Nation
>>National Minority Donor Day to be observed Sunday, August 1st
On Sunday, August 1st, National Minority Donor Awareness Day will be observed throughout the U.S. This annual day of observance has been established in order to increase awareness of organ donation among Asian, Alaskan Native, Pacific Islander and Native American, African American, and Hispanic/Latino populations and also to recognize minority donors and their families.
Patients in need of transplants usually find matches within their own ethnic group, but minorities have disproportionately fewer donors.
National Minority Awareness Day originated with the Minority Organ and Tissue Transplant Education Program at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
If you would like to register to be a donor or would like more information, please visit https://www.donatelifecalifornia.org/register/.
California/Bay
>>$700 million for individuals affected by class action lawsuit Martinez v. Astrue
Class Action Lawsuit Martinez v. Astrue has resulted in the payment of $700 million to people throughout the U.S. who have been wrongfully refused, denied, or cut off Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. To notify the public, a briefing was held on July 27 at New America Media in San Francisco, in which leading public-interest attorneys involved in the lawsuit spread the good news to those affected.
The case was settled in a Federal District Court last Fall, in which Social Security Commissioner Michael J. Astrue agreed to repay individuals whose Social Security, SSI benefits, or Special Veterans Benefit were withheld because their names appeared in an arrest-warrant database.
The landmark case was originally filed on behalf of plaintiff Rosa Martinez, 53, or Redwood City, whose benefits were denied once her name appeared in an arrest-warrant database.
Most of the individuals who are affected by this case include vulnerable elders, people with disabilities, and a disportionately large number of people from ethnic groups.
For more information, please visit http://newamericamedia.org/2010/07/nam-press-briefing-social-security-benefits-restored.php.
>>UCLA’s Jerry Kang appointed as nation’s first chair in Korean American studies
Jerry Kang
U.C. Los Angeles’ Asian American Studies Center has appointed Jerry Kang as the inaugural holder of the nation’s first chair in Korean American studies. The Korea Times-Hankook Ilbo Chair in Korean American Studies at UCLA was named in recognition of Jae Min Chang, chairman, publisher, and CEO of the Korea Times, the largest Korean American newspaper in the United States.
Kang is a professor and a scholar of law and Asian American studies at UCLA. Kang is also a founding co-chair of the UCLA School of Law’s critical race studies specialization, has written much about Asian American history and political engagement, and has conducted much research on legal issues and communication technologies. His outstanding work in teaching has earned him multiple awards, the 2010 Eby Award for the Art of Teaching, one of the six distinguished teaching awards given by UCLA.
“Professor Jerry Kang is an outstanding and accomplished scholar and an award-winning and exceptionally gifted teacher,” said David K. Yoo, director of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center. “As a leading legal mind with an exemplary record of innovative and interdisciplinary scholarship, Professor Kang will contribute a great deal to the field of Korean American studies.”
For more information, please visit http://newsroom.ucla.edu.
Global
>>President Obama renews sanctions against Burmese military junta
Washington, D.C.- On Tuesday, the White House announced that President Barack Obama signed into law a Congressional solution that renews the economic sanctions against the Burmese military junta for one more year.
Three months ago, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate passed the solution, in which the Senate passed the resolution by 99-1 votes. The resolution was sponsored by a record 68 senators.
A major factor in the consensus to renew the sanctions is the legitimacy and corruption that pursues through this year’s elections. In addition, the outrage over the unlawful and extended detention of Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy, is further evidence that the Burmese Military Junta is not making progressive steps to be held accountable for its crimes against humanity.
For more information, please visit http://www.irrawaddy.org.
