On Jan 7, UCA IL president Lily Chen and Vice President Ren Li, along with Judy Ni and Crystal Zheng of Pacific Square, met with City of Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin and staff on holding Jiaozi fest 2020 (click to register)
The City of Aurora is our honored co-organizer along with Pacific Square. UCA IL was invited to do a presentation on Jan 28 at City of Aurora Council meeting about our organization and programs. They collaborated with the city for 2019 summer internship, a music program, and are looking forward to many more in the future.
UCA IL was invited by Naperville NCTV 17 station to have an interview sharing about our organizations (it will be previewed Feb 1). Thanks for Naperville NCTV 17 for the opportunity and great partnership to built strong communities.
It was great meeting our state representative Theresa Mah, DCFS’s Chief for Asian American Affairs Marjorie Moore, and CBCAC’s founder CW Chan in Chinatown. They discussed about census 2020, civic engagement, and how to help and support each other to better advance community agenda by working TOGETHER.
Marjorie Moore shared with us about DCFS’s foster parent program and hope to have our community families consider being foster parents as there are Chinese speaking children in need of foster homes . Please contact Marjorie at Marjorie.Moore@illinois.gov if you have any questions.
Asian Americans are the fastest growing
ethnic group. Between 2000 and 2010，Asian-Americans population grew by 46
percent, far more than the national population growth rate of 10 percent. Since
2008, there have been more immigrants from Asia than anywhere else in the
world.
Nevada is one of the fastest growing states
with Asian-American populations. Since
2000, Nevada’s AAPI population has grown by 140 percent, and eligible
Asian-American voters in Nevada have accounted for more than 5 percent of all
voters. Candidates and elected officials must understand our growing political
power and address issues that are vital to our communities.
Elections are our best chance to show our
strength. The proportion of Asians/Chinese participating in elections is lower
than the national average, and as a result, our voices and needs have been
ignored for a long time. There have been many times in history that an election
outcome was determined by a single ballot, each vote counts!
As the first state in the West to hold a
presidential primary, Nevadans play a crucial role. Nevada caucuses will have huge impacts on the
final decision of who would be the presidential candidate. However the closed-party caucus is a complex
process that has made first-time participation more difficult.
Nevada Chinese Association and the United
Chinese Americans will hold a seminar to provide in-depth explanation to the
caucus process for the Las Vegas Chinese community. It will help Chinese voters navigate the
caucus process with confidence. In
addition the organizations will provide online voter registration, voter
information update and other services on site.
Welcome to our new addition! Nevada Chinese Association (NCA) has joined UCA at its 20 year anniversary, after serving the local community tirelessly for two decades and working with UCA for 3 years.
Thanksgiving has a special place in the hearts of UCA family members, because we have so much to be thankful and grateful about each other.
Your abundant support, care and belief in UCA and its values and ideals have sustained UCA, a growing community civic movement spearheaded by the very best and most beautiful Chinese Americans who care about our community, care for UCA family, and believe in changing ourselves and the world for the better!
Although we cannot gather together in person for the holiday, our shared gratefulness and shared dreams will keep us together and let our dreams live on.
We look forward to the exciting family reunion next year from June 25 to 27 in Vegas for third Chinese American Convention and AAPI Presidential Town Hall.
We have done a lot and achieved for our community. We are making history together! Thank you, the amazing UCA family!
Kick-off Event Held for United Chinese Americans of Washington (UCAWA)
October 26, 2019
A new chapter of UCA – United Chinese Americans of Washington (UCAWA) hosted its Kick-off Dinner and Reception at Bellevue Hilton. More than 200 guests attended. Among the VIPs there are former Ambassador to China Gary Locke; the Secretary of State Kim Wyman, WA State Representative Mia Gregerson, Former Mayor of Bellevue Conrad Lee, City Council Member Janice Zahn. US Congressman Adam Smith’s representative Garrett Moore also attend the event and red the congratulatory letter from congressman Smith.
As news agency reported, former Governor Gary Locke of Washington commended the huge contribution by Chinese Americans to the United States while warning against a rise in anti-immigrant sentiment in the country. In a speech delivered at the inauguration, Locke recalled Chinese Americans’ contributions to the success of the United States, as early as the key role of Chinese laborers in building the first U.S. transcontinental railroad that boosted American development and prosperity.
He also spoke of the first Chinese American trained in Massachusetts Institute of Technology who became the Boeing company’s first aeronautical engineer in 1916. “In every field from the arts to the sciences, from business to entertainment, politics to sports, Chinese Americans have contributed mightily to America,” said Locke, who is a Chinese American himself. Locke was also a former U.S. ambassador to China, and was secretary of commerce under President Barack Obama’s administration.
In the meanwhile, he slammed an emerging anti-immigrant tendency in U.S. politics. “Today, we’re seeing a return to anti-immigrant sentiment in America, and it’s now targeting the Chinese,” he said.
While referring to the history of Japanese Americans who were put into internment camps during World War II, Locke blasted the anti-immigrant policy of the U.S. government, saying “President (Donald) Trump has enacted policies that would exclude people from countries where Islam is the predominant religion.”
He repeatedly emphasized the importance of diversity to U.S. society. “The strength of America is our diversity of people, cultures, customs, languages, and perspectives of all colors,” he said. He urged Chinese Americans and other Asian Americans to get more engaged in politics to defend their rights. “We have achieved an outsized impact in business, science, and arts and academia that greatly exceeds our numbers,” Locke said.
“If Chinese Americans and Asian Americans are to protect our successes and our constitutional rights, we need more Asian elected officials,” he said. “This is a land of immigrants and our strength as a nation comes from our diversity,” Locke said.
United Chinese Americans is a nationwide non-profit, non-partisan federation dedicated to empowering Chinese American communities through civic engagement, political participation, heritage sharing, youth development and a greater understanding between the United States and China.
UCA Fundraising/Development Volunteer Team Member Needed
Oct 17, 2019
UCA is in a cross road after almost three years since its conception. We have grown tremendously and getting recognized on local and national levels, but to help UCA become sustainable will require a tremendous amount of hard work not only on strategic programming, but also on systematic and diversified fundraising and development. Applying to Grants especially from mainstream foundations has always been on UCA’s agenda. Unfortunately due to very limited manpower, UCA has only been focusing on program development and execution. We need to put systematic fundraising and development as a priority. By recruiting a new volunteer team member for fundraising and development will help UCA start this extremely important fundraising function.
Desired Qualifications
Passionate about serving community and deeply identifies with UCA vision, prior experiences in community services.
Excellent command of English writing skills with exceptional research skills, prior grant writing or fundraising experiences preferred, be creative and a problem solver
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, works well in a team environment
Good understanding of UCA programs
Roles and responsibilities
Working with UCA fundraising/development team to research and identify targeted foundations that most likely support UCA programs and mission
Help develop, write, and revise grant proposals and following up reports
Participate in UCA fundraising team meetings and connect with UCA leadership and community partners to seek feedback and improvement on proposals
Licensed Health Professional volunteer needed for UCA Youth Mental Health Initiative
November 2019
UCA is seeking a passionate, dedicated, and experienced licensed healthcare professional to join our growing team. We are taking on the commitment to improve mental health among Chinese Americans through our Youth Mental Health Initiative, and are looking for a healthcare professional with a minimum five years of practice experience (e.g., MD, RN, PharmD, LPC, LCSW, PsyD, etc.) to help us pave the way. Experience volunteering or working in Chinese American community organizations and settings is a plus.
You will have the opportunity to:
● Work in a group of mission-driven, high-energy, and results-oriented professionals and volunteers
● Strategically design, plan, and implement sustainable UCA youth mental health programs, with a focus on increasing awareness of mental health issues and decreasing stigma of seeking support in Chinese American communities
● Develop leadership and community organizing skills through collaborating with UCA’s national coalition of community partners, chapters, and supporters
● Network and develop meaningful friendships with other Chinese American professionals in UCA’s extensive network
● Hone skills in research and grant writing by contributing to UCA’s grant application process
● Discover great satisfaction with investing your time and expertise by helping the next generation of Chinese Americans improve their mental health and well-being!
As we approach the end of 2019, UCA has been tasked with more programs and opportunities. We are busy preparing for our 2020 Convention, the 2020 Census, advocacy work in Congress with other racial/ethnic groups, year-end fundraising, youth mental health initiatives, chapter openings, new community partnerships, youth leadership training, and civic engagement summer internships. UCA is primarily a volunteer-based organization with thousands of hours donated by our dedicated and talented volunteers–the bread and butter of our organization. We continue to look for volunteers to work on critically important programs and initiatives to move our community forward. The Volunteer Program Team Member will have the opportunity to work with an amazing group of people who are passionate about building a civically engaged Chinese American community.
Main responsibilities include:
● Implementing UCA programs, including but not limited to, the Youth Mental Health Initiative, Civic Engagement Summer Internship, 2020 Census work, and fundraising
● Working with the convention team on program coordination and logistics for UCA’s 2020 Convention
● Writing program objectives and outlines, and tracking program data
● Supporting UCA chapters and community partners with program implementation
● This position could become a paid part-time position next summer if funding is available
● This position will require a commitment of about 4-6 hours weekly
The ideal candidate will have:
● Prior experience working with volunteer teams in community organizations
● Project management experience
● Strong communication skills (verbal and written in both Chinese and English preferred) with a supportive and collaborative spirit
● Detailed-oriented skills and ability to follow through on tasks
● Basic computer skills working with Microsoft Office Suite (including Excel), Google Docs, and graphic design.
UCA among Organizations Endorsing Senator Durbin’s Bill S.2603 on Green Card Reforming
UCA president Haipei Shue visited Senator Durbin and Senator Duckworth’s offices and discussed issues of immigration, S.386 and Chinese American scientists. At the request of Senator Durbin’s office, UCA has endorsed his new legislation “Resolving Extended Limbo for Immigrant Employees and Families (RELIEF) Act” (S.2603), along with a list of other organizations.
Sen. Durbin tweeted that “One of the most serious problems in our broken immigration system is the lack of green cards, leaving immigrants in a crippling backlog. The solution is clear: increase the number of green cards. Proud to introduce the RELIEF Act with @SenatorLeahyto eliminate the backlog.”
During his introduction speech, Durbin criticized the Senate leadership for ignoring the immigration issue, pointing out that, last year, there was only one hearing in the Senate and no vote on the floor.
Reminding his colleagues that they are there to solve the problems the country is facing, he said: “Here is a problem we are not solving: How to deal with the backlog of people highly skilled and important people, like [a] doctor from my hometown of Springfield from India, who wants to have a Green Card, giving him an opportunity to become an American citizen. You know what? I want that doctor to become an American citizen. I want him to get a Green Card. We need him in my hometown, many more like him. I want his family with him.”
However, S.2603 was blocked by Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) from seeking an Unanimous Consent (UC). The content of the bill can be found at the official press release. Here’s a short summary provided by the office.
Appendix: Resolving Extended Limbo for Immigrant Employees and Families (RELIEF) Act
One of the most serious problems in our broken immigration system is that there are not nearly enough immigrant visas – also known as green cards – available each year. As a result, immigrants are stuck in crippling backlogs for many years.
Close to four million future Americans are on the State Department’s immigrant visa waiting list, which doesn’t include hundreds of thousands of immigrants in the U.S. who are also waiting for green cards. However, under current law only 226,000 family green cards and 140,000 employment green cards are available annually. Children and spouses of lawful permanent residents (LPRs) count against these caps, further restricting the number of available green cards.
The backlogs are a particular hardship on families who are caught in immigration limbo. For example, children of LPRs often “age out” because they are no longer “children,” as defined under immigration law, by the time green cards are available for them.
The solution to the green-card backlog is clear: increase the number of green cards. Immigration law also should treat children and spouses of LPRs as immediate relatives, just as they are considered when their family members become citizens. The Senate did exactly this in S. 744, the comprehensive immigration reform bill which passed the Senate in 2013 on a strong bipartisan vote.
Congress should also lift green-card country caps, which were designed to preserve immigration diversity but have contributed to backlogs because of the insufficient number of green cards and the large number of immigrants in the United States stuck on temporary work visas. However, lifting country caps alone without increasing the number of green cards will not eliminate backlogs for Indian immigrants (the nationality with the most people in the employment backlog), and will dramatically increase backlogs for the rest of the world.
The RELIEF Act will:
• Eliminate the family and employment green card backlog over five years in the order in which applications were filed (based on S. 744, the Senate CIR bill).
• Keep American families together by classifying spouses and children of LPRs as immediate relatives and exempting derivative beneficiaries of employment-based petitions from annual green card limits (based on S. 744, the Senate CIR bill).
• Protect “aging out” children who qualify for LPR status based on a parent’s immigration petition.
• Lift country caps (House-passed H.R. 1044).
• Extend the “hold harmless” clause from H.R. 1044 that exempts immigrant visa petitions approved prior to enactment from the lifting of country caps to petitions approved for five years after enactment.
Welcome to the Chinese American Women in History Conference
CAWH Conference flyer
UCA is honoured to co-sponsor the Chinese American Women in History (CAWH) Conference, coming soon to Washington, D.C.
The 1882 Foundation and the Chinese American Museum DC present a conference on CAWH, exploring a century of experiences framed by the enactment of the 1875 Page Act, that targeted Chinese women for exclusion from the US, and the 1965 Hart-Celler Act, landmark immigration reform that finally enabled migration of Chinese spouses and families.
The conference will be held in Washington, DC, October 24-26, 2019 at three convenient locations in a 2-block radius: the Chinese American Museum, the historic Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives, and University of California Washington Center. The conference will include scholarly panels, community storytelling, and film screenings that feature the pioneering work of Chinese American women filmmakers.
The conference is open to anyone interested in the topic whether as professional scholars or for personal curiosity. For more information and registration for all programs ($50 per person), click the registration link here:
Science and Technology Caught between the United States and China Conference
The Committee of 100 (C100) convened nearly 300 leading policy makers, legal experts, educators, business leaders, scientists, and community leaders in Palo Alto, Ca. on September 28, 2019 to address the human impacts of geopolitics. In addition to sixteen community partners, including Civic Leadership USA (CLUSA) and United Chinese Americans (UCA), the conference was also co-sponsored by thirteen professional organizations, including the Society of Chinese Bioscientists in America (SCBA), the Chinese American Hematologist and Oncologist Network (CAHON), and the Chinese Biological Investigators Society (CBIS), who issued the first open letter in the Science Magazine and drew a response from the leadership of National Institute of Health (NIH) on March 22, 2019.
After the opening welcome by Roger Wang, Chair of C100, Ambassador Gary Locke set the tone of the conference: “The U.S. – China relationship is the world’s most consequential bi-lateral relationship. We must be concerned about security concerns and condemn illegal activity, but in recent years there have been many cases of wrongful prosecution. Our pride in our heritage does not mean we are any less loyal or patriotic to America.” He was followed by Professor Susan Shirk, Chair, 21st Century China Center at the School of Global Policy & Strategy, University of California, San Diego, and former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State. She gave the opening keynote: “China and the U.S. wove together a dense fabric of trade, technology, and education – forming a nexus of what became globalization.” “To preserve America’s open society and vibrant research environment, we should double down on American openness, not put limitations on scientific collaboration.”
Dr. David Ho, Scientific Director of Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Dr. Thomas Rosenbaum, President of California Institute of Technology, Dr. John Hennessy, Chairman of Alphabet Inc. and moderator Nelson Dong of C100 at the keynote panel.
Dong pointed out that “76% of 1,466 patents issued in 2011 to top 10 U.S. research universities had at least one foreign born inventor.” He also presented data showing the high percentages of American Nobel laureates and prize winners, science and engineering workers and student who were foreign-born.
Dr. Ho argued, worried that NIH’s crackdown had already gone too far. Ho argued that the known cases are “largely due to sloppiness and a degree of greed” by a few scientists. “A small number of ‘bad apples’ does not connote a systemic problem that requires federal intervention when it could be addressed at the institutional level with policies already in place.”
President Rosenbaum, “The strength of the United States as a scientific, technological and economic power has depended crucially on immigration. Recent demonstrated examples of violations of scientific ethics, coupled with fears for U.S. economic competitiveness and national security, may well lead to governmental restrictions that broadly and severely restrict the flow of people and ideas.”
Chairman Hennessy pointed out that “Immigrants come to this country to make America a better country. There are a number of important American companies with foreign born founders. If you cut that off, you cut off an important part of our nation’s economic vitality.”
Dr. Steven Chu, Nobel Laureate and Former Secretary of Energy, and Congresswoman Judy Chu gave the plenary speeches at lunch. Robert Gee of C100 and Former Assistant Secretary of Energy gave a policy briefing in the afternoon.
David Stilwell, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs joined by live video conference from the United Nation.
Congressman Adam Schiff, chair of House Intelligence Committee, also delivered a pre-recorded speech.
It was followed by the “Business and Technology Panel” on the impact on business and the technology industry with Ambassador Craig Allen, President of U.S.-China Business Council and Carl Guardino, President and CEO of Silicon Valley Leadership Board. The panel was moderated Jerry Yang of C100 and co-founder of Yahoo! Inc.
John Hemann, Chief of the Special Prosecutions Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California and Peter Zeidenberg, former Federal Prosecutor, Department of Justice at the “Law and Justice Panel” on legal perspectives and impact moderated by Brian Sun of C100.
Brian Sun opened the panel with a discussion of Chinese Americans contributions and several U.S. Government initiatives and investigations of espionage cases and false accusations. As a lawyer with Jones Day in Los Angeles, California, he warned the audience that participating in the Thousand Talents Program “puts a target on your back. So don’t be stupid.”
Zeidenberg talked about the cases of Xiaoxing Xi and Sherry Chen that he represented. It set the stage for “A Personal Perspective” by Professor Xiaoxing Xi. Even though he has shared what he and his family went through many times already, it brought Xi to tears again. Then Conference Chair Charlie Woo of C100 annnounced the good news that the American Physics Society just named Xi the 2020 recipient of Andrei Sakharov Prize “for his steadfast advocacy in support of the U.S. scientific community and open scientific exchange.”
Woo also gave the closing remarks, “It is our hope to come together and find balanced solutions that protect national security, uphold the civil liberties of all Americans, and continue to foster the welcoming environment for the development of science, technology and research that America has always been known for.”
UCA Co-Sponsored 2019 National Civic Leadership Forum
Civic Engagement and Empowerment in 2020 Census and 2020 Election Season are key areas of campaign for UCA
UCA members attending the NCLF 2019
Washington, DC – UCA has successfully hosted and supported its members to participate in the 2019 National Civic Leadership Forum (NCLF) held Sep 15-18th, in Washington, DC. The conference was attended by about 200 Asian Pacific Islander American (AAPI) community leaders representing 100 civic organizations across the country. The conference was led by Asian Apacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA) and Civic Leadership USA (CLUSA), with UCA being one of the major co-sponsoring AAPI organizations, including, Asian American Unity Coalition (AAUC), Asian Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), New American Leaders (NAL), 80-20 United, Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS), National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), Federal Asian Pacific American Council (FAPAC). The theme of the conference is “Empower AAPI for 2020”, with an aim to increase civic engagement in the AAPI community, build a broad coalition among many different AAPI organizations, and prepare for the 2020 elections and decennial census.
AAPI population is about 24.2 million in 2018 according to the Census Bureau, a 27% increase since 2010 Census, though this could be a significant underestimate because of undercount of the population. Many AAPIs are successful business owners, lawyers, doctors, and professionals, who are among the major contributing force to American economy and society. Yet AAPIs are also highly diverse and segmented with more than 21 major ethnic groups, over 30 languages spoken, and predominantly immigrants. These communities have experienced lowest voter turnout and census participation in the past two decades.
NCLF attendees and organization leadersMCLF meeting session
Facing the challenges in 2020 census and historical 2020 election season coming up, AAPI civic leaders recognized the importance of gathering in Washington DC, discussing pressing issues and urgent threats to the communities that were exacerbated by the rise of anti-immigrant sentiment and hate crimes in recent years. More than 100 AAPI civic organizations representing twelve (12) ethnic groups were represented at the NCLF, including Bangladeshi, Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Pakistani, Thai and Vietnamese.
AAPI Congressional members, including Rep. Judy Chu, Ted Lieu, former Rep. David Wu, attended the conference and encouraged participants to be leaders and champions of the AAPI community. Secretary Elaine Chao (Department of Transportation), and members of the Asian American Caucus in US Congress also sent their representatives and encouraging remarks to the meeting attendees. Other Congressional members and speakers of the meeting included, Tom McClintock, Brendan Boyle, Lloyd Dogget, Bobby Scott, Kurt Schrader, Earl Blumenauer and Sheila Jackson Lee.
During the Congressional Visit session of the conference, AAPI leaders visited more than 70 US House and Senate representatives, and communicated the most urgent issues concerning the AAPI communities, including, 1. cumbersome and outdated immigration procedures that created crowded and lengthy backlogs with inhumane treatment of immigrants and families; 2. lack of funding and support in 2020 census especially for the AAPI community; 3. threats to civil rights under the scrutiny of national security caused by increased tension of international relations in the current administration. UCA has organized a similar Congressional Visit in its 2018 annual convention in Washington DC, advocating for civil rights protection for the Chinese community.
AAPI civic organizations including Asian Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), Asian American Advancing Justice (AAJC), and others, along with AAPI elected officials and organization leaders, reviewed key statistics of the AAPI community and shared the best practices of voter engagement, leadership development, and how to run social-political campaigns. Full details of the conference can be found at the meeting website of https://whova.com/web/nclf_201909/.
The conference culminated in a press conference, Congressional Reception, and ceremony on Sep 17th, when 90 community leaders attended co-signed a joint statement by participating organizations. The joint statement highlighted the contribution of the AAPIs in their professional fields and economic impact. At the same time, it called AAPI communities to increase efforts in civic engagement and empowerment, to participate in volunteerism, philanthropy, public policy advocacy, census and election, and other areas of social-political activism.
UCA board members played key roles in organizing and supporting the meeting, including Joy Guo, organizing Committee member, Chaoyu Xie, Campaign 101 session chair, Mary Liu, Keynote Speech session chair, Helen Shih, Congressional Visit session chair, and Xie Jan, official photographer. UCA president Haipei Xue, and Chairman of the board, Xiaoyan Zhang, were among the guest speakers at the conference. Vincent Wang (NCLF program chair) and Qiu Hong are Ohio APAPA members and UCA community partnership representatives who are the key organizers and supporters of the conference. Other UCA board members and community partnership leaders representing UCA included Zhida Song-James, Paul Li from Maryland, Lily Chen from Illinois, Hardy Li and Qi Hong Wagner from Washington state, and Zhaobang Zeng from North Carolina.
