Election Protection Program: Volunteers Needed
We received the following request for volunteers from the Grace Meng for Congress Campaign:
My name is Michael Fleischman; I am organizing the election protection program for Grace Meng’s campaign for Congress this upcoming Tuesday, June 26. Grace would be the first Asian American elected to Congress on the east coast. We expect to have an influx of first-time voters who may face difficulties at the polls. As you know, this is a civil rights issue.
We are recruiting volunteers to serve as poll watchers on Election Day. We have great needs generally, and the greatest needs during the times that you and other voters are likely not to be working – early morning and evening. The target locations are primarily near Bayside and Elmhurst, and we will providing more guidance to volunteers in the coming days. We want to make sure that everyone who wants to vote and is eligible to vote is indeed able to vote, and we need your help to make sure that happens. Please contact me at [email protected] or 201-993-3323 if you can be of assistance. Thank you very much in advance.
Please respond directly to Michael if you can help. Thank you!
Commission Currently Soliciting Candidates for Upcoming Vacancy on the Court of Appeals
Commission Currently Soliciting Candidates for Upcoming Vacancy on the Court of Appeals
The Commission on Judicial Nominations is currently soliciting candidates for the upcoming vacancy on the Court of Appeals that will occur as of January 1, 2013, upon the retirement of Senior Associate Judge Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick. To obtain an application, please follow this link, where you can download a PDF after entering your name and email address. Applications are due to the Commission no later than August 1, 2012.
Candidates for the upcoming vacancy may download an application from the Commission’s website, www.nysegov.com/cjn. The deadline to submit applications is August 1, 2012. In addition to this vacancy, there will be a number of scheduled vacancies arising at the Court of Appeals over the next several years. Applicants will also have the option to request that their applications be considered by the Commission for such future, scheduled vacancies. Persons interested in learning more about the Commission on Judicial Nomination are encouraged to visit the Commission’s website: www.nysegov.com/cjn
LEAP’s Statement on Pew’s Research Study on Asian Americans
Statement from Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Inc. (LEAP) on Pew’s Research Study on Asian Americans
Los Angeles, California June 20, 2012 – LEAP is encouraged by the Pew Research Center’s first step to study the important and burgeoning Asian American community in their recent study The Rise of Asian Americans. While their research on the community paints a rosy picture, the Asian American community is not monolithic and many segments of the population, who were featured only as “other”, face a significantly more difficult climb.
The study clearly identifies the importance of job and career success to Asian Americans and that they do not believe that being Asian makes no difference to school admission or hiring and promotion decisions. Yet, for Asian Americans at the highest levels of leadership in corporate America, academia, government, nonprofits and foundations, the actual numbers paint a completely different picture.
LEAP’s own research studies, launched in 2009 to measure current Asian and Pacific Islander (API) representation at the highest levels of leadership positions in different sectors of U.S. society, found that although APIs are the fastest growing minority group and a vital part of the nation’s talent pipeline, APIs remain one of the least represented groups in leadership roles:
Fortune 100:
• In 2011, only 30 companies had API representation on their boards
• 29 API directors held 32 board seats out of 1,211 total seats
• 2 out of 100 CEOs were of API descent
Top 100 Nonprofits:
• In 2011, only 47 nonprofits had API representation on their boards
• 75 API directors held 78 board seats out of 3,051 total seats
• No API served as CEO
Top 100 Foundations:
• In 2010, only 24 Foundations had API representation on their boards
• 36 API directors held 37 board seats out of 748 total seats
• No API served as CEO
Further findings on executive suite representation will be shared by LEAP on June 27, 2012 when the sixth and newest leadership series report, API Executive Officers and Top Earners in the Fortune 500 is released.
We strongly encourage the Center to dive deeper in their future reports addressing Asian Americans and report on much needed disaggregated data research and analysis to paint a clearer and more complete picture of the vast diversity of issues affecting differently all subgroups that make up this community.
About LEAP:
Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Inc. (LEAP) is a national organization founded in 1982 with a mission to achieve full participation and equality for Asian and Pacific Islanders (API) through leadership, empowerment and policy. With original programs in leadership training, public policy research and community education, LEAP raises the impact and visibility of APIs in all sectors. LEAP is headquartered in Los Angeles and has an office in Washington, DC.
CONTACT: Rima K. Matsumoto
VP, Research & Strategic Alliances
Tel. (202) 412-4190
[email protected]
www.leap.org
NCAPA Responds to Pew Research Center Study on Asians Americans
NCAPA Responds to Pew Research Center Study on Asians Americans
On the heels of the Pew Research Center study on the Rise of Asian Americans (see this post and this one), the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans has issued a response. Here is an excerpt:
The Pew Research Center’s study is an important conversation starter, but it should be balanced with a comprehensive understanding of community-based needs and concerns facing Asian Americans. We must acknowledge that there are a wide range of issues and concerns related to the economy, civil rights, and immigration that are on the minds of our communities. We need to move beyond one-dimensional narratives of exceptionalism about Asian Americans in order to better understand and address the diverse experiences facing our community members. NCAPA is committed to collaborating with researchers and policymakers to ensure that accurate and balanced information is provided about Asian American communities.
To read the entire statement click on the link in the title.
NYT: Asians surpass Hispanics as Biggest Wave of Immigrants
NYT: Asians surpass Hispanics as Biggest Wave of Immigrants
Elsewhere in this blog, I posted the msnbc.com report that according to the Pew Research Center, Asians are happier than the general public. The New York Times apparently ignored that part of the report and focused on Asians surpassing Hispanics, pointing to immigration enforcement and declining Mexican birth rates as possible reasons. Are the finding of this latest study good news or bad news for Asians? What can we anticipate from these statistics showing Asian Americans to be the largest growing immigrant group in the USA today?
LA Times: House Apologizes for Chinese Exclusion Acts
LA Times: House Apologizes for Chinese Exclusion Acts
On June 18, the US House of Representatives approved a resolution sponsored by Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), the first Chinese-American woman elected to Congress, expressing regret for passing discriminatory legislation targeting Chinese immigrants. The resolution expressly stated that nothing in it should be construed as a call for reparations.
“We must finally and formally acknowledge these ugly laws that were incompatible with America’s founding principles,” [stated Rep. Chu.] “By doing so, we will acknowledge that discrimination has no place in our society.”
ABA Reports Just Over Half of 2011 Class Found F/T Jobs
ABA Reports Just Over Half of 2011 Class Found F/T Jobs
As another class of young lawyers graduates, the ABA releases employment figures showing that only 55% of the class of 2011 secured full-time legal employment. Law school continues to prove to be not such a great educational investment. And the article does not offer any light at the end of the tunnel. Good luck to all the job seekers out there. Try to take advantage of networking opportunities offered by bar associations – whether or not you are currently employed. You never know where those contacts might lead you.
Survey says Asian Americans are Happiest
Survey says Asian Americans are Happiest
This morning, I received a link to the above article on msnbc.com reporting on the findings of a Pew Research Center survey indicating that, compared with the general population, Asian Americans are more satisfied with their lives and the nation’s direction.
Do you agree with the findings? Do the survey results paint too rosy a picture? Do they help perpetuate the Model Minority Myth? Please share your thoughts and comments.
