Category: News Update

UCA Community Foundation Announces the First UCACF Community Leadership Award and Community Inspiration Award Winners

UCA Community Foundation (UCACF) is pleased to announce recipients of the 2023 UCACF Community Awards:

  • 2023 UCACF Community Leadership Award – Sandy Chau and the Civic Leadership USA (CLUSA)
  • 2023 UCACF Community Inspiration Award – Jiahan (Peter) Cheng and Chinese American Volunteer Association (CAVA)

The awards will be presented to the winners during UCACF’s Inauguration and Fundraising Gala on March 25, 2023, at the South Hill Country Club in West Covina California. 

Sandy Chau is a long-time venture capitalist, real estate investor and philanthropist focuses on social justice issues. He is the Founder and Chairman of the Board of the Civic Leadership UCA (CLUSA).

CLUSA is a 501(c)(3) incorporated in Washington DC in 2013 and headquartered in San Mateo California. is dedicated to empower and organize the Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) communities, to create a national network of civic-minded organizations and leaders and work in unity. The principal activity of CLUSA is to sponsor Civic Leadership Forums and Public 

Service Internship programs aimed at training APIAs to participate in the political process and our civic life. It has sponsored 72 Civic Leadership Forums in 35 cities and 15 states since its inception.

Jiahan (Peter) Cheng immigrated to the United States at the age nine. Born with cataracts, Peter underwent 8 surgeries, achieving 20/200 vision. Peter’s visual Impairment became a unique gift to help him see and give back to the world through a lens of gratitude. 

Peter has a passion for community service. In 2019, he founded the nonprofit Chinese American Volunteer Association leading over 400 students to make remarkable contributions to the local community–helping many quality for the Presidential Volunteer Service Award.

CAVA (Chinese American Volunteer Association) is a student-run 501c3 non-profit organization that strives to develop the next generation of service-minded leaders. Started in the city of Eastvale California, it rapidly expanded into neighboring cities. With over 9 participating schools and over 400 members, its student volunteers get involved in many types of service activities, including event management, education consulting, medical internships, political internships, environmental cleanups, festival performances, mental health seminars, translation services, and more.

UCACF is a non-profit organization affiliated with United Chinese Americans (UCA). It provides microgrants of “seed money” ranging from $500 to $5,000 to startup charitable community projects that promote civic engagement, public education, cultural heritage sharing, youth development, and better understanding between the people of the United States and China.

UCACF’s first Inauguration and Fundraising Gala on March 25th will start at 5pm at the South Hill Country Club with a wine reception. More than 200 distinguished guests and community leaders are coming to the event. The event will feature fireside chat, traditional Chinese art performances, live auctions and lucky draws. The event will be broadcasted live by our media partners and UCA’s Youtube channel.

In the fireside chat, four prominent Chinese American leaders, Sandy Chau, Haipei Shue, Gene Chang and Edward Lee will share their ideas on how to uphold the rights of Chinese Americans and address the challenges in the AAPI communities.

The live auction will feature artworks by Chinese artists such as world renowned artists Xie Tianchen, Hei Feng and Liu Sun.The proceeds of the auctions will be used to fund UCACF‘s microgrant program to benefit the grass-root Chinese American community organizations across the country.

(World renowned contemporary Chinese painter Xie Tiancheng)

Since the “test launch” of UCACF’s microgrant program in July last year, we have raised more than $70,000, received more than 30 applications, conducted five rounds of reviews, and awarded microgrants of $30,300 in total to 10 projects. Our goal is to offer an accessible funding solution for Chinese American community organizations and drive more charitable donations and public investment in the Chinese American community.

This event is made possible by our sponsors and volunteers, they are:

  • Platinum Sponsors: Powermax, Gene and Sharon Chang Family Charitable Fund, Edward Lee & Jennifer Gu, Gary Yu.
  • Gold Sponsors: Grace Lau and Charles Tsui, Cathay Bank, Amsino.
  • Silver Sponsors: CogLeap Center for Achievement, Inc, Suncru Wines, Gensun Casual Living  Company, Borche North America.
  • Bronze Sponsors: Xuemei Wei, BioCalth International, Bo Pang, Paul Teng.

Friendship Sponsors: Cheng Lu & Queeny Nam, Charlie Wang王一笑, Xin Zhang, Qing Jiang, Qing Liao, Weining Yang, Marlynn Ma马琳, Charley, He Family, Betty Qi, Dr. Sabrina Bow, Helen Zhang, Stan Jeong , Mariah Qian, Sabrina Li, John Zhong, Larry Li, Leping Huang, Tim Zhu, Anna Shi, Olinna Zhou, Lily Lee Chen, Jack Deng, Liam Li, Paul Teng, Michael Liu, Yue Rong, Wendy Doo, XCHANGE, Kathy Hao, Jane Long, Steve Jiang, Seamon Chan, Tony Zhang, Jason Xue, DISC/Tony Yeung, Goodcount LLC, MagStone Law, LLP, Peking University Alumni Association of Southern California, 高校联盟会长孙淑婷 and 深圳联合会会长叶.

Volunteers: Jing Bi, Qiang Bjornbak, Jinliang Cai, Lily Cen, Seamon Chan, Audwin Chang, Sharon Chang, Gene Chang, Jessamine Dong, Keqi Gan, Qian Ge, Eric He, Jessy He, Li Huang, Jean Huang, Jenny Hou, Jia Hou, Lin Lin Hu, Steve Jiang, Isabella Lee, Edward Lee, Lucy Lei, Sophia Li, Crystal Li, Veronica Li, Jimmy Li, Bonnie Liao, Neville Lin, Crystal Lin, Yin Lin, Kathy Hao, Bo Pang, Hong Qi, Emma Qin, Lin Qu, Yinong Shen, Jin Shi, Haipei Shue, Sunny Sun, Tony Tang, Charles Tsui, Luxi Xie, Xirun Wang, Jackson Wen, Ping Wu, Xuehui Wu, Lily Yan, Gary Yu, Wen Yuan, Eva Zeng, Shawn Zhang, Donna Zhang, Yingying Zhang and Zack Zhou

We would like to express our heartfelt appreciation for their generous support!

We would like to thank the following media for supporting us: Sing Tao Daily (星岛日报), Sino-US Innovation Times (中美创新时报), Toutiao (今日头条), Chinese Headline New Media (华人头条), 波士顿中文网, Boston International Media Consulting (波士顿国际传媒)、 Boston Asian Radio and TV (波士顿中文广播电视台), DCRTV (密西根中文广播电视台), 费城中文广播电视台, Ding Ding TV (硅谷丁丁电视), News Agency America (美新社), 洛杉矶龙湖电视, Atlanta Chinese Television (亚特兰大华语电视台), Dragon Eagle TV (龙鹰卫视) and Chinese Radio Seattle (西雅图中文电台).

For more information about the gala or UCACF’s microgrant program, please visit our website at https://ucacf.org/.

Contact:

Gary Yu

UCACF Trustee and Media Relation Officer

gary.yu@ucausa.org 

(617) 849-1918

 

About UCACF

www.ucacf.org 

UCA Community Fund (UCACF) is a non-profit organization affiliated with United Chinese Americans (UCA). Our mission is to support the Chinese American community throughout the United States by providing microgrants ranging from $500 to $5,000 to startup charitable community projects and programs. Our efforts are focused on promoting civic engagement, public education, cultural heritage sharing, youth development, and better understanding between the people of the United States and China. 

UCACF works like an “angel fund” for charitable causes. We accept grant applications online and adopt a simple-and-fast application review and approval process. Our Grant Review Committee meets monthly to review applications submitted during the period and make grant decisions. It takes less than two months for an applicant to receive the grant.

UCACF aims to provide seed funding that has a significant impact, driving more charitable donations and public investment in the Chinese American community.

UCA社区基金会宣布首届UCACF社区领导力奖和社区激励奖获得者

UCA社区基金会（UCACF）隆重宣布2023年UCACF社区奖的获得者：

  • 2023年UCACF社区领导力奖 – 朱伟人（Sandy Chau）先生和 Civic Leadership USA（CLUSA）
  • 2023年UCACF社区激励奖 – 成佳翰（Peter）先生和美国华人志愿者协会（CAVA）

上述奖项将于2023年3月25日在加州West Covina市的South Hill Country Club所举行的UCACF成立典礼暨筹款晚宴上颁发给获奖者。

朱伟人先生是一位资深的风险投资家、房地产投资者和慈善家，他长期关注社会公正方面的问题。他是Civic Leadership UCA（CLUSA）的创始人兼董事会主席。

CLUSA成立于2013年，是一家在华盛顿特区注册成立的501(c)(3)组织，总部位于加州San Mateo。该组织致力于通过赋能和组织亚裔美国（APIA）社区，建立一个由倡导公民意识的组织和领导者组成的全国性网络，并促进这些组织和领导者之间的团结合作。CLUSA的主要活动是赞助公民领袖论坛和公共服务实习项目，旨在培训美国亚裔更好地参与政治过程和公民生活。自成立以来，CLUSA已在35个城市和15个州举办了72场公民领袖论坛。

成佳翰（Peter）九岁时移民到美国。他天生白内障，经历了8次手术，达到20/200的视力。Peter的视力障碍成为了他通过感激之心去看待世界并回馈社会的独特天赋。

Peter热衷于社区服务。2019年，他创立了非营利组织美国华人志愿者协会，带领400多名学生为当地社区做出了显著贡献，帮助许多人获得总统志愿者服务奖。

CAVA（美国华人志愿者协会）是一个由学生运营的501c3非营利组织，致力于培养下一代有服务意识的领导者。始创于加州Eastvale市，并迅速扩展到邻近城市。CAVA拥有超过9所参与学校和超过600名成员，学生志愿者参与多种类型的服务活动，包括活动管理、教育咨询、医疗实习、政治实习、环境清理、节日表演、心理健康研讨会、翻译服务等。

UCACF是美国华人联合会（UCA）下属的非营利组织。它为促进公民参与、公共教育、文化遗产共享、青少年发展以及加强美国和中国民间相互了解的早期社区公益项目提供500至5,000美元的小微赠款做“种子资金”。

UCACF成立典礼暨筹款晚宴将于3月25日下午5点在South Hill Country Club以招待酒会的形式开场迎宾，届时将有200多位杰出人士和社区领袖出席。晚会活动将包括炉边对谈、传统中国艺术表演、现场拍卖和抽奖活动。活动将由我们的媒体合作伙伴以及UCA的Youtube频道现场直播。

在炉边谈话环节，四位杰出的美籍华人领袖朱伟人、薛海培、常劲和李世海将探讨有关如何维护美籍华人权益以及应对今天亚裔社区所面临挑战的话题。

现场拍卖将包括世界著名艺术家谢天成、黑枫和刘隼的作品。拍卖所得将用于资助UCACF的小微赠款计划，惠及全国各地基层华人社区组织。

（世界著名当代中国画家谢天成）

自去年七月UCACF小微赠款计划的“试运行”以来，我们筹集了超过70,000美元，收到了30多份申请，进行了五轮审核，并总共向10个项目授予了30,300美元的微型资助。我们的目标是为华裔社区组织提供一个容易可行的资金解决方案，并推动更多的慈善捐赠和公共投资到华裔社区。

这次活动得以实现，离不开我们的赞助商和志愿者们：

白金赞助商：Powermax、Gene and Sharon Chang Family Charitable Fund、Edward Lee & Jennifer Gu、Gary Yu。

黄金赞助商：Grace Lau and Charles Tsui、Cathay Bank国泰银行、Amsino。

白银赞助商：CogLeap Center for Achievement, Inc、Suncru Wines桑库酒庄、Gensun Casual Living Company、Borche North America。

青铜赞助商：Xuemei Wei魏雪梅、BioCalth International、Bo Pang、Paul Teng。

友谊赞助商：Cheng Lu陆诚 & Queeny Nam、Charlie Wang 王一笑、、Xin Zhang、Qing Jiang江庆、Qing Liao廖青、Weining Yang杨卫宁、Marlynn Ma马琳、Charley、He Family、Betty Qi、Dr. Sabrina Bow、Helen Zhang、Stan Jeong、Mariah Qian、Sabrina Li、John Zhong、Larry Li、Leping Huang、Tim Zhu、Anna Shi、Olinna Zhou、Lily Lee Chen陈李婉若、Jack Deng、Liam Li、Michael Liu、Yue Rong容跃、Wendy Doo、XCHANGE、Kathy Hao郝琦、Jane Long、Steve Jiang、Seamon Chan、Tony Zhang张可、Jason Xue薛杨、DISC/Tony Yeung、Goodcount LLC、 MagStone Law, LLP、北京大学南加州校友会、高校联盟会长孙淑婷和深圳联合会会长叶冬。

志愿者：Jing Bi毕靖、Qiang Bjornbak华强、Jinliang Cai蔡金良、Lily Cen岑莉、Seamon Chan陈孟希、Audwin Chang、Sharon Chang、Gene Chang常劲、Jessamine Dong董凡、Keqi Gan甘科奇、Qian Ge葛倩、Eric He, Jessy He、Li Huang黄犁、Jean Huang黄珺、Jenny Hou、Jia Hou侯嘉、Lin Lin Hu胡林林、Steve Jiang江启光、Isabella Lee、Edward Lee李世海、Lucy Lei、Sophia Li李惠琼、Crystal Li李宜轩、Veronica Li、Jimmy Li李金星、Bonnie Liao廖冰、Neville Lin林宁国、Crystal Lin、Yin Lin林蔭、Kathy Hao郝琦、Bo Pang庞博、Hong Qi齐虹、Emma Qin秦弦、Lin Qu曲美霖、Yinong Shen沈一农、Jin Shi、Haipei Shue薛海培、Sunny Sun陈峥、Tony Tang唐理震、Charles Tsui徐国富、Luxi Xie谢露嬉、Xirun Wang、Jackson Wen温杰、Ping Wu吴娉、Xuehui Wu伍学慧、Lily Yan颜立维、Gary Yu俞国梁、Wen Yuan袁文、Eva Zeng、Shawn Zhang、Donna Zhang、Yingying Zhang张莹莹和Zack Zhou。

我们衷心感谢他们的慷慨支持！

我们还要感谢以下媒体的支持：Sing Tao Daily (星岛日报), Sino-US Innovation Times (中美创新时报), Toutiao (今日头条), Chinese Headline New Media (华人头条), 波士顿中文网, Boston International Media Consulting (波士顿国际传媒)、 Boston Asian Radio and TV (波士顿中文广播电视台), DCRTV (密西根中文广播电视台), 费城中文广播电视台, Ding Ding TV (硅谷丁丁电视), News Agency America (美新社), 洛杉矶龙湖电视, Atlanta Chinese Television (亚特兰大华语电视台), Dragon Eagle TV (龙鹰卫视) and Chinese Radio Seattle (西雅图中文电台).

一波未平一波又起，德州再出针对性法案，将禁止中国留学生入学！

上个月，德克萨斯州的华裔美国人发起了一场运动，致力于取消 SB147 法案，即抗议禁止来自朝鲜、伊朗、俄罗斯或中国的任何公民拥有在德州的财产包括房屋和土地等。

在德州华裔群体正在积极维护自己的权益的同时，另一项更令人发指的法案与权益保卫战已经拉开帷幕！

来自阿灵顿的保守派共和党人、州众议员 Tony Tinderholt 于上周五提出一项提案：禁止来自中国，伊朗、朝鲜和俄罗斯的公民入读德克萨斯州的公立大学及学术机构。

实际上，不管是对于来自四国的留学生以及公民，还是对于当地的学术机构来说，这一项法案的提出无疑是不合理且带有偏见的。

根据《全球留学生统计报告》的数据，德克萨斯州是美国最受欢迎的留学生目的地之一，而根据美国国际教育协会（IIE）发布的《开放门户报告》显示，美国全国范围内的中国留学生人数约占全部留学生总数的34.6%。

如果禁止来自中国等国家的公民入读德克萨斯州的公立大学及学术机构，可能会对该州的高等教育产生负面影响，包括减少国际学生数量；减少高等教育的财政收入，因为国际生通常比本州学生支付更高的学费，这部分学费一向是德克萨斯州公立大学及学术机构的重要收入来源；减少与国际学生的科研合作关系等等。

此法案的提出再一次伤害了美国的华裔群体，造成了恶劣的社会影响，加剧了针对华裔群体的歧视与不平等待遇。

如果该项提案真的通过了听证环节并确认实施，这将是对德克萨斯州经济与社会多方面的伤害与打击。

领跑奥斯卡提名，亚裔正在为影视界带来有影响力的改变

下周日（3月12日）就是第95届奥斯卡金像奖的颁奖典礼。今年的奥斯卡看点多多，对华裔导演、演员、编剧等等来说，这是创纪录的一年。《瞬息全宇宙》以11项提名领跑群雄，女主角杨紫琼不久前也刚刚在美国电影电视金球奖折桂音乐/喜剧类电影最佳女主角奖，此次又成为第一个获奥斯卡最佳女主角奖提名的亚裔演员。
 
此前采访中，杨紫琼在谈到自己所代表的“东方力量”时，她表示至今没有任何一位亚洲女性拿过奥斯卡金像奖最佳女主角，所以这个议题始终萦绕她心头，而亚裔身份带给她的枷锁，甚至远比机会多得多，“不仅是我，我感觉整个亚裔群体都在思考这件事，他们走过来对我说，你是在为我们做这件事。”
 

颁奖典礼的一大看点是许玮伦（Stephanie Hsu）将与大卫·伯恩和Son Lux演唱《瞬息全宇宙》中的热门歌曲《This Is a Life》。

本届获奖&提名
最佳影片、最佳原创剧本、最佳服装设计、最佳配乐、最佳剪辑提名：《瞬息全宇宙》；
最佳导演奖提名：《瞬息全宇宙》由关家永和丹尼尔·施因内特共同执导；
最佳原创歌曲提名：《This Is a Life》；
杨紫琼（MICHELLE YEOH）凭《瞬息全宇宙》提名奥斯卡最佳女主角，成为首个提名奥斯卡影后的华人，也是亚裔获得的首个奥斯卡影后提名。

许玮伦和周洪(《鲸》)入围最佳女配角奖。

关继威（KE HUY QUAN）获最佳男配角奖提名。

曾凭借《包宝宝》斩获第91届奥斯卡奖最佳动画短片奖的华人女导演石之予(Domee Shi)，此次以其执导的皮克斯动画片《青春变形记》入围最佳动画长片奖提名。

关继威在采访中说，对我们社区来说，这是令人兴奋的一年。我们在主要表演类别中有四位演员入围，杨紫琼、许玮伦、我和周洪(《鲸》)。这让我很开心。这强化了我的信念，即我们也是可能带来有影响力的改变的。

“我记得我和吴汉章(James Hong)在片场的谈话，谈到他在20世纪50年代刚入行时有多么困难，当时好莱坞几乎没有我们这样的人。是像他这样的人坚持不懈，为我们所有人的成功打下基础。”
“我不认为每一秒都是理所当然的。能够参加各种活动(比如上个月的奥斯卡提名午宴)，见到我多年来崇拜的人，感谢他们给我的灵感。我每天晚上怀着感激之情入睡，第二天早上醒来却怀疑这一切是不是一场梦。我很幸运能有这不可思议的第二幕。”
许玮伦在采访中说，“当告诉妈妈我已经预定了我的第一部摄影棚故事片时，她似乎很平静。但当我告诉她杨紫琼将扮演我妈妈时，她惊呆了。她说，天哪，这太棒了!
”我家里的每个人都喜欢杨紫琼，这是理所应当的。她完全投入到每一个项目和每一个与她合作的人当中。没有任何自我中心。
“我们的电影本可以有很多发展方向，导演们真的才华横溢。但（现在的结果）也证明了杨紫琼是我们的女家长。她为我们所有人张开双臂，我们都能信任她。我认为你从这部电影中获得的爱和家庭的感觉是因为我们在制作它的时候真的就在那里。”
《瞬息全宇宙》的制作人王庆（Jonathan Wang）说，他父亲是台湾人，他在一个台湾华人家庭长大。“我们庆祝中国新年，工作的方方面面都很亚洲化。所以当我们得到提名的时候，我感到自己已经竭尽全力了。”
“我父亲在2016年去世了；他没能看到这一刻。但在接到所有电话和早上发生的一切之后(提名被宣布)，我去洗了个澡，在洗澡的时候，我哭了。因为我真的觉得我爸爸会为我感到骄傲。我知道他一直以我为荣。但这是我第一次可以坦然接受。”

历届获奖&提名

奥斯卡的华人获奖者可追溯至1956年和1964年美籍华人黄宗霑两度斩获最佳黑白片摄影奖。

1985年，凭借《杀戮战场》获得最佳男配角的柬埔寨华人吴汉润是华人首次提名和获得表演类奖项。

真正激起华人及华语电影工作者对奥斯卡的关注则是1988年获得9项大奖的《末代皇帝》，来自中国大陆的苏聪获得了最佳原创配乐奖，是中国本土（含两岸三地）电影工作者第一次获得奥斯卡奖。

1991年中国大陆送审的张艺谋、杨凤良导演作品《菊豆》为首部入围最佳外语片提名的华语电影。

2001年台湾送审的李安导演作品《卧虎藏龙》成为首部获得最佳外语片奖的华语电影，也是首部提名最佳影片奖的华语电影，其制片人李安、江志强、徐立功成为首次获得最佳影片奖提名的华人。

2006年，台湾导演李安凭借《断背山》成为首位获得最佳导演奖的华人、亚洲人、非白人。2013年，李安凭借《少年PI的奇幻漂流》再次获得最佳导演奖，成为至今唯一两度获得最佳导演奖的华人和亚洲人，并第二次（其导演作品第三次）获得最佳影片奖提名。

2016年，香港制片人、导演、演员成龙获得奥斯卡终身成就奖，为首位摘得此项荣誉的华人。

2021年，来自中国大陆的赵婷凭借《无依之地》斩获最佳导演奖和名最佳影片奖，成为首位摘获最佳影片奖的华人，亦是首位提名和获得最佳导演奖的华人女性、亚洲女性、非白人女性。

UCA会长薛海培访问阿拉巴马州 呼吁华人团结

美国华人联合会会长薛海培(左四)暨该会理事林青(左七)日前在蒙市会晤阿州中区华侨协会理事会成员。(华侨协会提供)

美国华人联合会(United Chinese Americans, UCA)创会会长薛海培暨该会董事会成员林青，日前专程自华盛顿前来阿拉巴马州，造访包括首府蒙哥马利市在内的几个城市，并和位于蒙市的阿州中区华侨协会会长张道山和协会理事十多人会晤，简报UCA工作概况并交换意见。

UCA成立于2017年，是一个全美性的非营利和无党派的公民组织，致力于通过各种工作或活动发展，加深在美华裔和主流社会间的理解和互助。这些年来为确保在美华裔的公平权益，取得了不少效果，并已在许多州和地区成立了合作伙伴。

当天，薛海培回顾了该会过去和现阶段的工作，他并针对最近德州酝酿立法禁止包括中国在内四个国家的政府、公司和个人购买德州土地和与会者讨论。

他表示，受到德州影响，全美已有十多个州跟进，这种类似新“排华法案”的提案虽不一定会通过，但由于中美关系前景无法乐观，在美华人未来有可能还会感受到类似的敌意，希望在美华人认清大家都是属于一个大家庭，团结一致，才能走得更远更好。

转载自世界日报记者王宇平╱阿拉巴马州报导

UCA Condemns Racist & McCarthyist Attacks on Rep. Chu & Mr. Ng

UCA Condemns Racist and McCarthyist Attacks on Rep. Chu and Dominic Ng 

United Chinese Americans (UCA) strongly condemns the recent racist and offensive remarks made by Texas Representative Lance Gooden against Representative Judy Chu, Chairwoman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and a highly respected leader in Chinese American and AAPI communities. His baseless comments questioning Representative Chu’s loyalty to the United States are McCarthyist, racist, and shameful. 

As a respected Member of the United States Congress and a dedicated public servant who has fought tirelessly for her constituents and for the rights of all Americans for decades, Rep. Chu’s loyalty and commitment to this country are beyond question, period! It is shameful that Representative Gooden and other officials would seek to divide and harm our nation with such ugly McCarthyist attacks.

It is no less disturbing and shameful to accuse Dominic Ng, a highly respected Chinese American business and community leader, and President Biden’s pick to represent the United States on the Asia-Pacifc Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2023, of treason to America, based on flimsy and unsubstantiated evidence. 

As an organization that advocates for the rights and well-being of Chinese Americans, we stand in solidarity with Representative Chu, Dominic Ng, and all those who have been subjected to discriminatory and xenophobic attacks. We call on all elected officials and organizations to condemn such behavior and to work towards creating a more inclusive and respectful society that values diversity and embraces the contributions of all Americans, regardless of their ethnic background or where they come from. 

UCA WAVES Awarded Federal Grant for Mental Health First Aid Training

The United Chinese Americans (UCA) is pleased to announce that our UCA WAVES (Wellness, Advocacy, Voices, Education, Support) program recently received a four-year training grant (H79SM084431), Mental Health First Aid in Chinese Americans (MHFA-CA), from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an agency under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This is a collaborative effort with North Carolina Central University (NCCU). We are extremely grateful for the dedication and hard work of UCA WAVES team members who have continued the effort to combat the mental health crises in Asian American communities.

UCA WAVES program recently received a four-year training grant (H79SM084431), Mental Health First Aid in Chinese Americans (MHFA-CA)

UCA WAVES Trifold
The United Chinese Americans (UCA) is pleased to announce that our UCA WAVES (Wellness, Advocacy, Voices, Education, Support) program recently received a four-year training grant (H79SM084431), Mental Health First Aid in Chinese Americans (MHFA-CA), from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an agency under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This is a collaborative effort with North Carolina Central University (NCCU). We are extremely grateful for the dedication and hard work of UCA WAVES team members who have continued the effort to combat the mental health crises in Asian American communities.
 
The training grant will allow the WAVES team to train hundreds of community members using evidence-based MHFA instructional materials aimed to increase mental health knowledge, decrease stigma, and increase professional help-seeking behaviors. Training will be conducted both in-person and virtual with culturally appropriate resources. To implement the grant, we will partner with the National Alliance for Mental Health (NAMI) Chinese in San Francisco, UCA WAVES North Carolina, UCA Illinois Chapter, and other interested community organizations.
 
We would like to thank all volunteers, community members, partners, and supporters, and last but not least, those of you who courageously break the silence to share your stories to help save young lives. 
 
For questions, please contact Project Director Lily Chen at lily.chen@ucausa.org. If you or someone you know is interested in joining this project, we are hiring a part-time project coordinator (based in North Carolina).
 
Happy holidays! 
UCA and the WAVES Team

Click here to Donate to UCA (Holiday Fundraising)

UCA Community Fund Announced Award of Microgrants to Three Community Projects | UCA社区基金公布第三批小额赠款项目

UCA Community Fund (UCACF) announced today three recipients of its microgrants approved in October and November 2022. They were:

1. The “Books 4 Cultural Competence” program proposed by East West Alliance for Education and Health based in Seattle, WA.

2. Short Movie “The Battle for Chinese American Voters” project proposed by UCA MA.

3. The “Culture Bridge” project proposed by the Chinese American Association of Lexington, MA.

Books 4 Cultural Competence

The “Books 4 Cultural Competence” (B4CC)* is the flagship program of East West Alliance for Education and Health that aims to improve cultural competence by strengthening self-awareness, awareness of others, cultural knowledge, and cross-cultural skills in K-12 communities (composed of students, teachers, parents, and other stakeholders).

As part of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month (May 1-31) in 2021, B4CC collaborated with sister non-profit organization One Book One World** and launched their book drive initiative in the state of Washington to donate books about Asian cultures to K-12 classrooms and libraries in the greater Seattle area. Since then, they have implemented two rounds of donation pilots while establishing partnerships with over 20 schools across four school districts. More information about the project can be found on B4CC homepage: http://mandarinplayground.weebly.com/books-4-cultural-competence.html

The Battle for Chinese American Voters

“The Battle for Chinese American Voters” is a movie that aims to wake up the Chinese American communities to vote and fight for their rights. The battle started in 1902, when George Frisbie Hoar, the only senator voted “No” for the unlimited extension of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Over a century, the power of Chinese Americans has grown but still far away from enough. This movie will dig deeper into the reasons that barricade Chinese American voters over the years and encourage more Chinese Americans to vote. The movie will also introduce more about the upcoming elections, with the ballots in Chinese to help voters to understand that this will be a great opportunity to vote for the life we prefer.

Cultural Bridge

“Cultural Bridge” is a community volunteer project initiated, organized, and led by young people. The project will promote youth leadership as it will be directed, designed, and implemented by a team of high school students. The project aims to improve understanding of Chinese culture through two cultural activities that will coincide with prominent Asian celebrations. For the Spring Festival Gala in January 2023, the student team will organize and perform a Han-style costume show that will introduce Han-style costumes and feature the evolution of Han costumes through the many dynasties of China. For AAPI Heritage Month in May 2023, the team will introduce Chinese tea culture at an event that is open to the community.

We welcome more local Chinese American community organizations to apply for our grants. To apply, an applicant organization simply needs to visit our website at ucacf.org to fill up and submit an online grant application form.

The applicant project should meet the following criteria:

  1. The objective of the project must be well aligned with UCA’s mission.
  2. It should be a charitable startup project.
  3. It should have an established project management team.
  4. It should be unique and creative.
  5. It should have the potential for significant and broad social impacts.

For more information about the grant eligibility criteria and grant application requirements, please visit https://ucacf.org/.

About UCACF

UCACF is a new initiative launched by UCA to help local Chinese American community organizations to raise funds for startup charitable projects and programs, addressing the long-time challenges of small and medium-sized local community organizations in fundraising for their projects and activities. UCACF’s mission is to provide microgrant ($500 to $5,000) of seed funds to startup community projects aiming to enrich and empower Chinese American communities through civic engagement, education, heritage sharing, youth development and a greater understanding between the people of the United States and China.

UCACF works like an “angel fund” for nonprofit causes. We accept grant applications online and adopt a simple-and-fast application review and approval process. Our Grant Review Committee meets monthly to review applications submitted during the period and make grant decisions. It takes less than two months for an applicant to receive the grant.

The UCACF organization comprises four teams of volunteers, the Board of Trustees, the Grant Review Committee, the Executive Committee and the Board of Advisors. The Board of Trustees is responsible for the governance and fundraising of UCACF, the Grant Review Committee is responsible for the review and approval of grant applications and the Executive Committee is responsible for grant application collection and validation, grant issuing, and follow-up.

Since the “test launch” of UCACF’s website in July, we have received more than 20 applications. We welcome more local Chinese American community organizations to submit applications.
UCACF is still in the “test run”. We are looking for more volunteers to join us. We welcome feedback and suggestions. Please contact us at ucacommunityfund@gmail.com or visit our website for more information.

About United Chinese Americans

The United Chinese Americans (UCA) is a coalition of grass-root community organizations dedicated to the enrichment and empowerment of the Chinese American community in the United States. UCA was formed at the first Chinese American Convention in September 2016 and was later incorporated and received IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in 2017. UCA has since grown into a national federation of 12 local chapters in Atlanta, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, Washington State, West Virginia, Wisconsin, New York City, San Francisco, and over 30 community partners nationwide.

10月，UCA社区基金(UCA Community Fund, UCACF)公布第三批小额赠款项目, 共三个项目。它们分别是：

1. The “Books 4 Cultural Competence” program proposed by East West Alliance for Education and Health based in Seattle, WA.

2. Short Movie “The Battle for Chinese American Voters” project proposed by UCA MA.

3. The “Culture Bridge” project proposed by the Chinese American Association of Lexington, MA.

Books 4 Cultural Competence项目

Books 4 Cultural Competence（B4CC）是东西方教育与健康联盟的旗舰项目，旨在通过加强K-12社区（由学生、教师、家长和其他利益相关者组成）的自我意识、对他人的认识、文化知识和跨文化技能，提高文化能力。

作为2021年亚裔美国人和太平洋岛民（AAPI）传统月（5月1日至31日）的一部分，B4CC与姐妹非营利组织 “一本书一个世界 “合作，在华盛顿州发起图书捐赠活动，向大西雅图地区的K-12教室和图书馆捐赠有关亚洲文化的书籍。从那时起，他们已经实施了两轮捐赠试点，同时与四个学区的20多所学校建立了伙伴关系。有关该项目的更多信息可在B4CC主页上找到：
http://mandarinplayground.weebly.com/books-4-cultural-competence.html。

"The Battle for Chinese American Voters"电影项目

“美国华人选民之战 “是一部旨在唤醒美国华人社区投票和争取权利的电影。这场战斗始于1902年，当时唯一的参议员乔治-弗里斯比-胡尔对无限期延长《排华法案》投了 “反对票”。一个多世纪以来，美籍华人的力量不断增强，但仍然远远不够。这部电影将深入挖掘多年来阻挡华裔选民的原因，鼓励更多华裔投票。电影还将介绍更多关于即将到来的选举，用中文选票帮助选民了解，这将是一个为我们喜欢的生活投票的好机会。

Culture Bridge项目

“文化之桥 “是一个由年轻人发起、组织和领导的社区志愿者项目。该项目将促进青年的领导力，因为它将由一个高中生团队指导、设计和实施。该项目旨在通过两个文化活动增进对中国文化的了解，这两个活动将与亚洲著名的庆祝活动相吻合。在2023年1月的春节联欢晚会上，学生团队将组织并表演汉族风格的服装表演，介绍汉族风格的服装，并介绍汉族服装在中国众多朝代中的演变。在2023年5月的亚太裔传统月，该团队将在一个向社区开放的活动中介绍中国茶文化。

我们欢迎更多的美国华人社区组织申请我们的资助。感兴趣的组织可以访问我们的网站ucacf.org，填写并提交在线赠款申请表。所申请项目的目标必须与UCA的使命保持一致，并且是一个慈善的创业项目。所申请项目还应该有一个既定的项目管理团队，应该具有独特性和创造性，并能够产生重大和广泛的社会影响。欲了解更多有关资助标准和资助申请要求，请访问：https://ucacf.org/

关于UCACF

UCACF是由UCA发起的一项新举措，旨在帮助当地华裔社区组织为启动的慈善项目和计划筹集资金，解决当地中小型社区组织在为其项目和活动筹集资金方面的长期挑战。UCACF的使命是为初创的社区项目提供小额赠款（500至5000美元），旨在通过公民参与、教育、遗产分享、青年发展和增进美中两国人民之间的了解来丰富和增强美国华人社区的能力。

UCACF的工作方式类似于非营利事业的 “天使基金”。我们在网上接受资助申请，并采用简单快捷的申请审查和批准程序。我们的资助审查委员会每月召开会议，审查在此期间提交的申请并作出资助决定。申请人只需不到两个月的时间就能收到赠款。

UCACF组织由四个志愿者团队组成，即董事会、赠款审查委员会、执行委员会和顾问委员会。董事会负责UCACF的管理和筹资，赠款审查委员会负责审查和批准赠款申请，执行委员会负责赠款申请的收集和确认、赠款的发放和跟踪。

自7月UCACF网站 “试运行 “以来，我们已收到20多份申请。我们欢迎更多的本地华裔社区组织提交申请。

UCACF仍处于 “试运行 “阶段。我们正在寻找更多的志愿者加入我们。我们欢迎反馈和建议。请与我们联系，ucacommunityfund@gmail.com，或访问我们的网站了解更多信息。

加入UCA, 我们需要你, 你也需要我们

入会可查询 https://ucausa.org/join-uca

Happy Thanksgiving To You and Yours!

Dear UCA Family and Friends,

Thanksgiving holiday always has a special place in the hearts of UCA family, because we have so much to be thankful for.

Whether it is the record-breaking 2022 Chinese American Convention, or our first Chinese American Youth Convention, or the downfall of the China Initiative, or our continued fight for fair treatment of Anming Hu, Feng Tao and many other Chinese American scientists; or the latest exciting news that Sherry Chen finally won a historic settlement with the Federal government, a rare milestone, or the welcoming of new UCA-Arizona chapter and UCA Southwest Florida chapter, or the fast expanding of our WAVES program across the country, or the successful launching of UCA Community Fund, or the establishment of UCA Action and UCA PAC, two powerful tools allowing our community to engage deeper in the political process, your abundant support for and belief in UCA and its vision have sustained and lifted us all.

We achieved so much together in 2022 by following our motto of serve, lead, inspire. We are working hard for another bumper year of harvest, so to speak, in 2023. At UCA, we are a close knit family of great friends thankful for the lasting friendship. Let us make history together, again! Join UCA by becoming a member or renewing your membership https://ucausa.org/join-uca/, or by planning a year-end gift of donation to UCA https://ucausa.org/uca-2022-holiday-fundraising/.

Although we cannot gather in person for this holiday, we are connecting and embracing each other in spirit and prayers!

Thank you, the amazing UCA family and friends!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Warmly yours,
The UCA Team

亲爱的UCA家人和朋友:

感恩节在UCA大家庭的心中总是有着特殊的地位，因为我们有太多的事情要感恩！

无论是创纪录的2022年UCA美国华人大会，还是我们的首届全美华人青年大会；无论是挫败美国司法部的“中国倡议”，还是UCA WAVES项目在全国范围内的快速扩张; 无论是陈霞芬最终与联邦政府达成历史性和解的里程碑，还是UCA为华裔科学家诸如为胡安明和陶丰教授等争取公平对待的不懈努力；无论是欢迎亚利桑那分会和西南佛罗里达分会的成立，还是UCA社区基金会的成功启动；或者是UCA Action和UCA PAC这两个让华人社区更深入参与美国政治进程的有力工具的创立；你们对UCA及其愿景的帮助和信任，都支持和鼓舞了我们所有人。

在2022年，我们遵循“服务、领导和激励”的UCA座右铭，一起取得了如此多的成就。我们正在准备迎接另一个丰收年，2023年的到来。在UCA，我们是一个亲密的大家庭，感谢你们长久以来的友谊，让我们再次一起创造历史！

加入UCA成为会员：https://ucausa.org/join-uca/

续签您的会员资格或计划为UCA捐赠年终礼物：https://ucausa.org/uca-2022-holiday-fundraising/

虽然不能在这个节日聚集在一起，但我们在精神上和祈祷中彼此连接和拥抱！

谢谢你们，UCA的家人和朋友们！

感恩节快乐！

 UCA团队

🌟加入UCA, 我们需要你, 你也需要我们🌟

入会可查询https://ucausa.org/join-uca/，或点击二维码查看：

十年冤屈，十年抗争，陈霞芬终获历史性胜利

前美国国家气象局华裔科学家陈霞芬（Sherry Chen）的律师今天宣布了一项历史性的和解协议，分别涉及陈霞芬被联邦政府错误起诉和被不当解雇的两起民事诉讼。

2012年，美国商务部下属的威胁和调查管理局（Investigations and Threat Management Service，简称ITMS）开始对陈霞芬进行非法调查，这是针对华裔美国人的一个典型歧视的例证。

后来，陈霞芬被FBI和司法部毫无根据地逮捕和起诉。从此开始了十年冤屈，十年抗争之路。在包括UCA在内的亚裔民权组织的强烈抗议之下，ITMS于去年正式解散。此前，参议院的一份报告曾详细描述了该部门如何在法律之外运作，变成了一支“无法无天“的执法部队，并在没有证据的情况下，对商务部工作人员（尤其是亚裔员工）展开轻率的调查。

在陈霞芬寻求正义的道路上，UCA是第一个站出来支持她的民权组织。UCA曾在纽约时报头版报道了陈霞芬冤案的当天，首先联系国会亚太裔党团的华裔和亚裔议员，并在四天后在国会山上发起了有近十位国会议员参加的陈霞芬事件第一次新闻发布会。UCA并帮助陈霞芬设立了“陈霞芬法律保护基金”。之后，UCA发起“A Christmas Gift for Sherry”全美义捐，并多次为她募款，薛海培会长更是奔波于许多城市为陈霞芬募捐。UCA同时寻求积极法律帮助，在国会层面为她奔走相告，联络民选官员和其他各界人士，共同支持她。

在陈霞芬寻求正义的道路上，UCA是第一个站出来支持她的民权组织。UCA曾经多次为她募款，寻求法律帮助，并在国会层面为她奔走相告，联络民选官员和其他各界人士，共同支持她。

Sherry Chen Letter to Supporters

My dear friends:

Today is a day for celebration. I’m writing to announce a historic settlement in my two lawsuits seeking accountability for the government’s illegal and discriminatory investigation of me, its wrongful prosecution, and its termination of my employment with the National Weather Service.

The settlement is one of the largest paid to an individual plaintiff in Commerce Department history. As compensation, the Commerce Department is paying me $550,000, and I’ll receive an annuity from the U.S. government valued at $1.25 million over ten years. In addition, the Commerce Department is hosting a private meeting between me and a senior agency official, and it is providing me with a letter that acknowledges my extensive accomplishments during my tenure as a U.S. government hydrologist.

Today’s settlement is not only a victory for me; it is also a victory for our community and for the rule of law. It makes clear that profiling and discrimination are unacceptable, and that rogue investigative units like ITMS have no place in a democratic society. The government cannot escape the consequences for these wrongs. It will be held to account.

Of course, no amount of money can ever fully repair the injustices I’ve experienced. But today’s settlement is a critically important step toward achieving justice for myself and for so many Chinese Americans who have been subjected to unjustified government scrutiny.

Your unwavering support has been essential to this fight every step of the way. Although I’m unfortunately unable to celebrate with each of you in person, please know that I’m thinking of each of you, and I am so grateful for your kindness and generosity over this years-long fight. You’ve given me the strength to go on.

Thank you so much!

Sherry Chen

以下为陈霞芬的公开信：

今天是一个值得庆祝的日子。在这里，我向大家公布一个有关我的历史性和解协议。此前，我起诉政府针对我的歧视性不公调查，以及之后对我的错误起诉。我还起诉国家气象局错误地终止我的就业合同。

该和解协议是商务部历史上支付给个人的最大一笔赔偿金之一。作为赔偿，商务部将付给我55万美元；我将在十年的时间里，从美国政府那里获得总共125万美元的年金。此外，商务部正在组织一个我和一名高级官员之间的私人会议；商务部还会向我提供一封表彰信，承认我在担任美国政府水文学家期间所取得的一系列成就。

今天的和解不仅是我个人的胜利，也是我们社会和法治的胜利。这清楚地表明，针对特定族裔的的歧视是不可接受的，像商务部ITMS这样的不合理调查在民主社会里是没有立足之地的。政府不能逃脱这些错误行为所导致的后果，终将被追究责任。

当然，再多的钱也无法完全弥补我所经历的不公正。但是，今天的和解是为我和众多遭受政府不公正调查的华裔在伸张正义方面所迈出的至关重要的一步。

今天的结果离不开各位对我坚定不移的支持。虽然我不能和你们亲自庆祝这一好消息，但请记住，我一直铭记着你们每一个人的帮助，我非常感谢你们在这场漫长的斗争对我所给予的善意和慷慨支持。您的支持是我坚持走到今天的力量。

非常感谢！

陈霞芬

UCA会长薛海培, 数年来一直对陈霞芬事件费尽幸苦和努力。在听到陈霞芬和联邦政府达成和解协议后，他激动地说, “这是我和UCA同仁们盼望了七年之久的大喜事！是美国华人历史上在历经了多次最高法院的胜诉，二十多年前李文和案件的胜诉之后，华人维权史上又一可歌可泣的重大胜利。”

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相爱不必相杀—爱的五种表达 | “解读爱、学会爱”公益讲座

每个人都渴望着爱，如同花草树木渴望阳光；也都想让这份爱去滋养到我们心里在乎的每个人！然而，我们日复一日，年复一年的为爱人，孩子付出，常常却得不到相应的感谢，有时甚至得到的是恨意。这是为什么？

我们常常在亲密关系里受到伤害——久久等待，甚至苦苦哀求，却收不到想要的温暖回应…我们爱的卑微，爱的精疲力尽，甚至伤痕累累，这又是为什么？

……

南北卡华人社区服务中心（简称CCACC）和美国华人联合会精神健康项目组（简称UCA Waves）特别邀请到著名的心理咨询师方琦老师，来为大家“破解爱的密码”。

方老师将用自己从业二十多年的真实案例，使大家看到亲密关系里最真实的对方和自我，看到人性最深切的渴望和需求。通过觉察和感悟，摆脱情感的自动巡航，走出爱的困境——让自己、让爱人、让孩子、让父母，让亲密关系里的每一个人，都感到温暖，得到陪伴。 

欢迎关注UCA WAVES-CCACC 公益心理系列讲座-《相爱不必相杀——爱的五种表达》 ，一起“破译爱的密码”。

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