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UCA Statement on Trump Administration’s New Visa Rules Regarding International Students Washington, DCJuly 9th, 2020 Update on July 14th: Under the huge and growing pressure from and multiple legal complaints by universities, corporations and civic organizations, and one day after UCA joined the lawsuit supporting Harvard and MIT by filing Continue Reading
On June 23rd, 1982, Chinese American Vincent Chin died in Detroit, Michigan after being attacked and fatally beaten by two white autoworkers for looking like Japanese, at a time of rising anti-Japanese and anti-Asian racial tension. Vincent Chin’s death has become a crucial turning point in Asian American history and civil rights movement led by Lily Chin, Vincent’s mother, who stood up courageously for her son’s justice.
In March 2020, 38 years later, a Burmese family Cung, was mistaken to be ‘Chinese infecting people with Coronavirus’ and was attacked at a local Sam’s Club store in Midland, TX. The family’s two children, ages 2 and 6, along with the father, were badly wounded by knife cuts, some were even left on the face.
Two months later, George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis by a white policeman. His death and the recent killing of innocent African Americans, have fueled the rage of the community, already distressed disproportionally in the COVID-19 pandemics. The tragedies continue to rip the country apart and generated national and international outcries against systematic racism and institutional discrimination in the US against people of color.
UCA and many Asian American organizations have come out firmly and clearly immediately after George Floyd’s death, condemning such brutality and crimes. We stand up together with our brothers and sisters who have been tormented by the dark side of American’s history. We are here to unite with the vulnerable communities and to ask for the continuous push for racial justice and social progress in this country.
On June 22nd, 2020, the 38 anniversary of Vincint Chin’s death, UCA is joining Asian American communities and anti-hate-crime anti-racism organizations to host an award ceremony and an advocacy event in commemorating this historical moment. We invite all community members to join us on these special occasions to honor the Midland heroes and to participate in the community dialogue on how we can move forward from this point on.
The event details from Houston Chinese Community Center are here: https://ccchouston.org/advocacy-award/
The donation to the victim family can be continuously made here: https://www.memberplanet.com//campaign/united-chinese-americans/general_giving_158_1_1
Two Midland, Texas heroes, Zach Owen and Bernie Ramirez, who intervened in a violent anti-Asian stabbing of the Cung Family, a Burmese father and his two young sons, will receive the Lily and Vincent Chin Advocacy Award* on Monday, June 22 at 10:30 am CST at the Chinese Community Center in Houston, TX. Despite injuries to his leg and hand, Zach Owen, with the help of Bernie Ramirez, disarmed and subdued the attacker until the police arrived. Labeled a “hate crime”, the suspect said he thought the family was Chinese and spreading the coronavirus.
The award ceremony is organized by Asian American organizations including those in the Asian American Salute Front Heroes campaign Houston, UCA, and sponsored by many other local and national organizations. UCA will present a donation to the Cung Family to support the medical expenses for future surgeries and challenges the 2 and 6 year-old children may face due to the attack.
To watch the event live, please join by: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opm1Lbx9pdc.
The donation can be continuously made here: https://www.memberplanet.com//campaign/united-chinese-americans/general_giving_158_1_1
Please email steven.pei@ucausa.org for questions or comments on the donation and award ceremony.
A panel discussion will be held virtually via Zoom on the evening of Monday, June 22 at 7:00 pm CST, discussing the 38th anniversary of the brutal killing of Vincent Chin and the recent killing of George Floyd. Both deaths created and sustained a major movement to oppose racial hate and discrimination.
Please register the zoom meeting ahead of time at: https://form.jotform.com/201684865046057 , and email steven.pei@ucausa.org for questions or comments on this panel discussion.
“From Vincent Chin to George Floyd” will feature:
Moderator
Gordon Quan
Attorney and former Houston Council member
Panelists
Helen Zia
An award-winning journalist and community activist who has covered Asian American communities and social and political movements for many years. She is a founder in the movement for justice for Vincent Chin and is outspoken voice for human rights.
Zach Owen
Recipient of the Lily and Vincent Chin Advocacy Award* for risking his life to save the Burmese family from hate crime committed at Midland, TX on March 14, 2020.
Reagan Hognojos
Friend of the Cung family.
Mark Touban
Attorney and serves as the Regional Director for the ADL’s Southwest Regional Office in Houston, Texas.
Cherry Steinwender
Co-Executive Director and co-founder of the Center for the Healing of Racism.
Annie Tan
Special education teacher and storyteller in New York’s Chinatown. She has been a fighter for public education, unions, tenants and Asian American rights. She is a cousin of the late Vincent Chin.
*AASFH has been authorized by the Estate of the Chin family to use the name “Lily and Vincent Chin Advocacy Award” for this special recognition of two Frontline Heroes on June 22, 2020. Photos used with permission (c) All rights reserved.
“From Vincent Chin to George Floyd” in 2020 Summer Semester
UCA is announcing a student scholarship to be awarded to Chinese American students who are actively engaged in fighting against racism and hate crimes, and propel the progress towards civil rights protection and racial justice. The summer 2020 scholarship to honor the “From Vincent Chin to George Floyd” event will be given to a high school student led project in the amount of $1000 and to a college student led project in the amount of $1000.
The winners will be invited to a UCA national forum to discuss their work, and present their essays and materials. Content of their projects including the essays, media, and presentations will be promoted on UCA website and social media channels
Projects will need to commence after June 22nd, 2020, and last throughout summer 2020. The scholarship application must be submitted by 11:59 PM August 31st, 2020. The winners will be announced by September 22nd, 2020, selected by a panel of judges of UCA.
Please visit the scholarship announcement page for more details. Please email UCA board members, Helen Shih, or Jinliang Cai, for questions and comments: helenshihuca@gmail.com, jlcai@yahoo.com
Announcement of Food of Love Celebration & Tri-Community Solidarity Conference and Registration Link May 29, Washington, D.CFor Immediate Release On Sunday, May 31, 2020 at 1pm EST, United Chinese Americans (UCA) will hold a special conference on COVID-19 relief efforts and hate crimes in the United States. The conference will Continue Reading
A Public Statement On the Death of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery May 28, 2020, Washington, DC.For immediate press release. United Chinese Americans (UCA), a leading Chinese American coalition and civic movement in the U.S., condemns in the strongest possible terms recent acts by Minneapolis policemen that resulted in the Continue Reading
“Creativity against COVID-19” Young Creative Artists Contest In conjunction with multiple partners, UCA is co-organizing an art contest to help illustrate and promote our beloved Tracy’s Guide COVID-19 educational series for families. Prizes Grand Prize: $1500 cash + award certificate, 1 winner Second Prize: $500 cash + award certificate, 8 winners Third Continue Reading
United Chinese Americans (UCA), a national coalition of Chinese Americans in more than 30 states, calls on the American news media, public figures and the American public to refrain from using terms such as “China virus,” “Chinese virus,” “Wuhan virus,” or “Asian virus” to describe the new coronavirus, COVID-19. Such terms often misinform and misguide the public in the fight against this virus, and could lead to bigotry, inflame hatred and even incite violence against Chinese and Asian Americans, as has already been widely reported.
The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA, a coalition of 34 national Asian Pacific American organizations, http://www.ncapaonline.org/about) has drafted the attached Sign-on Letters to House Leaders (Nancy Pelosi) and Senate Leaders (Mitch McConnell) requesting both houses to Denounce Coronavirus Racism.
The current racist challenge the Chinese American community is facing has become more wide-spreading than the notorious coronavirus, and Jewish American community has been alert to this situation and expressed sympathy. The Jewish Council of Public Affairs (JCPA) released a letter of solidarity, jointly issued by 75 organizations, to the Chinese community against the plague. Today, UCA issued a formal response expressing heartfelt gratitude and looking forward for unity.
2020 Primary Election has started! UCA is calling for Chinese Americans to participate in the election 2020 Primary Election has drawn national attention as it sets the beginning of the historical 2020 General Election in November. The purpose of the Primaries is to elect winning candidates from each political party, Continue Reading
UCA Calls for Chinese Americans to be involved in the relief effort towards the New Coronavirus outbreak and disease prevention in the U.S. Given the urgent situation of the Novel Coronavirus outbreak in China, United Chinese Americans (UCA) is watching it closely and working with Chinese organizations across the country Continue Reading
By: Steven Pei 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 Continue Reading
September 25, 2019Washington, D.C. Org. Letter on Opposition to H.R.1044 / S.386 So far, 18 national organizations, including UCA, have joint their forces to oppose S.386. We expect more national organizations to join this coalition in the coming days. Please share the letter with staffers of senators when you contact Continue Reading
Lee C. Bollinger, president of Columbia University, published an opinion piece on Washington Post, titled “No, I won’t start spying on my foreign-born students“, in response to heightened pressure on academic research, joining a growing list of other institutions making similar statements. The content is reposted here. The FBI has Continue Reading
Repost from UW-Madison OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR website: UW’S RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA. The U.S. and China need each other. We need each other as trading partners; we need each other as major world leaders. And our universities need each other. As we count down the final days of summer and Continue Reading
Voice Your Concern with FBI Director Wray’s Remarks on Chinese Students, Scientists and Professors as National Security Threat Many in Asian American communities, particularly Chinese Americans, were shocked and concerned to hear high-ranking US officials characterize, at a recent Senate hearing, all persons of Chinese origin in the United States, Continue Reading