Amy Chanthaphavong

Dolene Simmalavong*

Phailinda Philavan

Claudia Vannithone

* Queen Dolene will be representing the Miss Lao International and ILNYF at the 25th Annual Miss Asian America on August 7, 2010 at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco where Queen Amy will be crowning the next Queen.

Washington, D.C. — OCA, a national Asian Pacific American (APA) social justice organization with over 80 chapters and affiliates, encourages all community members to get screened, vaccinated and learn more about hepatitis B today, on World Hepatitis Day. Asian Pacific Americans are disproportionately affected by hepatitis B, a life-threatening disease that is often undetected.

Approximately one in ten APAs are infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and make up more than half of the 2 million HBV carriers in the United States. Hepatitis B is the cause of 80 percent of all liver cancers worldwide and HBV carriers can transmit the virus unknowingly. Due to the high prevalence of HBV, APAs are 2.4 times more likely to have liver disease than non-Hispanic Whites and have the highest rate of liver cancer among all ethnic groups. Yet studies have shown that more than half of APAs have not been screened or vaccinated for HBV.

OCA calls on community leaders to continue to educate and advocate for the increase of culturally and linguistically appropriate healthcare access.

“Hepatitis B has long been a major issue for our community. OCA continues to work diligently on educating our members and the local APA community about this disease,” said Ken Lee, OCA National President, “OCA promotes the visibility and awareness of hepatitis B through health fairs, discussions, and working in coalition with APA health organizations.”

Today, the HHS Office of Minority Health, the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) and national hepatitis advocacy organizations held a briefing with hepatitis B and C experts and patients to raise awareness and create action around reducing hepatitis transmission.

TAKE ACTION!

Ask Members of Congress to co-sponsor the House and Senate resolutions designating May 19th as World Hepatitis Day and the month of May as National Hepatitis Awareness Month. Call your Member of Congress’s DC office by calling (202) 225-3121 and ask to be connected to your Representative’s or Senator’s office. Once connected, ask to speak to the heath issue staff person. Whether you speak to this person directly, leave a message or e-mail, tell them:

“My name is ____________________ and I’m a constituent of Representative/Senator____________________. I am calling to urge my Member of Congress to co-sponsor a Congressional Resolution designating May 19th as World Hepatitis Day and the month of May as National Hepatitis Awareness Month.

Hepatitis B and C affect over 5 million Americans and is the leading cause of liver cancer, one of the most deadly, expensive, and fastest growing killers of Americans every year, and the leading cause of liver transplants each year. This Resolution is an important, cost-neutral and non-controversial step to increase the much-needed awareness of hepatitis among the American public and our health providers. This is important to me personally because________.

(If calling Rep:) H.RES.1302 was introduced with bipartisan support from Representatives Joseph “Ahn” Cao, Mike Honda, Hank Johnson, Charlie Dent, and Bill Cassidy.

(If calling Senator:) The Senate Resolution is going to be introduced by Senator Diane Feinstein and we need you as a co-sponsor.”

“The current contributions, needs and challenges highlighted in this report indicate the significant role Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders play in the future of Washington,” said CAPAA Executive Director Kendee Yamaguchi, a 2006 graduate of Seattle University School of Law.

Professor Robert Chang, director of the Korematsu Center , said “Collaborating on the report was an ideal project for the center, which strives to advance justice through knowledge and advocacy.”

Highlights include:

• Asian American and Pacific Islanders make up 8.5 percent of Washington ’s population and comprise one of the largest racial minority groups, representing more than 47 distinct populations.
• Pacific Islanders had one of the highest annual high school dropout rates (7.2 percent), and more than 40 percent of Asian American high school students are at risk of academic failure in math.
• Cancer is the leading cause of death among the AAPI community, and there are higher incidence and death rates for lung, breast, cervical, liver and stomach cancer than other populations.
• Washington is among the ten states with the most AAPI-owned small businesses, with receipts of over $6.2 billion. However, on average, for every dollar that a non-minority owned business earns, an Asian-owned business earns between 56 to 59 cents.
• AAPI borrowers in Washington were significantly more likely to receive high-cost home loans than non-Hispanic white borrowers.

“Information is crucial to the delivery of governmental services,” said Elizabeth Lee, an attorney at Perkins Coie and former legislative fellow and field representative in the Office of Congressman Michael M. Honda. Ms. Lee, who took a lead role in the project, added, “This report will help make sure that key decision-makers are aware of the issues and needs of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.”

Staff and volunteers from the Korematsu Center for Law & Equality contributed more than 300 hours of time developing the report.

The report may be downloaded here: http://www.capaa.wa.gov/documents/TheStateofAsianAmericansandPacificIslandersinWashington.pdf

[Source: http://www.capaa. wa.gov/]

The Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage for the first time in 44 years will be focusing on APAs for the 2010 Folklife. Although focusing on APAs from the Greater Washington D.C. area, this event will represent the rich cultural heritage of over 15 million APAs who live in the U.S. The annual festival attracts over a million visitors from around the country and the world, another 6 million visit the website, and about 40 million people learn about it through media coverage.

“Moving from the local to the global, people of Asian and Pacific Islander ancestry make up more than half the world’s population and more than five percent of this country’s population. In our increasingly interdependent world, all of us interact with APAs as business partners, professional colleagues, teammates, family members, and friends. Asian Pacific Americans have moved from the margins to the mainstream of our society, yet few understand the very rich diversity of cultures they represent. The Asian Pacific Americans: Local Lives, Global Ties program will help to promote mutual understanding, respect for diverse cultures, and community pride.” (Source May 6, 2010 website: http://www.festival.si.edu/2010/asian_pacific_americans.aspx)

The Laotian American Folklife 2010 Committee was created on October 24, 2009 in Falls Church Virginia. (http://lana-usa.org/?p=173) The committee was organized for
three purposes. One: to provide a community liaison to the Smithsonian. Two: to help fundraise for the APA Program and Three: to support the participation of Americans of Laotian descent who would like to participate either as performers or volunteers.

We invite Americans of Laotian descent from all over the country, to join us in Washington DC to share in our heritage as Laotians as well as to learn, meet and gather with our legislators, journalists and opinion leaders, to join millions more online to learn about Asian Pacific American heritage and culture and the impact on American society.

LAF 2010 is committed to sharing the traditions of our community, our youth, cooking, accomplishments, our stories and milestones to be recorded in an oral history project that
will be preserved for our descendants in perpetuity in the archives of the Smithsonian.

Laotian American Folklife 2010: Schedule »

Census Takers to Follow Up with About 48 Million Households Nationwide

About 635,000 2010 Census takers across the nation begin going door to door tomorrow to follow up with households that either didn’t mail back their form or didn’t receive one. An estimated 48 million addresses will be visited through July 10.

“America’s had a very successful first half of the 2010 Census, where more than 72 percent of the nation’s households mailed back their census forms,” U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert M. Groves said. “But achieving a complete and accurate census requires us to now go door to door to count all the remaining households we’ve not heard back from.”

If a 2010 Census worker knocks on your door, here are some ways to verify that person is a legitimate census taker:

• The census taker must present an ID badge that contains a Department of Commerce watermark and expiration date.  The census taker may also be carrying a black canvass bag with a Census Bureau logo.
• The census taker will provide you with supervisor contact information and/or the local census office phone number for verification, if asked.
• The census taker will only ask you the questions that appear on the 2010 Census form.

The 2010 Census taker will not ask for social security number, bank account number or credit card number and will never solicit for donations or contact you by e-mail.

In most cases, census workers will make up to six attempts at each housing unit address to count possible residents.  This includes leaving notifications of the attempted visit at the house or apartment door, in addition to trying to reach the household by phone to conduct the interview or schedule an in-person interview.

“If a census taker knocks on your door, please help by providing the basic information required for the census,” Groves said. “Your answers are strictly confidential. There are just 10 questions on the form and it should only take about 10 minutes to complete.”

Census takers will go to great lengths to ensure that no one is missed in the census. After exhausting their efforts to do an in-person interview with a resident of an occupied housing unit, they will seek out proxy sources — a neighbor, a rental agent, a building manager or some other knowledgeable person familiar with the housing unit — to obtain as much basic information about the occupants as they can.

Some households will receive a visit even though they may have mailed back their form. If the form arrived too late to be processed before nonresponse follow-up packets were sent to one of the 494 local census offices, the household occupants must still be interviewed when the census taker arrives. The Census Bureau is urging cooperation and patience with the census takers, as this is the best way to ensure that everyone is counted properly.

Households that didn’t receive a form by mail, including those that pick up their mail from post office boxes, will be visited by census workers as part of the follow-up plan. The Census Bureau doesn’t mail forms to post office boxes because responses must be associated with a specific residence location, not the post office box location.

The part-time, temporary census workers are hired from the communities they serve to obtain the remaining census responses. Census workers are your neighbors; they are familiar with the neighborhood and are working to ensure that it is accurately and completely represented.

The Census Bureau has stringent systems in place to ensure that people can feel safe when they open their door to a census taker. All census takers undergo an FBI background check that includes both name and fingerprint checks. All have taken an oath for life to protect the information they collect and understand that they face stiff penalties, jail time or both for any disclosure of personally identifiable information.

Note that the Census Bureau conducts several surveys in addition to the 2010 Census. For example, the American Community Survey is sent to approximately 3 million households annually and also involves follow-up from census workers. More information about the American Community Survey can be found on the Census Bureau Web site <www.census.gov/acs>.

ABOUT THE 2010 CENSUS

The 2010 Census is a count of everyone living in the United States and is mandated by the U.S. Constitution. Census data are used to apportion Congressional seats to states, to distribute more than $400 billion in federal funds to tribal, state and local governments each year and to make decisions about what community services to provide. The 2010 Census questionnaire will be one of the shortest in U.S. history and consists of 10 questions, taking about 10 minutes to complete. Strict confidentiality laws protect the respondents and the information they provide.

Dolene is an apparel design and merchandising student at San Francisco State University. She is 19-years old, the first ever Miss Lao International.

She says, “I’m proud and honored and look forward to representing the International Lao New Year Festival (ILNYF) organization and Laotian American community.”

Dolene’s win has earned her a seat as a contestant sponsored by ILNYF at the 25th Annual Miss Asian America Pageant at the iconic Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco on Saturday, August 7, 2010.

Miss Asian America 2009-2010 Queen Amy Chanthaphavong, who was the first ever Miss Asian America of Laotian descent had the privilege of crowning Dolene at the Whitcomb Ballroom, and said she would be more than happy to crown Dolene as the next Miss Asian America Queen.

Joining Dolene in the court is 1st Princess, 23-year old Aleta Rattanasith, a Research Assistant at Oakland Unified School District and 2nd Princess, 22-year old Busaba Sisounthone, a Shiseido at Macy’s Beauty Consultant in Yuba City, CA.

The event was sold out and highly successful. The MLIP organizing committee hopes this year’s success will increase a larger pool of applicants and contestants to be part of the 2nd Annual Miss Lao International on Saturday April 9, 2011. Eventually, we hope to bring Lao Queens from all over the world to San Francisco to truly make this an annual International pageant, to show the world the beauty, grace, poise, intellect, and uniqueness & essence of Lao women.

Be a part of history! The Laotian American National Alliance invites you to the first national conference for the Laotian American community, “Yesterday, Today, and Building a Better Tomorrow!” Come meet our expert panelists and share your ideas about preserving our cultures, our languages, and our stories.

Join us at this two-day conference as we discuss coalition building and learn about the potential effects of upcoming immigration laws on our community, the long term effects of mental health, the issues surrounding socio-economic justice. Discover long term effects of education on the well being of our community.

This is a wonderful opportunity for everyone to come together in sharing ideas; hear first-hand accounts of the ‘Secret War’ in Laos from Laotian veterans; network, learn, share and collaborate for the betterment of the greater Laotian American community.

WHO:

• Karen Narasaki, Asian American Justice Center
  Key Note Speaker
• Howard Houmpheng Phengsomphone, Lao Association of Connecticut (LAC)
  Speaker, Lao History and Language Preservation
• Daphne Kwok, Asians & Pacific Islanders with Disabilities of California (APIDC)
  Speaker, Community Organizing and National Development
• Major General Khambang Sibounheuang (Ret.), United States Army Intelligence
  Speaker, Lao History and the ‘Secret War’ in Laos
• Congressman Mike Honda, 15th Congressional District of California
  Special Guest Speaker

* And Other Expert Panelists

WHERE:

• Hotel Whitcomb, Grand Ballroom
  1231 Market Street
  San Francisco, CA 94103
  Tel: 415-626-8000

WHEN:

• Thur, April 8th and Fri, April 9th

The two day conference will start at 9:00 A.M. and end by 6:00 P.M.

* Special event held on Thursday, April 8th: Reception to honor our unsung heroes, the Laotian Veterans of the Secret War in Laos following the workshops in the Grand Ballroom at Hotel Whitcomb.

This is an open invitation event. However, any donations are greatly appreciated. For more info, please contact Anasone Silivongsay via email (laoteacher@gmail.com) or phone (928-550-2930).

ABOUT LANA
Founded in 1999, LANA remains the only national voice for social justice, civil rights advocacy, public education, and leadership to all Laotian Americans in the United States. Since 1988, LANA roots evolved from the Lao Associations of America. The idea for a Laotian national organization was born at the National Association for the Education and Advancement of Cambodians, Laotians, and Vietnamese Conference in 1997. LANA is a non-partisan and non-religious affiliated 501(c) (3) organization led by Laotian Americans from all parts of the United States.

Website: http://lana-usa.org

Doua Thor, Executive Director of SEARAC, states:  “We know that Cambodian, Hmong, Lao and Vietnamese Americans were undercounted in the 2000 Census due to language barriers, not understanding the purpose of the Census, and mistrust of government due to historical persecution in their native countries. The combined education efforts of the Southeast Asian American community nationally this time around will help ensure a much more accurate count.”

To bring attention to the importance of filling out the Census form, Vietnamese American Young Leaders of New Orleans (VAYLA-NO) is organizing a “Crawfish Boil” on April 10 in partnership with the Mary Queen of Vietnam Community Development Center (MQVN-CDC), Moving Forward Gulf Coast, Inc., and Vietnamese Initiatives in Economic Training (VIET). According to Minh Nguyen, Executive Director of VAYLA-NO, “This event is about celebrating our community and being proud to be counted. It’s important that everyone be counted for the fair allocation of resources.” Tuan Nguyen, Deputy Director of MQVN, added: “We have been a quiet and traditionally undercounted community, but Hurricane Katrina really woke us up and made us realize that our voices need to be heard. We do a lot of community development work for the underserved communities in this area, and it is important that our community is counted to ensure we have the resources to continue that work.”

The Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia (CAGP) has promoted the Census at many events since April of last year. They hired two part-time staff to assist with outreach, organized a canvassing effort to reach low-response areas, and will begin phone banking today to encourage families to return their forms. Rorng Sorn, Executive Director of CAGP, believes that these efforts have been reaching the community: “Many people come to realize the importance of the Census through our education efforts. We are seeing more people come to our office and ask for assistance.  Some have even said, ‘I’m sorry, I threw away my form, how do I get a new one?’ We’ve been so fortunate to be able to help people in this way.”

Hmong American Partnership (HAP) is doing similar work in Minnesota with the Hmong and newer immigrant and refugee communities. Creative efforts that the organization has employed to assist with the Census includes setting up an in-language hotline to help answer questions and visiting local Asian grocery stores to post translated posters and fliers. Ruth Pechmann, a Project Specialist who works on the Census at HAP said, “We are reaching the community in a way that the Census Bureau by itself wouldn’t be able to do because we have relationships and connections with the local community. When people see that others in their community are participating in the Census, they are more likely to do so as well.”

The Laotian American community will use their New Year gatherings happening all across the country throughout the month of April as one way of getting out the word about Census. According to Laotian American National Alliance (LANA) CEO, Sirch Chanthyasack, “LANA has taken a leadership role in providing Lao language translation for PSAs and print materials. The message we want to get out to our communities is that the Census form is easy, safe, and important.” Sunny Chanthanouvong, Executive Director of Lao Assistance Center of Minnesota, added: “Community members feel more comfortable filling out their forms because we’re helping to send out the message about the importance of the Census, and they trust us. It’s important that we are counted so that others will see that we are here, we are part of this country, and we contribute to the economy. We’re not just visitors, but we are part of American society.”

SEARAC and additional partners who are working on Census outreach in the Southeast Asian American community include but are not limited to:

• BPSOS
• Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia
• Cambodian Community Development, Inc.
• Fresno Center for New Americans
• Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries
• Hmong American Partnership
• Hmong Women’s Heritage Association
• Khmer Girls in Action
• Khmer Youth of Modesto
• Lao American Women Association
• Lao Assistance Center of Minnesota
• Lao Family Community of Stockton
• Laotian-American Community of Fresno
• Laotian American National Alliance
• Maryland Vietnamese Mutual Association
• Mary Queen of Vietnam Community Development Center
• National Alliance of Vietnamese American Service Agencies
• Newcomer Community Service Center
• The Bridge Community Center
• Vietnamese American Community Center of the East Bay
• Vietnamese American Young Leaders of New Orleans
• Vietnamese Initiatives in Economic Training

Community groups’ efforts will continue throughout April and into the months of May and June to ensure an accurate count of the Southeast Asian American community.

Congressman Joseph Ahn Cao (R-LA) and Congressman Mike Honda (D-Ca) will be speaking about the significance of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, sharing their personal stories about growing up as an APA, and recount their road to a career in public service to serve all Americans.

FNAS and partners also announce an essay contest for high school students to explore the theme “We are America: Growing up Asian Pacific American in the U.S. South.” Essay must be no more than two-typed pages, include research from the National Archives, and include a photograph of the student and submitted by Monday, April 12, 2010. Contest winners will attend the May 1st symposium to receive their award and gift from the National Archives. Winning essays will be displayed on May 1st symposium. For more information, see https://sites.google.com/site/apahmatlanta.

The May 1st symposium will also feature John Jung, professor and author of “Southern Fried Rice: Growing Up in a Chinese Laundry in the Deep South;” a National Archives expert on Chinese Exclusion era records; workshops on preserving the histories of families and community organizations by the UGA Russell Library and research resources at the National Archives; and a special exhibit of Asian Pacific American-related documents at the National Archives.

FNAS looks forward to this partnership to introduce the rich resources available at the National Archives that are availableto research the diverse histories of Asian Pacific American communities in the Southeastern region which includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Partner organizations: Friends of the National Archives Southeast Region, National Archives at Atlanta, Asian AmericanHeritage Foundation (AAHF), Asian/Pacific-American Council of Georgia (APAC), Culture Connect, JACL Southeast Chapter, Korean American Coalition Atlanta (KAC Atlanta), Laotian American National Alliance (LANA), National Association of Asian American Professionals – Atlanta (NAAAP Atlanta), OCA Georgia, and UGA Russell Library for Political Studies and Research

[Source: Friends of the National Archives Southeast Region]

For more than a century, Asians have overcome obstacles to make significant contributions in both America and Canada. Their contributions have added tremendously to the success and prosperity of North America. NAAAP is a leadership development organization that provides a broad range of professional and educational services. It is only fitting then, that NAAAP recognizes leaders who exemplify our vision and mission. NAAAP is paying tribute to these leaders by creating a NAAAP 100 Recognition Program.

Nominations for the 2010 NAAAP 100 program are now open! Please download the nomination form and send the completed nominations to naaap100@naaap.org. Due to popular demand, the deadline for the 2010 nominations has been extended to Thursday, April 15th.

2010 NAAAP 100 Nomination Form

For 2009, NAAAP selected the following as recipients of the NAAAP 100 recognition program:

• The Honorable Elaine L. Chao, Secretary of Labor
• David Henry Hwang, Playwright
• J.D. Hokoyama, President and CEO of Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Inc. (LEAP)
• Bill Imada, Chairman and CEO of IW Group
• Paul Lee, Esq., Partner of Goodwin Proctor
• Maya Lin, Artist and Architect

These winners join our previous NAAAP 100 recipients:

• Scott Oki, Founder and Chairman of Oki Developments, Inc.
• David Lum, Motorola, Director of Asia/Pacific Product & Support Operations, Government & Public Safety

You can read the online version of our magazine “Asian Leaders” and read their inspiring stories now.

[Source: The National Association of Asian American Professionals]

The U.S. Census Bureau is organizing a massive 2010 Census promotional event - March to the Mailbox (M2M) – in a final effort to boost mail-back rates in hard-to-count communities before personal visits to unresponsive households start on May 1 (Nonresponse Follow-Up operation).

By April 1, the agency will identify roughly 6,000 low-responding census tracts, with local and regional Partnership Specialists working with community-based “partner organizations” to confirm that partners are willing to help mobilize local leaders and volunteers for events on Saturday, April 10 (recommended date). The Census Bureau will provide promotional materials – including hats, t-shirts, parade banners, fliers, lawn signs, and other items – and will add radio advertising in these communities in the week leading up to the activities. The agency’s goal is to mobilize one million volunteers across the country to participate in highly visible events.

The Census Bureau has prepared a one-page fact sheet and a toolkit to help partner organizations in affected communities plan their events. Both resources are now available on the 2010 census website. The toolkit includes suggested messages for partners to highlight, ideas for city- or community-wide activities to draw attention to the final mail-back campaign, tips for inviting media coverage, a list of toolbox items that each participating community will receive, and other relevant information.

Messaging ideas:

The Census Bureau is encouraging its partner organizations to emphasize the following messages during April events:

• Today, We Count
• Fill It Out, Mail It Back
• If you have already mailed back your census form, thank you!

Other messages to consider, especially for historically hard-to-count populations:

• Mail it back by April 19, and no one from the government will come to your door!
• It’s not too late!

Final tips:

• The M2M campaign is designed for local, not national, census partners. National partners – including nonprofits, service providers, businesses, and faith institutions – should share this information with their community-based affiliates and franchises and encourage their participation in these events. County and municipal officials should support these efforts, by issuing appropriate permits and offering other available resources (such as fire trucks for parades), as fully as possible.
• Partner organizations should not call Census Bureau headquarters for M2M promotional materials. The regional and local census offices, through Partnership Specialists, will provide toolbox items to organizers of each M2M event.
• Community groups should distribute easy-to-understand materials telling people what to do if they misplaced or lost or did not receive their census form. The Leadership Conference Education Fund’s collaborative census campaign will post a downloadable flier with this information before the M2M events.
• PARTICIPATE! This mobilization is an important opportunity for 2010 Census Partners to demonstrate the value of their participation in the Census Communications Campaign, especially with respect to improving response in historically hard-to-count communities.

The national “participation rate” posted on March 25 was 29 percent. (Remember, there is a 24-hour delay in posting response rates, to allow Census staff to confirm the numbers reported from the regions.) Let’s redouble our efforts to improve participation through the mail in the hardest to count neighborhoods next month!

[Source: The Census Project]

Washington, DC — OCA, a national Asian Pacific American (APA) social justice organization with over 80 chapters and affiliates, is pleased with last night’s passage of health care reform legislation by the United States House of Representatives. Over 30 million Americans, including many APAs, will have for access to affordable health care for the first time and all Americans will benefit from changes to the health care system.

“OCA applauds Congress for taking this historic leap toward providing quality and affordable health care to all Americans,” said Ken Lee, OCA National President. “This is wonderful for the Asian Pacific American community, which includes a high percentage of families, individuals and entrepreneurs who currently have no meaningful access to health insurance.”

Once signed into law, the bill will extend health insurance coverage to as many as 32 million currently uninsured Americans. The legislation includes expanded support for community health centers, which is crucial for preventive and low-cost care. With disproportionately high rates of Hepatitis B and liver cancer in the APA community, these vital changes are a step towards closing the gap in health disparities for minority populations.

“OCA looks forward to the signing of the Health Care bill by President Barack Obama tomorrow and the continued national conversation on how to build healthy communities,” said OCA Executive Director George Wu. “OCA strongly believes additional improvements to the American health care system will be needed, especially lifting the five-year bar on access to Medicaid for legal permanent residents.”

Founded in 1973 and headquartered in Washington, DC, OCA’s mission is to advance the social, political and economic well-being of APAs. In addition to engaging local communities on health care reform, OCA has worked closely with the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, the National Coalition on Health Care, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Through support from the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum, OCA chapters led dialogues around the country on health access and disparities with community members and congressional leaders.

• House Passes Historic Health Care Reform Legislation (SEARC)
• The Health Care Bill and the Asian American Community (JACL)