Indiana Civic Leadership USA Forum

UCA’s first Civic Leadership Forum in 2018, sponsored by Civic Leadership UCA, will be convened at Renaissance Hotel in Carmel, Indianna on September 15th, 2018.

MEDIA RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Contact:  Rogene Gee Calvert rg-calvert@sbcglobal.net, 832-723-4508 or Steven Pei peiuh8@gmail.com, 832-228-1161

The Impact of Espionage Investigations on The Asian American Community

A dialogue with the FBI, Attorneys and Academic and Community Leaders

Houston- A group of national and local Asian American organizations will hold an educational forum on Saturday, September 22, 2018 from 10 am to 3 pm at the Crowne Plaza Suites, 9090 Southwest Freeway @ Gessner.  It is free and open to the public, but space is limited, and reservations are required at  http://bit.ly/2018ESPForum.

This educational forum will provide the opportunity for the Asian American community to have a direct dialogue with FBI, attorneys and academic and community leaders. The important and potentially dangerous impacts of the economic espionage act and other related policies and how Asian Americans can protect themselves and their institutions will be discussed.

WHY IS THIS ISSUE SO IMPORTANT TO OUR COMMUNITY?

In recent years, a number of innocent American citizens of Asian descent have been falsely accused of espionage. On August 26, 2018, CBS 60 Minutes broadcasted “Collateral Damage,” about two American scientists, Sherry Chen and Xiaoxing Xi, whose lives were turned upside down by such accusations. Indeed, Sherry Chen was fired for untrustworthiness after she was exonerated.  Disregarding the order by the Chief Administrative Judge of the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board to reinstate Sherry Chen to her position on Apr. 23, 2018 and a letter signed by over 30 Members of Congress that was sent to the Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Commerce still refused to return Sherry Chen to her previous position back since she was taken from her office on Oct. 20, 2014.  Although Sherry Chen and Xiaoxing Xi may appear to be isolated incidents, a recent study published by the Committee of 100, suggests that as many as 1 in 5 people of Asian heritage accused of espionage may be innocent.

In developing this forum, the organizing committee intended that it should inform and educate the Asian community on how to prevent such situations to befall them, especially to those in positions in the government, business, research and academic sectors.

The forum will be divided into two panels with a complimentary lunch.  The morning panel discussion will be comprised of a panel moderated by Hon. Gordon Quan, former Houston City Council member and immigration attorney.  The panel is comprised of Attorney Andrew Kim who co-authored a white paper on “Prosecuting Chinese Spies: An Empirical Analysis of the Economic Espionage Act”; FBI Special Agent Michael Morgan, who worked on espionage and media leak investigations and was appointed the FBI Strategic Partnership Coordinator for the Houston Division; and Kent Schaffer, an experienced defense attorney who is familiar with federal court procedures.  (Video or audio recording are NOT allowed during the morning panel.)

Nelson Dong, a member of the Committee of 100, will be the key note speaker at lunch. Mr. Dong is a partner in Dorsey’s Corporate group, Chair of the National Security Law practice, co-Chair of the Asia-Pacific practice and a leading expert in domestic and international technology and intellectual property.  The afternoon panel discussion will be joined by leaders of Texas higher education, including Dr. Da Hsuan Feng, former Vice President for Research at the University of Texas at Dallas who will moderate; Dr. Juan Sanchez, Temple Foundation Endowed Professor and former Vice President for Research at the University of Texas at Austin; George Wu, Partner at McAndrew’s Held & Malloy LTD and Nelson Dong, who will serve as panelists.

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National Sponsors

United Chinese Americans
Civic Leadership USA
Committee of 100

Platinum Sponsor

  Crowne Plaza Suites Houston – Near Sugar Land

Gold sponsors

 Alice and Mark Lee
Chinese Professional Club–Houston
Houston Chinese Alliance
OCA Greater Houston
U.S. Chinese People’s Friendship Assoc. Houston Chapter

Silver Sponsors

Asian American Bar Association Asian American Bar Assoc. of Houston
Asian Pacific American Public Affairs, Houston Texas Chapter
Chinese American Citizens Alliance Houston Lodge
Helen Yeh
Tom Ing

Friends

Chinese American Petroleum Assoc.
Chinese Civic Center
Houston 80-20 Asian American PAC
Houston Chinese Faculty Association
Houston Community College Chinese Students and Scholars Association
University of Houston Chinese Students and Scholars Association

Welcome Our New Community Partner!

UCA welcomes our newest community partner: Massachusetts General Hospital MGH Center for Cross-Cultural Student Emotional Wellness, an affiliate of MGH, with Harvard Medical School affiliated doctors! UCA partnered with the Center in 2017 for “Asian Parents, American Children” parenting conference in Chicago , and they will be speaking again at “2018 Chinese American Convention” next month. UCA will continue to join efforts to promote Asian American youth mental health to fulfill our mission for youth development and to “Serve, Lead, and Inspire” our community! Please visit their website www.mghstudentwellness.org

Welcome to UCA! 

UCA关于媒体报道的特朗普总统指控在美中国学生是间谍的声明

2018年8月9日  华盛顿 哥伦比亚特区

美国华人联合会（UCA），一个全国性的华裔美国人组织，为近日多家报道于8月7日在新泽西举行的私人晚宴中唐纳德·特朗普总统的表态深感忧虑。在这次与公司高管们的晚宴中，特朗普总统以警戒的语言声称，中国留学生多数都是中国间谍。对于整个族裔的贬低和角色成见，是非常错误的、也是背离美国精神的，尤其是当这种言论是来源于我们的国家领导层时格外令人不安，无论这言论是来自白宫、国会还是联邦调查局。我们这个国家根本就不应该存在这样的对话。 Continue reading →

2018 Chinese American Convention Online Fundraising Drive

August 6th, 2018.  Washington, DC

Today, UCA is launching its once a year online tax-deductible fundraising drive for the 2018 Chinese American Convention and UCA operating fund for 2019.

Thanks to our passionate members and friends all over the country, our community had a great inaugural Chinese American Convention in 2016. Since its incorporation in 2017, UCA has grown to be a national federation with 7 chapters, over 14 community partners and many more members. We have since led several nationwide initiatives and projects, positively impacting our community and elevating her standing in the larger society.

Now, UCA has entered into its most critical second year and the most critical second Convention, which is only about 50 days away. Please consider generously giving the Convention and UCA a helping hand! It will be one of the best investments you have ever made: a lifeline to make sure our children and our community will have a better future! Thank you so much for your generosity and your trust in us!

Today, we start the fundraising drive with a goal of raising $100,000, and with a special promotion: 1) if you donate $500 or more now, you will become a UCA lifetime member plus one free hotel night at the Convention (all hotel free nights for the promotion are non-transferable); 2) if you donate $1,000 or more now, you will become a UCA founding member plus two free hotel nights at the Convention; if you donate $2,500 or more now, you will become a UCA founding member plus three hotel nights at the Convention and one free Convention registration; if you donate $5,000 or more now, you will become a UCA founder plus three hotel nights, two free registrations, and the benefits associated with being a $5,000 level Convention sponsor. You will need to book the Convention hotel room by yourself and UCA will reimburse you for the hotel room night(s) you have booked when you go to the Convention.

For donor and sponsor benefits, please refer to the table . Contact information: for sponsorship, please email lily.chen@ucausa.org; for donor & member services and hotel related inquiries, please email: info@ucausa.org.

How to make a donation:

1) Online donation and payment via PayPal: info@u-c-a.org or info@ucausa.org; by credit card/debit card: https://ucausa.org/our-supporters/donate-to-uca/

2) Check donation: make check payable to United Chinese Americans (UCA) and mail the check to: 1050 Connecticut Ave NW. Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036. Please write your email address on the memo line of your check

3) Stock/brokerage account donation: please contact Yan Bellantoni at ybella88@gmail.com

4) Wire transfer donation: please contact: Dr. Ray Liang, Treasurer, treasurer@ucausa.org

UCA is a non-profit, non partisan 501 (c) (3) organization, with Tax ID: #82-1111498.

UCA Statement on DOC Appeal Decision Against Sherry Chen

June 19th, 2018.  Washington, DC

Today is a sad day for Sherry Chen. It is a sad day for Chinese and Asian Americans. Above all, it is a sad day for American justice and fairness.

Department of Commerce (DOC) has just filed today an appeal on the Sherry Chen ruling before MSPB, a federal administrative board which has just ruled in Sherry Chen’s favor. By doing so, DOC attempts to defend its indefensible decisions of firing Sherry Chen, an award-winning federal hydrologist and naturalized Chinese American, after she was cleared of any criminal charges brought against her by the Federal government.

Defying the court ruling against the government, defying the Congressional outrage over the way DOC has handled the case, defying many troubling revelations exposed by the national media, defying the loud outcry from scientific, human rights and Asian American communities, DOC officials have chosen to continue on the wrong path they followed from the very beginning of Sherry Chen saga: they unlawfully profiled her because of her country of origin; they falsely accused her with spy-related charges and they vindictively fired her for trumped up reasons that no fair minded Americans would comprehend or agree. Just as MSPB judge stated in her long and detailed ruling: Sherry Chen is “victim of a gross injustice”.

This appeal decision is simply outrageous. It will do further harm to Sherry Chen in her sixth year Odyssean fight against government by delaying her deserved justice; it piles one mistake upon another by DOC officials; it further damages the public trust placed in our government instead of restoring it; it is a total waste of taxpayer money to save the face of a few; above all, it is a sheer mockery of American justice and fairness.

United Chinese Americans (UCA) has, from day one, come to the defense of Sherry Chen and other Chinese Americans when their civil rights are being trampled or threatened. We have rallied our communities to support Sherry Chen across the country. We have worked with the press, other Asian American organizations, and US Congress to press for the case of Sherry Chen. Today, we call on our communities to redouble its efforts to support Sherry Chen by contacting elected officials, media, and any concerned organizations to demand that DOC officials reverse this wrongful decision immediately.

The saga of Sherry Chen fighting for her justice is shaping up to be another milestone and critical moment for Chinese and Asian Americans. For its part, UCA shall continue to support and fight for Sherry Chen until the day justice prevails for Sherry Chen and for our communities.

美国华人联合会 (UCA)对美国商务部上诉MSPB裁决的声明

美国首都华盛顿 2018年6月18日

今天是陈霞芬女士悲伤的一天；今天是令华人及亚裔美国人痛心的一天。今天，对于美国正义和公平更是可悲的一天。

美国商务部（DOC）宣布，他们将对美国联邦考绩委员会（MSPB）做出的陈霞芬部分胜诉的裁决提出上诉。陈霞芬是一位屡获国家荣誉、并早已入籍美国的华裔水文专家。两年前，政府在撤销了她的从事间谍活动的刑事指控后却被美国商务部无辜解雇。4月23日，美国联邦考绩委员会（MSPB）行政法官做出了有利于陈霞芬的裁决，驳回了对商务部对她解雇的那些站不住脚的决定。

无视美国联邦政府机构的法官裁决，无视美国主流媒体的大量揭露，无视国会议员们对于商务部处理此案方式的愤怒，无视来自科技、人权和亚裔社区的大声疾呼，商务部官员选择了一条错上加错的路径。他们从一开始，就非法地因陈霞芬的原祖籍国带来的“原罪”而以不实的相关间谍罪名指控她，并在被迫撤诉后报复性地以莫须有的理由解雇了她。正如美国联邦考绩委员会（MSPB）法官在长篇缜密的裁决所指出的那样——陈霞芬是“严重的不公正的受害者”。

商务部这个上诉决定纯属荒诞。它通过上诉进一步推迟还给已经身遭诬陷和不公达六年之久的陈霞芬应有的公正；它让商务部继续执行一个又一个的错误决定；它进一步损害了政府的公信力而不是努力去恢复这种受损的公信力；它还要浪费纳税人的钱来保住几个官员的面子；最重要的是，它是对美国的正义和公平的一种悍然嘲弄。

（5月23日，陈霞芬在国会召开新闻发布会，要求美国商务部为她所遭受的不公道歉。30名美国国会议员联名致信商务部，132个华人社团联署签名声援，赵美心、孟昭文、刘云平等国会议员和多个华裔社团到场支持）

美国华人联合会（UCA）从第一天开始，就与陈霞芬及其他华人受害者站在一起，为他们被践踏、被威胁的公民权利而抗争。我们动员了全国各地的华人社区去大力支持陈霞芬；我们与美国国会、媒体和其他组织共同合作，敦促彻查案情。今天，我们呼吁我们的社区加倍努力，联系您身边的民选官员、媒体和相关组织，强烈要求商务部立即撤销这一错误的上诉决定。

陈霞芬事件正在成为华人及亚裔捍卫自身民权的又一里程碑和重大关键时刻。UCA誓将一如既往，继续支持陈霞芬，为陈霞芬和华人社区奋斗到正义得到伸张的那一天！

Sherry Chen Finally Received a Favorable Ruling

May 22nd, 2018  Washington, DC

Three and a half years after her being wrongfully charged and arrested in October 2014, two years after her termination in March 2016, Sherry Chen finally received a favorable ruling from the Chief Administrative Judge Michele Szary Schroeder of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), which orders Department of Commerce (DOC), to reinstate Sherry’s employment and pay back her salary and benefit she lost.

The Chief AdministrativeJudge Michele Szary Schroeder ruled on behalf of MSPB, an independent quasi-judicial body of the US federal government. She believes that Sherry is the victim of a “gross injustice”. The judge rejected completely the DOC’s many allegations against Sherry Chen, and ordered the US Commerce Department to let Sherry Chen return to work and pay her salary. “This is the victory of strength and faith, it is our common victory.” Said Sherry Chen in a recent interview.

UCA and other national Chinese American organizations have been working hard and strongly support Sherry Chen through years. UCA is also actively discouraging DOC to appeal to this well reasoned ruling.
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/05/10/business/accused-of-spying-for-china-until-she-wasnt.html

UCA Announcing New Leadership Team

April 26th, 2018.  Dearborn, MI