Nation Briefs
June 24, 2005
Choi’s Win Signals New Diversity in Edison, N.J.
EDISON, N.J. –– Jun Choi’s win in the primary election for mayor is part of a growing Asian American influence in one of New Jersey’s largest municipalities.
The community is diverse, with road signposts translated into Chinese, Gujarati or other Asian languages. The city’s population is about 30 percent Asian.
Choi, 34, doesn’t want to be labeled an Asian American candidate.
“The politics that I represent is much more inclusive and open in all respects,” he said. “You have to appeal to a wide audience,” he added.
Choi is widely favored to win the November election because of the city’s heavy Democratic leaning. He will become one of the state’s four top-tier leaders with an Asian background.
Top APAS in N.J.
Kevin O’Toole
Age: 41
Born: Oct. 5, 1964
Position: Assemblyman (R) Essex & Republican Chairman
Earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and public administration from Seton Hall University as well as Juris doctorate from Seton Hall University Law.
Upendra J. Chivukula
Age: 55
Born: Oct. 8, 1950
Position: Assemblyman (D)
Member of Delegation to Democratic National Convention in 1996 & 2000. Master’s degree in electrical engineering from City College of the City University of New York. First South Asian American elected to New Jersey state assembly and he is the fourth Indian elected to the state level office.
Shing-Fu Hsueh
Age: 60
Position: Mayor of West Windsor
Born in Taiwan and graduated from National Taiwan University. Moved to the U.S. in 1969. Received Ph.D in Chemical engineering from Rutgers University and joined New Jersey state government after graduation. Speaker of the City Council for four years.
Next?
Jun Choi
Age: 34
Date of birth: May 17, 1971
Family: Son of two immigrants. Single.
Residence: Edison, New Jersey (D)
Earned a Bachelor’s of. Science degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has a Master’s in public policy and administration from Columbia University. Currently the executive director of a Student Achievement Task Force at the New Jersey Department of Education, he implemented a new statewide performance monitoring system ensuring the public school system is effectively and efficiently delivering services to every child and was a co-author of NJ SMART (Standards Measurement and Resource for Teaching). He serves as chairman of the Edison Township Fair Rental Housing Board and is on the Board of Directors of the YMCA of Metuchen-Edison-Woodbridge. He also worked as a management consultant for Ernst & Young LLP.
Hobbies: A private pilot, he enjoys travel, plays tennis and likes reading.
APAICS Search for New Director
The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) is accepting applications for its executive director position, located in Washington, D.C. The position requires the candidate to manage operations, strategize fundraising plans, develop and implement programs, act as spokesperson for APAICS and work with government officials and legislators. A bachelor’s degree is required, though an advanced degree is preferred.
Please contact and/or send résumés to: Mo Marumoto, Interface Group, 3015 M Street, NW, 4th Flr., Washington, D.C. 20007. Résumés may be e-mailed to momarumoto@aol.com or faxed to (202) 342-7204.
First Look at Legacy of Suffering on Cam-Ams
LOWELL, Mass. –– A new study by the University of Massachusetts Boston Institute for Asian American Studies is focusing on the human suffering of Cambodians during their nation’s war-torn contemporary history, and assessing its effect upon their physical and mental health today.
The study led by Leakhena Nou, grew from a 1997 project researching the psychological legacy of the Communist Khmer Rouge regime on 1,200 university students in Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge killed nearly a third of Cambodia’s population during its reign from 1975 to 1979.
Nou said a main psychological affliction is known as Koucharang Syndrome, or “thinking too much” in English, which is “the perception that the body, the mind and the spirit are in disequilibrium.”
Translator Bou Lim and fellow researchers Stephen Thong and Kirirath Saing shared in the study.
Student Develops Biosensors for Bioterrorism
HOUSTON –– An Indian American student at the University of Houston has made a breakthrough in the use of biosensors that could help bioterrorism experts to quickly and accurately identify toxic biological agents.
Mrinal Shah, who is pursuing a doctorate degree in chemical engineering, employed the liquid-liquid phase separation technique, which is used to explain how oil and water separate.
“The development of a successful biosensing chip has potential uses that are manifold and urgently needed,” Shah said.
“If there is a biological warfare somewhere, and you put this chip into that environment, you would know exactly what is in that environment, and safety precautions could be taken. That’s the ultimate achievement that every scientist working in protein chips dreams about,” he added.
Wake-Up Call for N.Y.
NEW YORK –– New York’s Pacifica station, WBAI (99.5 FM) recently announced a newly appointed host for its Wake Up Call weekday program. South Asian international journalist Deepa Fernandes is now hosting the Monday-Thursday edition.
Though she might be a familiar face to many as she was the former host of Pacifica’s Free Speech Radio News, Fernandes will still provide a fresh new voice for the program. With a track record for venturing where few reporters dare to go, she will keep her listeners up to date on national and international politics.
Vietnamese Almost Double in Western Massachusetts
SPRINGFIELD, Mass.–– In Hampden County, Vietnamese make up the largest of Asian populations. It is part of a dramatic growing trend for the area.
In Springfield, about 1,500 –– almost half –– of Springfield’s Asians identified themselves as Vietnamese in the 2000 Census. In 1990, there were only 455 Vietnamese counted.
Overall, Springfield’s Asian population nearly doubled from 1,600 to 2,886 –– nearly all of the additions being Vietnamese. Asians now are approaching 2% of Springfield’s 153,000 total residents.
Chinese remain the dominant Asian group in Hampshire County and Amherst. Amherst’s 3,127 Asians is the largest concentration among Pioneer Valley cities and towns, making up 9% of Amherst’s 34,874 residents. About 40% of Amherst’s Asians are Chinese.
White House Commission, AMA Cooperate on APA Health
The White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders has been incorporated as a member of the American Medical Association (AMA)’s Commission to End Health Care Disparities. The Commission was established in response to the Institute of Medicine’s 2002 report that race and ethnicity play a factor in the disparity.
The President’s Advisory Commission on AAPI began addressing the issue of eliminating health disparities within the Asian Pacific American (APA) community in its 2003 report which found that some subpopulations of APAs are disproportionately at risk for cancer and cardiovascular disease; that APA women in the U.S., who have the lowest rates of cancer, are diagnosed at a later stage of cancer; that APAs have a higher percentage of tuberculosis than all other racial and ethnic groups; and other disparities.
The Commission hopes increased use of evidence-based strategies will boost the understanding of APA health disparities and strengthen the health care system. Dr. Akshay Desai of St. Petersburg, Fla., will be the initiative’s representative to the AMA Commission.
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