants, and Broadwater
said he opposes licenses for those who "shouldn't be here in the first
place."
Broadwater also said he would fight to undo pension boosts granted by the
county under Correa's bill. Correa said the bill made the increase optional
and noted that Broadwater voted to approve the pension increase for Garden
Grove firefighters — a move the mayor said was necessary to stay competitive
with other departments.
They do share some positions, chiefly that Orange County isn't getting its
fair share of property taxes that were sent to the state. Correa attempted
to give the county a bit more money — $4 million a year — in a bill vetoed
by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Both say in candidate statements that they
will fight for more tax money — a refrain of nearly every supervisorial
candidate for the past 20 years.
Both men also are home-grown politicians: Broadwater and his wife, Peggy,
have lived in Orange County for 33 years and raised two sons. Correa and his
wife, Dr. Esther Reynoso-Correa, have four children and live in Santa Ana.
The Orange County Democratic Party declined to endorse either man. Correa
picked up endorsements from Santa Ana Mayor Miguel A. Pulido, a Democrat,
and Westminster Mayor Margie Rice, a Republican. Outgoing incumbent
Supervisor Chuck Smith, a Republican, also backed Correa.
But Broadwater has been helped by the California Republican Assembly, which
recently mailed a brochure to GOP voters in the district comparing Correa to
former Gov. Gray Davis, who was recalled a year ago.
A separate committee was formed called Republicans for Broadwater.
Consultant Adam Probolsky said he would rather see the more conservative
Broadwater win.
"This a competitive race," he said. "The campaign is being run by people
like me to explain to Republicans in the district that Broadwater is as
close as they can come to our value system."
(http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ocsupes19oct19,1,1760354.story)
******************
About NCVA
Founded in 1986, the National Congress of Vietnamese
Americans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community advocacy
organization working to advance the cause of Vietnamese
Americans in a plural but united America – e pluribus unum –
by participating actively and fully as civic minded citizens
engaged in the areas of education, culture and civil
liberties.
