Superheroes Wanted for Marrow Donor Registration Drive
September 30, 2009
As three-year-old Finn Okochi runs around his New Jersey living room sporting a Superman cape, the half-Japanese little dynamo can thank his real-life Superhero, a perfectly matched marrow donor from Michigan, for his gift of life—a real feat since only three percent of members in the world’s largest and most diverse donor registry, Be the Match, are of multiple races.
This Friday Finn’s dad will help others get that same gift through his company’s sponsorship of a registration drive for the Be the Match Registry℠ in honor of Michelle Maykin, a 27-year-old UC Berkeley alumnus, also of Asian descent, who was not as fortunate as Finn and lost her fight against Leukemia this past summer. Jiro Okochi, a UC Berkeley alumnus, is CEO and Co-founder of East Coast financial technology company Reval, which will join Be the Match and the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC) in sponsoring the Marrow Donor Registration Drive on October 2 from 9 am to 5 pm in the MLK Student Union, Multicultural Center of Heller Lounge at UC Berkeley.
Finn was born with a rare and usually fatal genetic disorder, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS), which took the life of his uncle and other relatives. WAS not only causes a severe immune deficiency, but also low blood platelet production, resulting in a high risk of internal bleeding. At just six months, Finn had his spleen removed in an attempt to improve his platelet levels. He had been receiving frequent platelet transfusions since birth. The goal was to keep him healthy enough to make it to his one year birthday to minimize, to some degree, the severe side effects of chemotherapy.
After Finn turned a year old, he was admitted to the in-patient wing of the Pediatric Day Hospital at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. There he received chemotherapy and radiation followed by a bone marrow transplant, which was key to his chance of survival. Although the transplant fortunately was not rejected by Finn’s body, one of the side-effects of chemo led Finn to have seizures, and for a while he stopped breathing and was placed in an induced coma. The road to recovery thereafter was not as traumatic for Finn’s family, but it was filled with careful procedures to keep his environment germ-free, balancing care between Finn and his then three-year-old sister Olyvia and many late nights and rushed trips back to the hospital.
Today Finn’s doctors have pronounced his treatment as curative. Key to his success was a perfect match donor, which is defined as having 10 out of 10 of the same genetic markers as the patient. According to Be the Match, “Doctors look for a donor who matches their patient’s tissue type, specifically their human leukocyte antigen (HLA) tissue type. HLAs are proteins—or markers—found on most cells in your body. Your immune system uses these markers to recognize which cells belong in your body and which do not. The closer the match between the patient’s HLA markers and yours, the better for the patient.”
Nearly 70 percent of patients needing a marrow transplant do not have a matching donor in their family, leaving minorities particularly vulnerable to finding a donor who can provide a perfect match of common tissue types, according to Be the Match®, a movement that engages the public to help patients in need of bone marrow or umbilical cord blood transplants.
In the registration drive on Friday, over 160 UC Berkeley students will volunteer in the drive to educate visitors about the facts and myths of marrow donation and take cheek swabs from visitors who elect to register. To register, potential donor members will need to be between the ages of 18 and 60 and in good health.
Currently, Be the Match Registry has over seven million members who could potentially donate marrow or cord blood for transplants used to treat patients with life-threatening blood, immune system or genetic disorders.
Reval will be sponsoring a second Marrow Registration Drive for Be the Match at the Association for Financial Professional’s annual conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco on Monday, October 5 and Tuesday, October 6 from 9 am to 5 pm each day.
For more information about marrow donation, visit www.bethematch.org. To contact ASUC student organizer Rebecca Hu, email marrow.ucb@gmail.com.
About Be the Match
Be The Match is a movement that engages a growing community of people inspired to help patients who need a marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant. The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), a leader in the field of marrow and cord blood transplantation, created Be The Match to provide opportunities for the public to become involved in saving the lives of people with leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening diseases.
Volunteers can join the Be The Match Registry – the world’s largest and most diverse listing of potential adult marrow donors and donated cord blood units – as well as contribute financially to Be The Match Foundation or give their time.
Be The Match Foundation supports the NMDP by raising funds to grow the Be The Match Registry, help patients with transplant costs and advance medical research.
Since operations began in 1987, the NMDP has provided more than 35,000 transplants to help give patients a second chance at life. For more information, call 1 (800) MARROW-2.
Photo Caption (top to bottom): Finn Okochi (three years old) with his sister Olyvia (five years old) dressed as Superheroes in their New Jersey home, and father and son picture (Jiro Okochi and his son Finn Okochi, now three years old)
Anna Maria Perez de Tagle Finds ‘Fame’
September 30, 2009
When we first see Anna Maria Perez de Tagle in the new version of Fame, she, along with an onslaught of budding performing art kids are trying to elbow their way into the New York City High School for the Performing Arts.
Perez de Tagle’s character, Joy is performing a monologue from some play or movie or television show in front of Mr. Dowd (Charles S. Dutton). She, along with a whole get along gang of other kiddos, get into the school and their four-year journey of dream following begins.
It’s not like they were trying to reinvent the wheel with this remake and according to Perez de la Tagle, they were honoring the 1980 original.
“We were starting with a clean slate,” she says. “We have a modern theme, but we still show the struggles of what it’s like to be an artist.”
Anna Maria Perez de la Tagle: you’ll remember her name
There are some big shoes to fill with this film. Besides the catchy (and oftentimes over-parodied) theme song, the grit and edge of the film that originally starred Irene Cara hit a genuine chord with struggling artists back in the ’80s. With the 2009 makeover, Perez de la Tagle, says it’s geared for the Facebook generation.
“In the original, Coco was asked to take off her clothes for a Broadway audition. In (the new movie) there is a situation with the same intentions - and there’s also a song in the original called, ‘Hot Lunch’ and in this movie, it’s called ‘Cafeteria Jam,’” she explains. “My character, Joy has a ‘YouTube-overnight success’ story. I think it’s definitely modern, original and for our generation - but you wouldn’t have to see the original to understand this one. This one is about following your dreams, achieving success and staying true to yourself.”
See - they really weren’t trying to reinvent the wheel.
Having grown up in the Bay Area and coming from a Filipino heritage, the acting bug bit Perez de la Tagle when she first saw Sandy and Danny singing about “Summer Nights” in Grease. From there, she went on the theater path. She was the first Asian American Cinderella in a production of the play at the Montgomery Theater in San Jose and was in productions of The King and I as well as other plays. She is currently working on the next installment of the Jonas Brothers vehicle, Camp Rockand has other work coming through the pipeline. She’s just proud that she, as well as the Asian American actors have come a long way.
“Ten years ago, I may not have been able to be where I am today,” she says. “We’re not just the geeky Asian character anymore. We have actors like Brenda Song andJustin Chon from Twilight giving Asian Americans a name in Hollywood - and I am proud of all that.”
Another thing she should be proud of is that she was the only cast member of Famethat had a critical one-on-one scene with Debbie Allen, a player in the original franchise who plays the principal in the redux.
“I was lucky, but also anxious to be in that scene,” she admits. “But she just set off amazing energy and it turned out to be great. I just hope that roles like this will open so many doors for me and for other Asian Americans.”
Consider them opened.
Dino-Ray Ramos is a fashion, entertainment and pop culture writer based in San Francisco. Read more from Ramos here: http://blog.dinoray.com/
Economic Disparities for Minorities Sharpen in Recession
September 30, 2009
By Cristina Fernandez-Pereda, New America Media
Minorities are taking the hardest hit of the economic downturn. Policy advocates from different minority organizations participated Wednesday in a Congressional hearing and a teleconference to share the impact of the recession on different communities.
“If we look at changes in unemployment rates by demographics, we’ve seen that they grow faster among minorities,” said Christian Weller, senior fellow at the Center for American Progess (CAP). “It’s a faster decline from lower levels of income, so minorities now have less of a security blanket to fall onto.”
Policy experts showcased the impact of job loss among minorities, where unemployment is growing at a much faster pace than the rest of the population. For example, while unemployment rates average 9 percent nationally, they have risen to 15.1 percent for African-American adults. But it’s Asian Americans who have experienced the biggest impact, with unemployment more than doubling since the first quarter of 2007. In the case of Latinos, almost one of every three young adults (aged 16 to 29) does not have a job right now.
“It’s a whole generation that we are losing here,” said Eric Rodriguez, vice president of the office of research, advocacy, and legislation at the National Council of La Raza.
According to experts at the congressional hearing and those who participated in a conference call organized by the Center for American Progess, minorities are being hit harder by the recession because they do not have the safety net that other groups have as a result of better jobs, higher rates of home ownership, and higher enrollment in social security and retirement plans. Speakers called on Congress to ensure the stimulus money reaches all groups and takes into account factors that have made minorities more vulnerable to the recession.
Cy Richardson, vice president of housing and community development for the National Urban League, stated that the effort must not just be about reviving the job market: “If job creation continuously focuses on whites, those who need them most will be left out.”
CAP’s Weller added, “Job growth is not enough because the unemployment rate was already high to start with.”
Experts emphasized that governmental mistakes can’t be fixed just with money. The solution will come from targeting where stimulus money is being spent and where current problems are.
“Minorities are tax-payers too, and they are helping rebuild America with their own bare hands,” Rodriguez said. “We need to look for direct investment and employment opportunities. Recovery programs need to work for all or it won’t have any effects on the economy.”
Weller underscored the need to ensure equality when creating new jobs. He criticized the circumstances that leave many minority workers without a means of transportation to get to their job. In other cases, the job itself is problematic. For example, Rodriguez said, many Hispanics work in hazardous construction jobs.
Speakers stressed that solutions must focus on changing the circumstances that preceded the recession. The fact that only 46 percent of African Americans and 40 percent of Hispanics, compared to 56 percent of whites, invest in retirement plans shows experts that there needs to be an education component to help minorities save and become less vulnerable to instability.
“New policies should focus on wealth building through financial education, making it easier to save money,” Weller said. Researchers have found that lack of information and understanding of the credit market rules also puts minorities at a higher risk.
In the wake of foreclosures, Asian Americans have had the sharpest decline in home ownership among minorities, with a 1.24 percent drop in 2008. “For us, it’s a signal that something is systematically preventing our community from recovery and leaving us out of state funding,” said Romana Lee Akiyama, deputy director at the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development.
African-American home ownership has dropped 0.88 percent, while for Latinos the drop has been 0.8 percent. Home ownership is now below 50 percent for these two groups, compared to 75 percent for white Americans (which is itself the lowest it has been since 2002).
Experts concluded that stimulus money should not focus on existing infrastructures that were already leaving minorities behind. Instead, they said, the focus should be on underrepresented communities in the system as well as job and training opportunities for those most affected by the recession.
Daily Dose & Announcements: 09/30/09
September 30, 2009
>> Annual Meigetsu (Harvest Moon) Taiko Festival 2009
>> Taiwan Int’l Children’s Film Festival
>> US-ASEAN Creative Project & Smithsonian Institution presents the 6th Annual UAFF
>> Ang Lee Working on Film Adaptation of “Life of Pi”
>> KABUKI Lecture & Performance (SF Media & School) Read more
Daily Dose & Announcements: 09/29/09
September 29, 2009
>>2009 Houston Korean Festival
>>Kaiser Permanente Study Finds Diabetic Women at Increased Risk for Heart Condition
>> Dr. Tien-Sze Benedict Yen Dies
>> Chinatown YMCA Youth Walkout
>> Disaster Preparedness Workshop In Cantonese
>> Jazz Artist Francis Wong Commemorates UC Berkeley Third World Strike Read more
Islanders Need Familiar Faces to Connect to Count
September 29, 2009
By Erik Fowle, New America Media
Editor’s Note: As the U.S. Census gears up to count traditionally undercounted communities, it’s relying on partnership specialists who have strong ties to those communities. Elaine Sihoatani Howard, a Tongan-American is one of them. AsianWeek media partner - New America Media has this profile.
The Census is coming. That seems to strike a note of fear in many marginalized, especially ethnic minority, communities in the Bay Area. Residents are either afraid their personal information will be shared with other government agencies or they simply are not informed about, or are unsure of, what the Census is and does.
This is why Elaine Sihoatani Howard, a U.C. Berkeley graduate and Marin resident of Tongan descent, literally dropped what she was doing and signed on with the U.S. Census Bureau this past June. Sihoatani Howard works out of the Bureau’s San Francisco office as a partnership specialist.
Sihoatani Howard’s mother emigrated from Tonga in the 1970s, while her father is of European descent. A self-proclaimed “data-nerd,” Sihoatani Howard once created a map of every Pacific Islander organization in the Bay Area. When Sihoatani Howard showed her map to the chairperson for Pacific Islander Affairs of the Census Race and Ethnicity Advisory Committee, she was asked to join the Bureau’s ranks for the 2010 effort. The Census advertised for a Pacific Islander Partnership but received no response. Next time, Sihoatani Howard decided to answer the call.
Her main task, says Sihoatani Howard, was to develop relationships with community leaders. Sihoatani Howard had already spent much of her time working with organizations and Pacific Islanders interested in helping their communities. As someone rooted in the community, she already knew who was who.
“It’s important for insiders to be partnership specialists,” she said, in order to “help reach people missing out on mainstream messaging.” An “insider” knows how to get to the elder leaders of Pacific Islander communities, mostly born overseas. They “are the gatekeepers to their communities” and “need to be approached in humble fashion,” she said.
The bigger issue at stake is trust.
Communities led by elders do not share the younger generations’ fascination or familiarity with technology, such as YouTube and Facebook and other hi-tech ways of reaching population groups. In order to reach and achieve better counts for these communities, Sihoatani Howard says, they need to be made comfortable, to see a familiar face. She will stress the message that the Census is confidential. The message partnership specialists send to these communities is not “participate in the Census!” but rather, “Can you help us?”
Sihoatani Howard remembers attending a Samoan Flag Day celebration in a particularly hard-to-count San Francisco neighborhood. At one point during the festivities, she became acquainted with a younger member of the community. He was a man in the most widely undercounted 18 to 25-year-old demographic and was unaware of the Census and mainstream advertising for the count.
When Sihoatani Howard provided the young man with a Census information sheet, he was elated, she said, to learn that not only were Pacific Islanders counted as separate from Asians, but that Samoans even had their own box to check.
“We count! We count in America!” Sihoatani Howard remembers the young man shouting, before sharing the news with every other member of his community at the festivities. “He became our Census advocate for the day,” she said, and a “very trusted messenger.”
And when the Census Bureau completes is decennial count in April 2010, Sihoatani Howard, like thousands of other Census workers, will return to their previous jobs, or, as she says with a sigh, begin the search anew.
But without specialists like Elaine Sihoatani Howard, people who stand to benefit from Census counts simply wouldn’t know about it. “Sure,” she said, “many census workers have given up other jobs” to join the brief campaign. But, she continues, “it’s to help our communities. And if not us, then who else?”
Anticipating October: Filipino American History Month
September 29, 2009
In my three years working in the community, the anticipation for Filipino-American History Month has never been as dire. It may be that State Senator Leland Yee was successful in passing state legislation to officially recognize October as Filipino-American History Month, or it may be the slow boil that is underlying in our community’s pot.
The Filipino-American community has had significant victories in the last year, all of which are contributing to our augmentation as a community. In the last Presidential race, Filipinos stepped up to the plate, organizing campaigns and cities and mobilizing voters to turn up in support of choice candidates. In the arts, our artforms such as harana and Filipino-American jazz have gained traction with the mainstream audience and this effort continues today. More groups are turning up in philanthropy and civic engagement, as we’ve spoken out louder against injustice and inequality. We’ve upped the ante and set the measure for community organization, as proven by the Filipino American Arts Exposition that brought us the heritage nights in sporting events. Small pockets of success, all geared in one direction.
As I continue to read “Dreams From My Father” by Barack Obama, I begin to understand even more the environment of Black communities in Chicago just a few decades ago. It sat in a lull, awaiting a champion to be their bullhorn so that they would be heard when they spoke of issues on education, safety, equal opportunity and representation. It took young grassroots organizers like Barack to measure the real pulse of the community so that concrete solutions could be made. Theirs was a time where the biggest success was the possession of a local mayoral seat. In a time of the inspiration by Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, they were steadfast in their hope, vicious in the undertaking of taking control of their destiny. Three decades or so later, they arrive at the White House.
The Filipino-American community has long been in that very same lull. As we took the backseat to our Asian counterparts - the Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese - many of us watched and learned how they were able to coalesce and succeed by establishing more united fronts. Similar to the Black community in Chicago decades ago, we have had that spark of hope in the work of many young grassroots organizers who have spent years analyzing our strengths and managing our weaknesses as a people. And with the power of the pen, there is no shortage of our modern-day versions of an MLK. People continue to bring attention to our plight and desire to be heard. Today, anticipating October, our future has never been brighter.
An important key is to fully understand the dynamics of our community - first generation immigrants and Fil-Ams alike. What is our existing support system like for those directly affected by the economic crisis and lack of jobs? How accessible is housing to our low-income bracket? Are our children safe from gang-related violence, racism and the ills of society? At what level of reliability and consistency are our core values? Are our kids excelling in school and proceeding to seek higher education? Making it our business to know educates not only our community but also does so our decision makers, lobbyists and legislators.
As each community is unique from the other, our dynamic and coping process is characterized by our cultural genetics which may include centuries of colonization and subservience but also includes no less than our long history of diversity, tolerance, adaptability and compassion. We have killed the fear that the few amongst us who succeed would likely venture out as we have in our midst, the Dado Banataos , Alice Buloses and Sugar Pie DeSantos of our time.
In more modern times where globalization and the development of oneness is key, the Filipino-American community is a beacon of hope. Intrinsic values towards community-building - compassion and inclusion - are to us, a way of life. And that, by default, puts us at the forefront of the movement towards justice and freedom.
Beyond knowledge of our community, it is just as important that we cease the insular way. In politics, it is important to be relevant to our community but likewise be of relevance to others. While funding may come from within, there is money to be gained from outside and though dollars are only but a part of successful political influence, it is crucial. As guardians of social justice and equality, it is important that we speak against our experiences with domestic violence, systemic abuse towards the poor and underrepresented, not just for our people, but those around us.
In small milieus of influence, Filipino-Americans have been doing this work every day. As we move forward into October and the rest of our lives, we know that our success as a community directly affects the success of a nation. What ills we overcome becomes a source of inspiration for less privileged and underrepresented communities that are still making their way towards progress.
With the amount of dedicated advocacy, opportunity and educated children our community has produced, the pivotal moment begins to pass because today, our time has come.
Keesa Ocampo works at ABS CBN International and is a member of the Young Filipino Professionals Association and Citizen Hope.
Share the love, win year’s worth of free Shell gas
September 28, 2009
Do you love your vehicle? Does the chance of winning a year’s worth of free gasoline make you feel warm and fuzzy?
Then listen up. Your writing ability and photography could help you win a whole lot of fuel in a new Shell promotion. Five grand-prize winners in Shell’s “V-Power Fuel My Passion” contest will each receive $2,000 in gas cards. (That’s what a year comes down to, according to Shell’s calculations.)
Ten other winners will get $250 gas cards. But, wait! There’s more: each entrant will qualify to win a cool looking 2010 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Lo motorcycle valued at $16,299.
So grab a digital camera, post a photo of yourself flashing the “V” (for V-Power, natch) and come up with 100 words or less describing how Shell’s V-Power gasoline. Don’t miss out: registration runs through Oct. 6. Voting is from Oct. 20 to Nov. 3.
Details, including rules, are at www.shell.us/fuelmypassion/ To check out the competition, see the contest gallery at http://www.flickr.com/photos/fuelmypassion/
Modified car — Any vehicle upgraded with aftermarket components to enhance styling, audio, safety, utility or performance (includes all tuner and custom cars).
Motorcycle — All types of motorcycles, including sports and chopper motorcycles. (Sponsored by Harley-Davidson®)
Sports/Luxury car — Automobiles designed for high speed and power, sharp handling and/or luxury and flashy looks. Includes coupes and sedans.
Truck or SUV — Trucks and SUVs, any size.
Other premium rides — Any type of transportation (e.g., classic car, RV, boat) that is driven with passion and fueled by Shell V-Power but does not fit within the other categories.
There is a limit of one entry per person per category.
Daily Dose & Announcements: 09/28/09
September 28, 2009
>> Mr. Hyphen 2009
>>#5 Angry Red Drum Opening Night
>> Asian Author Series Lecture: “Japanese American Resettlement Through the Lens”
>> TV’s ‘Newlywed Game’ Features First Gay Couple
>> US Web TV Channel KOLDCAST TV Signs Hong Kong Production LUMINA for Distribution!
>>Online Social Networking Site For Anime Fans, OTAKU CRUSH, Launches Read more
Hip Hop Phenom Lyrics Born Headlines Kimochi’s Sansei Live!
September 28, 2009
Hip Hop phenom, Lyrics Born, headlines a much anticipated night of entertainment at Kimochi’s Sansei Live!, Saturday, October 17, 2009, 6:00 p.m. - midnight, at the Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue in the San Francisco Presidio. General admission $75; tickets can be purchased online at www.kimochi-inc.org or by contacting Kimochi at (415) 931-2294. All proceeds go to support Kimochi’s culturally sensitive programs and services which allow Bay Area elderly to live with dignity and independence.
Necessity for Asian American Women Artists Association
September 28, 2009
If the Asian American Women Artists Association (AAWAA) didn’t exist, it would, as they say, have to be invented. Why? The title of its 20th anniversary celebration says it all: Vision, Vitality and Visibility.
AAWAA is a forward-looking arts organization not content to just providing exhibition opportunities for its members. Instead, with its current visionary A Place of Her Own project, AAWAA challenges artists to dig deeply inside themselves to create their individual answers to the provocative question, “If you had a place of your own, what would it be?” Ten artists took up the challenge in an impressive debut of A Place of Her Own at de Young Museum in San Francisco last January. AAWAA’s five year plan for the exhibit calls for involving artists and the public in an ongoing thoughtful exploration of identity, place, and our deepest needs.
Because of AAWAA and its vision, I experienced an amazing month at the de Young Museum as one of the ten AAWAA artists in residence. I was able to have the time, space, and resources to devote my full attention to creating my installation: the belly of the ocean which captures for me the intersection of my creative process with my spiritual practice. I also felt deeply supported by the artistic community that curator Cynthia Tom nurtured at de Young.
The benefits I experienced in January spilled over into the months that followed as my creative imagination exploded. That was the gift of vitality from AAWAA. Instead of creating my usual ceramic pieces, I ventured into large scale papier mache sculptures of legs as musical instruments. Where these musical legs came from I can only attribute to the energizing effects of the January residency.
Visibility for AAWAA is a sacred mission. Look into any gallery or museum and count how many works of art are displayed from the Asian American artistic community and, specifically, from its women members. The answer is what drove this volunteer-run organization to produce its groundbreaking anthology of visual and literary works, Cheers to Muses: Contemporary Works by Asian American Women Artists published in 2007. Featuring 64 artists, this amazing resource book includes historical, biographical, and personal information about the Asian American women who inspire them. Obviously, the anthology met an urgent need for vital information as it went into its second printing less than a year later and is being increasingly added to the curricula of many universities.
I can serve as a poster child for why Asian American Women Artists Association is needed.
I joined AAWAA about six years ago, longing for community with like-minded individuals and looking for opportunities to exhibit. I got these and more. In 2004, I was part of a unique collaboration of Asian American and African American women artists in an exhibit curated by Betty Kano and entitled (S)kinship African American and Asian American Connections. My sculpture graces the cover of the Cheers to Muses anthology. And I had the opportunity to create my very first art installment during AAWAA’s coveted Artists in Residency Program at the de Young Museum.
But most important for me, I experienced acceptance and appreciation. As a late-blooming artist without formal training, I sometimes felt isolated in other arts organizations whose members can boast of fine arts degrees and long resumes. AAWAA, of course, also has members with such credentials. But, somehow, combining “artist” with the synergy of Asian American and women results in a different dynamic in this arts organization. The rich melding together of all our identities serves up community and empowerment in the most satisfying sense.
Asian American Women Artists Association (AAWAA) Celebrating their 20th Anniversary
Exhibitions run now - October 4, 2009, no charge for admission
SOMArts Cultural Center, 934 Brannan St., San Francisco 94103
For more information visit www.aawaa.net, info@aawaa.net and 415-722-4296
www.somarts.org for directions
A Great Moment in Chinese American History: Oct. 3, 1965
September 28, 2009
This is Week 28 of AsianWeek’s salute to Chinese American heroes, in strategic partnership with Chinese American Heroes, a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to documenting the contributions of Chinese Americans to America and the world. This week we are dedicating one historical moment to be saluted for the whole week.
A great moment in American History and Chinese American history.
October 3, 1965
In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt requested and Congress repealed the 15 statutes excluding immigrants from China, popularly known as the Chinese Exclusion Acts. They replaced it with a system giving Chinese a minimal immigration quota (105 per annum) and finally made Chinese aliens eligible for naturalization as US citizens. The trick was that the US Government still made it nearly impossible for a Chinese person to legally immigrate to the United States with only 105 chances each year. This restriction applied to all Chinese, even those that were citizens of England, South Africa, Panama, Thailand, or anywhere else in the world, making it even less likely that those who applied would be picked.
On October 3, 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Hart-Celler Act, which formally abolished national origin quotas and race based restrictions in immigration law. The immigration quota was upped to 20,000 per year for each nationality, which is the norm for people from European and Western Hemisphere nations. Spouses, parents, and unmarried children of American citizens could also enter as non-quota immigrants. Chinatowns across America that had been rapidly dying out before 1965 soon became filled with new life and activity as new immigrants arrived and the unfamiliar sound of Chinese children filled the streets.
After formal diplomatic and immigration ties were established with the People’s Republic of China in 1979, the quotas for Chinese were increased again, providing another yearly quota of 20,000 for Taiwan and 600 for Hong Kong. The new annual quota was then 40,600.
With the change of immigration law in 1965 and quota increases after 1979, the population of Chinese in America grew from the 1960 census count of 236,084 to the 2006 count of 3,497,484 - an increase of almost 1,500 % in 46 years.
In 2008, the OCA and the Asian American Studies Department at the University of Maryland published “A Portrait of Chinese Americans” which provided a snapshot of the current Chinese American population. It described them as highly diverse. 29.4% are native born and 70.6% are foreign born. Among the foreign born, 70.6% were born in Mainland China, 15.9% born in Taiwan, and 9.4% born in Hong Kong. The small percentage remaining are from the Chinese Diaspora that includes all other countries. 70.2% of Chinese Americans are American citizens.
In education, the attained level of education varies between the countries of origin. Chinese Americans originating from Taiwan and Hong Kong are mostly college educated, at 68.95 and 53.75 percent, respectively. Chinese Americans from Mainland China and the Diaspora have both high and very low levels of education. Because education is consistently emphasized in traditional Chinese culture, Chinese Americans in general had better overall education than White Americans.
The incomes of Chinese Americans are generally slightly higher than the general population, but Chinese Americans consistently earn less than the non-Hispanic White population at every level of education. However, Chinese American women with higher than high school education earn substantially more income than non-Hispanic White women.
10.6% of Chinese Americans are now multi-racial, with 6.2% married to other Asians, and 4.3% married to non-Hispanic Whites. Tracking the developments among multi-racial Chinese Americans will require more effort in the future as surnames will no longer reveal many people with partial Chinese ancestry.
For additional information about Chinese American heroes, please visit the Chinese American Heroes website at www.chineseamericanheroes.org.
