Category: Civic Participation

Civic engagement in the Asian American community

UCA Townhall Webinar on WeChat Ban

UCA Townhall: A Webinar Series

Inform, Dialogue and Engage: Key Topics Facing the Chinese American Community

Online Webinar 2 – Does the WeChat Ban Violate First Amendment Rights? SPEAK YOUR RIGHTS – with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

September 24, 2020, Thursday
8:00pm – 9:00pm EDT | 5:00pm – 6:00pm PDT

Dear Friends,

UCA is pleased to invite you to join us for the second session of our webinar series: “UCA Town Hall.” The webinar, to be held on Thursday, September 24, starting at 8PM EDT, will examine the latest developments regarding the Trump Administration’s actions to restrict access to WeChat in the United States. Our panelists from the ACLU will examine the constitutionality of the Trump Administration’s decision and, furthermore, discuss the broadening scope of U.S. national security policies and practices as well as their implications for Chinese Americans and civil liberties.

For 100 years, the ACLU <https://www.aclu.org/> has defended individual rights and civil liberties as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States, from protecting immigrant rights to addressing racial injustice, and from securing voting rights to ensuring the freedom of speech. The ACLU currently represents Professor Xi Xiaoxing <https://www.aclu.org/cases/xi-v-haugen-challenge-warrantless-surveillance>, a Chinese American scientist at Temple University, in a civil rights lawsuit challenging the FBI’s baseless prosecution of Professor Xi and its discriminatory targeting of Chinese American scientists like Professor Xi. These concerns have only grown since the Justice Department launched its so-called “China Initiative,” impacting many others.

UCA Town Hall is a webinar series highlighting key topics facing the Chinese American community with the goal to provide information, facilitate dialogue, and promote civic engagement.

This online event will be free via Zoom and will also be broadcast live on Youtube.

REGISTER FOR THE September 24 Event HERE:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkdO-sqjwiEtPWm-XApLs2dImHjXb-zizd

You can submit your questions to the panelists in advance during Registration or by emailing: info@usausa.org

Can’t find your registration link or joining last minute?

Watch the UCA Townhall via the UCA Youtube Channel Live-Broadcast Link HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/c/UCASocials/featured

AGENDA – LISTED IN EDT TIME

8:00pm – 8:10pm  Welcome and Introductory Remarks Monica He, Government Relations Advisor, UCA Haipei Shue, President of UCA  
8:10pm – 8:20pm  Remarks by Hina Shamsi, Director of the ACLU National Security Project   Hina will discuss the Executive Order on WeChat, including the decision by U.S. Department of Commerce prohibiting particular transactions in the U.S. market, and examine whether the actions violate First Amendment rights.  
8:20pm – 8:30pm  Remarks by Patrick Toomey, ACLU National Security Project   Patrick will dive further into national security powers that are frequently invoked by the Trump Administration, and how the abuse of these powers can lead to racial discrimination and potential targeting of Americans of Chinese Heritage.  
8:30pm – 8:45pmPanel Discussion with Speakers Moderated by Monica He, UCA   Questions to be addressed include: How can the community better respond to the broadening scope of emergency powers and national security concerns, particularly when it results in actions that infringe on individual liberties?What is the ACLU’s role, and what should Chinese Americans and other ethnic minorities know about the ACLU, in terms of its mission and the services that it provides?  
8:45pm – 8:55pm  Moderated Q&A Session
8:55pm – 9:00pm  Closing Remarks  

Speakers

Image

Hina Shamsi
Director, National Security Project, ACLU
Twitter: @HinaShamsi

“This order violates the First Amendment rights of people in the United States by restricting their ability to communicate and conduct important transactions on the two social media platforms. The order also harms the privacy and security of millions of existing TikTok and WeChat users in the United States by blocking software updates, which can fix vulnerabilities and make the apps more secure. In implementing President Trump’s abuse of emergency powers, Secretary Ross is undermining our rights and our security. To truly address privacy concerns raised by social media platforms, Congress should enact comprehensive surveillance reform and strong consumer data privacy legislation.” – Hina Shamsi. ACLU Comment on TikTok and WeChat Transaction Prohibition. Sept 18, 2020.

https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-comment-tiktok-and-wechat-transaction-prohibition

Hina Shamsi is the director of the ACLU National Security Project. She engages in civil liberties and human rights litigation, research, and policy advocacy on issues including the freedoms of speech and association, torture, detention, and discrimination against racial and religious minorities. Her work has included a focus on the intersection of national security and counterterrorism policies and international human rights and humanitarian law. She is the author and coauthor of publications on torture, targeted killing, extraordinary rendition, and privacy and surveillance, and has monitored and reported on the military commissions at Guantánamo Bay. She is a lecturer-in-law at Columbia Law School, where she teaches a course on International Human Rights Advocacy. Hina previously worked as the acting director of Human Rights First’s Law & Security Program and then as a staff attorney in the ACLU’s National Security Project. Before returning to the ACLU in her current position, Hina served as senior advisor to the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions. She is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and Northwestern University School of Law.

Image

Patrick Toomey
Senior Staff Attorney, National Security Project, ACLU
Twitter: @PatrickCToomey

Patrick Toomey is a staff attorney at the ACLU National Security Project, where he works on issues related to electronic surveillance, national security prosecutions, whistle-blowing, and racial profiling. Patrick is a graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School. After graduating from law school, he served as a law clerk to the Hon. Nancy Gertner, United States district judge for the District of Massachusetts, and to the Hon. Barrington D. Parker, United States circuit judge for the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Prior to joining the ACLU, Patrick worked on criminal defense, regulatory defense, and intellectual property matters at a law firm in New York.

Stay tuned for announcements on the exciting line-up of the UCA Townhall Webinar Series.

UCA Townhall Webinar on Executive Order

UCA Townhall: A Webinar Series

Inform, Dialogue and Engage: Key Topics Facing the Chinese American Community

Online Webinar I – The Trump Executive Order on WeChat and TikTok: What Does It Mean and What You Should Know

August 27, 2020, Thursday
8:00pm – 9:30pm EDT | 5:00pm – 6:30pm PDT

Dear Friends,

UCA is pleased to invite you to join us for the inaugural session of our webinar series: “UCA Townhall,” highlighting key topics facing the Chinese American community with the goal to provide information, facilitate dialogue, and promote civic engagement. The first webinar, to be held on Thursday, August 27, starting at 8PM EDT, will examine President Trump’s Executive Order to effectively ban WeChat and TikTok. Through focused presentations and an engaging panel discussion, our experts will provide the latest updates and analysis on the Executive Order, dissect potential recourse and ongoing challenges, and shed light on the larger U.S.-China context, as well as what may happen next.

This online event will be free via Zoom and will also be live broadcast on Youtube.

REGISTER FOR THE August 27 Event HERE:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIoceGgqjguG9xDJsanVUxg0dnO-NQ8FDVo

You can submit your questions to the panelists in advance during Registration

Can’t find your registration link or joining last minute?

Watch the UCA Townhall via the UCA Youtube Channel Live-Broadcast Link HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/c/UCASocials/channels

Send your questions for the Q&A Session ahead of time to UCA by emailing social@ucausa.org

AGENDA IN EDT TIME ZONE

8:00pm – 8:15pm   Welcome and Introductory Remarks Monica He, Government Relations Advisor, UCA Haipei Shue, President of UCA  
8:15pm – 8:25pm   Remarks by Brian Sun, Partner, Jones Day   Brian will discuss the national security and data privacy claims against Tencent and ByteDance and shed light on the ongoing debate, including civil rights and due process concerns. Through a balanced perspective, Brian will also examine the Presidential Action in the context of what some are already calling a new U.S.-China Cold War.  
8:25pm – 8:45pm   Remarks by Laura Fraedrich and Justin Huff, Jones Day   Lauran and Justin will dive into the U.S. government’s authorities to target WeChat and TikTok and dissect how the Executive Order may be carried out, including next steps and divestment options under CFIUS. As the U.S. government heightens its scrutiny on foreign investment, what are the takeaways for cross-border businesses?  
8:pm – 9:05pm Panel Discussion with Speakers Moderated by Monica He, UCA   Questions to be addressed include: How will this play out in the next 100+ days, and what it could mean to users and businesses relying on the platforms. Furthermore, is the WeChat EO just one of many barriers and divides between U.S. and China that may be coming down the pipeline?   
9:05pm – 9:20pm   Moderated Q&A Session
9:20pm – 9:30pm   Closing Remarks  
Agenda

SPEAKERS

Brian A. Sun, Partner, Jones Day

basun

Brian Sun has earned a national reputation as a distinguished trial lawyer in complex business litigation and white collar criminal defense. He is a former federal prosecutor, a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and has been named by Lawdragon Magazine as one of America’s 500 leading lawyers. Brian is recognized as a Band 1 lawyer by Chambers in the area of white collar criminal defense and government investigations. He was also Partner-in-Charge of the Los Angeles Office for several years.

Brian is a former president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) and the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank. He has been honored by NAPABA with its Trailblazer Award and by the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association with its Lifetime Achievement Award. He also served as a deputy general counsel to the Christopher Commission, which recommended sweeping reforms of the Los Angeles Police Department in the wake of the Rodney King incident.

Brian has been a frequent UCA webinar contributor, past speaking topics include U.S. national security concerns and its implications on the Asian American community, as well as how to navigate the ongoing U.S.-China conflict for scientists of Chinese descent, including in the face of discrimination or wrongful prosecution.  

Laura Fraedrich, Partner, Jones Day

lfraedrich

For more than 20 years, Laura Fraedrich has been helping clients achieve their goals in complex international trade matters, including CFIUS (Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States), economic sanctions, export control, customs, and trade remedy matters. Laura advises and represents clients in foreign direct investment matters, including filing CFIUS notices and negotiating mitigation agreements. She also represents clients in export control matters, including issues related to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, the Export Administration Regulations, and the various embargoes administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Laura is a frequent speaker on international trade, national security laws, government sanctions, and investment restriction policies and advises businesses on how to comply with the latest regulations. 

Justin T. Huff, Jones Day

Former U.S. Treasury Official with Expertise on U.S. Investment Restrictions

jthuff

Justin Huff has more than a decade of governmental experience and has negotiated multiple complex agreements for the United States government to ensure U.S. national security. Prior to joining Jones Day in 2018, Justin was a deputy director of the Office of Investment Security at the Department of the Treasury, where he assisted in the coordination of the office responsible for the Treasury’s role chairing the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), an interagency process that reviews proposed mergers and acquisitions for potential national security concerns.

Justin is a frequent speaker on U.S. investment and export restriction policies and their impact on cross-border businesses, including intellectual property protection, M&A and partnerships.

With Introductory Remarks by Mr. Haipei Shue, President, UCA

Moderated by Monica He, Government Relations Advisor, UCA

Stay tuned for announcements on the exciting line-up of the UCA Townhall Webinar Series. The 2nd Webinar in the Series will examine business reactions and potential commercial impact from the Trump Executive Order on WeChat and TikTok.

UCA to Join Asian American Communities in Honoring Heroes

1 Comment

UCA to Join Asian American Communities on June 22nd, in Houston, Texas

In Honoring Heroes in the Midland Hate Crime and Host a Webinar on Anti-Racism Movements

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

Lily and Vincent Chin Advocacy

Award Ceremony

Monday, June 22 at 10:30 a.m. CST

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.

From Vincent Chin to George Floyd:

A Panel Discussion

Monday, June 22 at 7:00 p.m. CST

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.

UCA Student Scholarship on Racial Justice

“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 

Food of Love Celebration And Tri-Community Solidarity Conference

Announcement of Food of Love Celebration & Tri-Community Solidarity Conference and Registration Link

May 29, Washington, D.C
For 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 first spotlight the achievements of its inaugural “Food of Love” program and then feature a panel dialogue between leaders from Chinese, Jewish, and African American communities.

When certain political leaders began inciting anti-Chinese sentiment with their racist and incendiary remarks, Chinese Americans all across the country became victims of hate crimes. Channeling Michelle Obama’s philosophy, “When they go low, we go high,” the Chinese American community decided to take the high road.

Americans, regardless of race or creed, LOVE Chinese food. There are 41,000 Chinese restaurants in America, 3 times the number of McDonad’s and at $17 billion in annual sales, which is on par with the fast food giant. To combat hate, Chinese Americans chose love by launching the Food of Love program. The motto: 50 states, 100 cities, One People United. Since early May, Chinese American communities have served tens of thousands of meals to tens of thousands of frontline workers and fellow Americans in need.

“We have made more friends in our communities,” says Haipei Shue, UCA President. “We have made a difference.”

Despite these efforts and triumphs in our local communities, on the national political stage, even more frightening developments are occurring. Recently, Senator Rick Scott has made inflammatory accusations that every Chinese person is a communist spy. Just this week, Senators Tom Cotton and Marsha Blackburn introduced divisive and discriminatory legislation, the Secure Campus Act, that would prohibit Chinese students from receiving visas to the United States for graduate or postgraduate studies in STEM fields. The new bill harkens back to the infamous Chinese Exclusion Act. Instead of denouncing this ill-conceived legislation, President Trump issued a proclamation that legitimizes the act.

At this very moment, the City of Minneapolis is engulfed in flames as a result of the murder of George Floyd, another victim of our nation’s seemingly never-ending and ever-increasing list of racial crimes. As we continue with COVID-19 relief efforts side by side with our fellow Americans, we must also fight racism on all fronts. At this time of crisis, history has called upon us to reach across communities to stand up and make America a country that lives up to its ideals.

During the second half of the conference, distinguished leaders from African American, Chinese, and Jewish communities will discuss challenges each community faces and ways to work together to address injustice. The guest speakers include:

  • Congresswoman Grace Meng
  • Congressman Bobby Scott
  • Derrick Johnson (President and CEO, NAACP)
  • David Harris (CEO, American Jewish Committee)
  • David Bernstein (President and CEO, Jewish Council for Public Affairs)
  • Helen Zia (Journalist and Activist)

Registration link: https://tinyurl.com/yc8swft4

media@ucausa.org

@ucasocial

UCA Launches Tracy’s Guide for Families to Help Combat COVID-19

UCA announces the launch of the “COVID-19: Tracy’s Guide for Families”

Help Combat the Coronavirus in and Around our Homes

Washington, DC (April 10, 2020) – United Chinese Americans (UCA) proudly announces the publication of an educational series for families: “COVID-19: Tracy’s Guide for Families” (the “Guide”) on its website https://ucausa.org/tracys-guide-on-covid-19/ (official blog: tracysguide.blogspot.com). The Guide is a running online series aimed to provide useful knowledge and tips for protecting our loved ones and our home as we work together to “flatten the curve”.  As more than 80 percent of Americans are now under stay-at-home orders, learning how to take care of our homes and protect family members is a critical part of the national effort to control the pandemic.  In this Guide, UCA is gathering valuable experiences from Chinese-speaking regions that are recovering from the COVID-19 epidemic, including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, so their hard lessons-learned can be shared with the rest of the world.

Materials in the guide are collated and distilled from the official medical guidelines, prevention books, and published materials, from China and other regions, then adopted into English literature based on American custom by freelance writers, translators and artists. They are also cross-checked and referenced, and combined with those from CDC and various state public health departments, with an aim to bring out these contents to American families and communities in a timely fashion. The guide is the product of teamwork and collaborative effort by more than 40 volunteers and UCA members, both in the US and China. Many of them are healthcare professionals, biomedical scientists, and medical doctors involved in fighting the COVID-19 pandemics since the beginning.

Through a factitious character named “Ms. Tracy”, the key steps in COVID-19 prevention, how to disinfect common household items and areas such as kitchen and bathroom, and how to take care of the sick, are addressed by a lively question-and-answer dialog fashion. The materials are specially organized and illustrated to make it easy to understand, attractive to children, and relatable to the general public. More than 40 articles will be forthcoming, addressing questions and providing know-how in the most commonly encountered situations at home and in community settings.

UCA and its members have been actively engaged in the relief effort and public health education since the beginning of the pandemics in China.  “Projects like “Tracy’s Guide for Families” to contribute to the fight, initiated and organized by UCA volunteers, are happening in every city and township in America.” commented by UCA President, Haipei Shue. “This is the time for us to work together, to put aside our biases on race, politics, religions, or anything that could divide us. The war against COVID-19 pandemic is a global one. People all over the world must work together side by side to win it at the end!”

For more information on the Guide, as well as other efforts by UCA members and the Chinese-American community to combat Covid-19 in America, contact Helen Shih/ helenshih1111@gmail.com.

Contributions by Asian Americans in fighting COVID-19 Pandemic

Contributions by Asian Americans in fighting COVID-19 Pandemic

Since the beginning of the outbreak in January, Asian Americans have been on the frontline combating the pandemic and protecting America. Not only we supported families and doctors in Asia, but also, we actively engaged in the local communities here to slow down spread of the virus to America in saving lives. Apart from Asian American doctors, nurses, scientists, and many others who have been an integral part of front-line defenders and medical community, some of community-wide efforts done by Asian Americans, in the order of time sequence, include:

  • Educating local communities on prevention tips and scientific facts, dispelling myths and fear associated with the virus.
  • Organizing self-help and self-monitoring groups to alarm people who have traveled abroad and assisted them in proactive self-quarantine and home-isolation.
  • Organizing meetings and town halls with local public health departments and elected officials, in addressing the anxiety of the communities and economic impact to local small business.
  • Various donation drives and fundraising through different organizations and self-help groups, purchasing, collecting, and sending personal protection equipment (PPE) to front-line medical staff, first responders, senior centers, and healthcare facilities.
  • Connecting local business communities and global logistics network through chambers of commerce and Asian American business, identifying manufacturers of PPEs and medical equipment in Asia, and shipping them to hospitals and healthcare facilities here in the US.
  • Connecting medical doctors and public health experts in Asia, bringing their valuable expertise and experiences to the US in building medical exchange and online resources centers.
  • Connecting doctors, scientists and healthcare professionals, bringing their knowledge and prevention tips to American general public and healthcare workers in disease prevention and public health, for example, by hosting webinars and writing online articles.

As an example, here is a partial list of the medical units and first responders in the Greater Houston area that have already received donations and PPEs from various Asian American organizations:

  • City of Bellaire Police / Fire department City of Houston
  • Fire Station #78
  • Harris County Sheriff’s Office Precinct 5 Constable Office
  • Beeler-Manske Clinic Center for Women’s Health
  • Colony Internal Medicine Associates Colonial Oaks at Pearland
  • Dr. Mei Zhang Family Medicare Greater Houston Psychiatric Associates Energi Care
  • Harris Health System
  • HCA Healthcare Clear Lake Hillcroft Medical Clinic Houston Health Foundation
  • Kelsey-Seybold Clinic with 24 Locations Kindred Hospital Sugar Land
  • Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital
  • Memorial TMC/UT Health McGovern Medical School
  • Methodist Hospital
  • Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center Nexus Children’s Hospital Woodland Sacred Heart Emergency Center
  • Signature Care Emergency Rooms – 9 locations Sound Medical Clinic
  • St. Luke’s Hospital
  • St. Luke’s Hospital Anesthesiology Division St. Luke’s Hospital, Pearland
  • Sugar Land Donation Event to Mayor Texas Children Hospital
  • Texas Children’s Pediatric Clinic, Katy West Houston Division of U.S. Anesthesia Partners (USAP)
  • Welcome Family Medicine

A resource center built by United Chinese Americans for disease prevention and public education with compiled resources from China: https://ucausa.org/covid19/

Example webinars hosted by United Chinese Americans for community education:

https://ucausa.org/facts-not-fear/

Video link: https://youtu.be/HZ_1PAb9YZw

Example articles documenting efforts by Houston Asian American Community:

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/False-Coronavirus-rumors- crush-business-as-they-15021425.php?cmpid=gsa-chron-result

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/columnists/grieder/article/Grieder-Let-s-focus-on-coronavirus- solutions-15146001.php

https://www.chron.com/business/real-estate/article/The-Branch-to-close-Mondays-to-support- Chinatown-15117984.php

A partial compiled list of published media on Chinese American community in COVID-19 relief effort:

http://www.ucausa.org/go/media-reports/

UCA-IL Awarded by Mayor of Aurora

UCA-IL received award from the Mayor of Aurora

Yan Bellantoni, UCA founding member and a dedicated volunteer had the honor representing  UCA IL to receive The Mayor’s Excellence award at the City of Aurora Council Meeting on Jan 28. Yan introduced UCA IL three year history, it’s robust programs focus on civic engagement, youth development, and Chinese Heritage sharing (il.ucausa.org).

She expressed UCA’s great appreciation for the City of Aurora’s strong support to help built a welcoming and inclusive communities for all ethnic group of people. Ms. Judy Ni  from windfall Group/Pacifica Square, a founding member of UCA, also received an award. The council meeting is held during Chinese New Year celebration. The meeting started by honoring UCA and Windfall Group as the first agenda for the evening. That speaks volume. Working together, Chinese community can make a huge difference in this country, as small as our neighborhood, as big as our presidential candidate.


Aurora is the second largest city in Illinois.

UCAWA Initiated Youth Mental Health Program

UCAWA Initiated Youth Mental Health Program

United Chinese Americans in Washington (UCAWA) is a newly formed chapter of UCA. Since founding the organization we have stared several programs including Youth Leadership & Government Internship Program. We have also initiated a conversation with Bellevue School Foundation and Bellevue School District to explore the possibility to work together in addressing the mental health issues that young students including Asian students are facing in today’s world.

Bellevue School District is ranked the best school district in Washington State with student population over 20,000. Among 20,000, there 45%+ Asian students, and 20%+ Chinese students. In the recent years the school has seen a big increase of reported mental health incidents and cases among its middle and high school students. According the data collected by the District there are average 40+ per week reported mental health related incidents and cases in its students population. Many of us found the number astonishing since Bellevue School District is situated in a predominantly higher middle-class city. But we believe this is the new reality that the schools and the school district are facing in our state, and other states in the US as well.

After many email exchanges, discussions and meetings, now the leaders of BSF and BSD have made administrative decision to collaborate with UCA/UCAWA to do a series of youth mental health lectures and events. Detailed plan and timelines are still being worked on. We are so glad that we will have an opportunity to help and support the effort of Bellevue School District in addressing the youth mental health issue and make our contribution. For the past two month we have received abundant help from UCA and UCA Illinois Chapter that has provided valuable information, resource materials and expertise. We look forward to joining force with UCA, Illinois Chapter and other experts in the fields to make the program happen, and make this pilot project a success. 

— UCAWA

UCA-IL Meeting with City of Aurora Mayor

UCA-IL Meeting with City of Aurora Mayor

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.

Welcome to the Chinese American Women in History Conference

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:

RSVP
For more information, please visit – http://1882foundation.org

UCA Co-Sponsored 2019 National Civic Leadership Forum

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 leaders
MCLF 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.

Congressional visit