Nation Briefs
January 23, 2008
South Asian Awareness Conference
EVENT: “Catalyst for Change”
DESCRIPTION: The South Asian Awareness Network is hosting their annual three-day conference at the University of Michigan. Speakers and entertainment include Aasif Mandvi, Valerie Kaur, Deepa Iyer, Amardeep Singh and others.
DETAILS: Jan. 25-27, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
CONTACT: saanconf.org
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Faith, History Unite Two Communities
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Up to 100 Karen, many of them families with small children, have been worshipping each Sunday with the Crescent Hill congregation, which until this year had been a mostly white and generally older group.
The network grew rapidly through word of mouth, and now the congregation is increasingly adding Karen hymns, readings and banners to its worship.
Karen Baptists are descendants of the converts of two of the first American Baptist missionaries, who worked in Burma in the early 19th century.
Last year the United States decided to begin admitting thousands of refugees who had fled persecution in Myanmar — most of them ethnic Karen and Chin. Many had languished for as long as two decades in Thai refugee camps.
Some cities, such as Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, Ind., have reported their social services being strained by an influx of thousands of refugees from Myanmar.
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Mother And Activist Honored
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Inquirer recently named Helen Gym 2007 “Citizen of the Year.” Gym was selected from dozens of community activists. She is a mother of three and a vocal member of Parents United for Public Education. For the past two years, Gym has spoken out at meetings, studied budgets and pushed City Council to invest more in education. A recent victory secured an extra $2.71 million for schools this year from the Philadelphia Parking Authority.
Gym says she would rather garden, practice kung fu and spend time with her family, than attend so many meetings or pressure lawmakers to do their jobs. However, community activism has taught her some hard truths.
“If we are waiting for someone else to stand up and do what we know to be right, then we will wait forever — schools are where we institutionalize our love for our children. And why not invest in love and give our children all they deserve?” Gym said.
— Philadelphia Inquirer
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First U.S. Citizen In 2008
A 90-year-old Filipino veteran of World War II, who fought alongside U.S. forces, was the first person in 2008 to become a naturalized American citizen.
Francisco G. Flores, who was captured by Japanese forces and forced to take part in the infamous Bataan Death March, took the oath of citizenship on Jan. 1 in the Pacific National Historic Park in the village of Asan, Guam.
A resident of Pampanga, Philippines, Flores flew to Guam for the citizenship ceremony.
Flores became a U.S. citizen under a law that allows Filipinos who served with U.S. forces in World War II to become citizens. He first applied for citizenship in 1991, but the U.S. Army only recently was able to provide documentation to show that Flores served in the military.
— Pacific Daily News
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Officer Admits He Helped Thwart A Brothel’s Rivals
Former New York City police officer, Dennis Kim, 31, pleaded guilty in United States District Court in Brooklyn to a federal charge of conspiracy to commit extortion in his capacity as a police officer. The plea enables him to avoid a trial and the prospect of a lengthy jail sentence.
Kim, who has resigned from the Police Department, admitted that he and a partner accepted money from the owners of the brothel, who supplied information that was then used in raids that closed their rivals.
In March 2006, authorities arrested Kim and his partner, Jerry Svoronos, now 32, along with the man and woman who ran the brothel. Immigration took into custody 16 women believed to have worked there as prostitutes.
Judge Townes set sentencing for April 18. Under federal guidelines, Kim could be sentenced to 12 to 18 months in prison.
— New York Times
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ILF Announces Fellowships to APA College Students
For the ninth year, the International Leadership Foundation will award up to 30 internships to help Asian Pacific American college students who will be future arts, business, community, legal, medical or professional leaders better understand the workings of American government. Each fellow spends eight weeks during the summer working for a federal government agency in Washington.
The ILF works with government agencies to place each fellow in his or her area of interest.
Any undergraduate student with at least a 3.0 GPA is eligible to apply. Applicants must be United States citizens. Applications must be received by Feb. 1, 2008. Students interested in working at the State Department need to submit their applications by Jan. 4, 2008.
Interested students can get the application form and more information from the ILF’s Web site at ILEADER.org.
The ILF is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advocates civic awareness and community growth.
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Titans Fire Chow
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans fired offensive coordinator Norm Chow on Tuesday after a season of struggling to score points and reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2003.
Chow, who had been on staff for three years, was lured from the same post at Southern California to the NFL in 2005 to develop a young quarterback after what turned out to be Steve McNair’s final season with the franchise.
That has been Chow’s specialty in more than 30 years of coaching in college, where he worked with Carson Palmer, Philip Rivers, Jim McMahon and Steve Young.
When the Titans selected Young with the No. 3 pick overall in 2006, they went with Houston native Vince Young over Matt Leinart, whom Chow coached at Southern California.
Chow, who turns 62 in May, told The Tennessean he was disappointed and didn’t see the firing coming. He said he thought he could help develop Young, who threw nearly twice as many interceptions as touchdowns this season.
“Obviously, Jeff didn’t think that I could. I thought I could. That’s the thing. I don’t know … but it’s going to take some patience,” Chow told the newspaper.
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