NCVA REPORTER - October 19, 2004

In this NCVA Reporter:

Events

• Seminar on Vietnamese Americans in California Textbooks – Oct 22, 2004
• Symposium - Viet Nam 2005: Development Futures and Global Integration, Nov 12-13, 2004

Funding Opportunities

• Liemandt Foundation: Hidden Agenda
• NASA Explorer Schools Program
• California Council for the Humanities: Focus on the California Stories Uncovered
• Northrop Grumman Health Solutions: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
• AmeriCorps National Planning Grants
• Fannie Mae Foundation Accepting Nominations for Johnson Fellowships Program
• J. Jill Compassion Fund Offers Funding for Programs Aiding Women and Children

Jobs/Internships

• Applications Invited for William Randolph Hearst Endowed Scholarship for Minority Students
• Carnegie Endowment for Peace Offers Junior Fellowships
• OCA's Gates Millennium Scholars: Program Manager - Student Services

Tips/Resources

• Online Auction Options for Nonprofits Increase
• Building a Better Website

News

• Asian American Stars Target Asian Youth Vote (Viet Weekly)
• Nearly Half of Foreign-born Adoptees Are Asian (Asian Week)
• Vietnamese Americans mostly ignore 'war hero' Kerry, support Bush (Agence France Presse)
• Refugee in 4-Week Holding Pattern (Los Angeles Times)
• Incumbents enjoy ready flow of funds (Houston Chronicle)
• Vietnamese-owned bank to open in SoCal’s ‘Little Saigon’ (Associated Press)
• Battle for Supervisor Seat Makes Democrats Rivals (Los Angeles Times)

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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.

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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)

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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/)

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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/)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)


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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)

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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/)

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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/)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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.