College apologizes after professor alters mural depicting incarceration of Japanese Americans

The plaque adjoining the artwork, (top) was taped over.

ASAM NEWS

The vice president of Bellevue College in Washington whited out part of a mural by a Japanese American artist depicting the incarceration camps from World War II, reports the Seattle Times.

The university is apologizing for the actions of Gayle Colston Barge who has been in her position for more than five years, according to her LinkedIn profile. The school placed Barge on administrative leave after her actions.

The mural features two Japanese American children from an incarceration camp along with a description of the horrendous experience.

According to Professor Leslie Lum, someone removed the sentence that read “After decades of anti-Japanese agitation, led by Eastside businessman Miller Freeman and others, the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans included the 60 families (300 individuals) who farmed Bellevue.”

Freeman — whose family became prominent real estate developers — owned several trade newspapers such as Pacific Fisherman, The Washington Farmer, The Town Crier and a handful others. His publications were an influential news source for businesses, but also became a platform for his anti-Japanese sentiments. Through his newspapers, he advocated for alien land laws in Washington. Freeman and others like him believed that there was no hope for Japanese people to ever become “real American.” He wrote in one Seattle Star editorial dated 1919: “Oil and water do not mix.”

The university says Barge first whited out the reference, then a new description was taped over the original.

” It was a mistake to alter the artist’s work,” school president Jerry Weber wrote in the letter sent to students and staff. “Removing the reference gave the impression that the administrator was attempting to remove or rewrite history, a history that directly impacts many today … Editing artistic works changes the message and meaning of the work.”

In a text to the Seattle Times, artist Erin Shigaki wrote “I feel the feelings associated with both sides of my family being forcibly removed from Seattle – erased, unimportant, disregarded, disrespected, shamed.”

Shikagi described herself as “traumatized” by the defacement.

The missing sentence has since been taped back over the whited-out portion.

Views From the Edge contributed to this report.

Congress urged to help stop spread of xenophobia over coronavirus

Asian American lawmakers caution Congress over spread of xenophobia because of the coronavirus.

Since the outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19), there has been a surge in reports of discrimination and violent attacks against Asian Americans across the country.

Many of these attacks have been inspired and fueled by misinformation, including misconceptions that Asians are more likely to carry and spread the virus, or conspiracy theories that China created COVID-19 in a lab.

Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) sent a letter Friday (Feb. 28) led by CAPAC Chair Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) to fellow Congressmembers urging them to help stop the spread of xenophobia and misinformation by only sharing confirmed and verifiable information pertaining to COVID-19, how it spreads, and how Americans should protect themselves.

“As elected representatives, we have a responsibility during a public health crisis to use our unique platform to calm our constituents’ fears, not stoke them. We therefore encourage all Members of Congress to share only confirmed and verifiable information about COVID-19 and dispel misinformation,” wrote the members.

“Let us be clear: the dissemination of false information about COVID-19 is dangerous for public health and for American citizens who are increasingly becoming the victims of racist and xenophobic attacks. Our constituents are understandably worried about the spread of this disease and are looking to us for guidance and reassurance. But sharing inaccurate information or unconfirmed reports runs the risk of increasing fears and inciting violence. That is why we encourage you to consult with the CDC and the World Health Organization, as well as your local public health agencies, to ensure that your advice to constituents is accurate and does not stoke unfounded fears.”

"Across the country, our chapters are reporting diminished patronage to Asian American-owned businesses, from restaurants to grocery stores, to nail salons and to other places and forcing owners into financial crisis and sending workers home," Rita Pin Ahrens, the executive director of Asian American advocacy group OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, told USA Today.

The letter was sent before a second California county announced that one of its residents had contracted the virus even though there was no known contact with anyone who has tested positive for the coronavirus.

The case in Santa Clara County is about an hour south of Solano County where a woman contracted Covid19 with no known contact with anyone who recently traveled in Asia.

Earlier US cases included 14 in people who returned from outbreak areas in China, or their spouses; three people who were evacuated from the central China city of Wuhan; and 42 American passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which had been quarantined in Japan.

The global count of those sickened by the virus hovered Friday around 83,000 and caused more than 2,800 deaths, most of them in China.

Friday's news comes one day after Gov. Gavin Newsom revealed that 8,400 people are being monitored in California for coronavirus symptoms, with 33 having tested positive — more than double the number that the CDC had reported for the entire country.

“This new case indicates that there is evidence of community transmission but the extent is still not clear,” said Dr. Sara Cody, Health Officer for Santa Clara County and Director of the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department. “I understand this may be concerning to hear, but this is what we have been preparing for. Now we need to start taking additional actions to slow down the spread of the disease.”

The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department is working closely with the CDC and recommend these measures for individuals and communities to stay healthy amid the COVID-19 outbreak:

• Keep your hands clean. It is one of the most important steps you can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. And always need to cover your cough and stay home when you are sick.
• Start working on not touching your face because one way viruses spread is when you touch your own mouth, nose or eyes.
• Since we know the disease is here, we all need to stay away from people who are sick.
• Start thinking about family preparedness, how to take care of sick family while not getting infected. Think about a room to isolate a sick person.

Phillips 66 scientist sentenced to 2 years for stealing $1B of trade secrets

LINKED IN

Former employee of Phillips 66 Hongjin Tan received a 2-year prison sentence.

Chinese national Hongjin Tan, 36, was sentenced to two years in federal prison in federal court Thursday (Feb. 27) for stealing proprietary information worth more than $1 billion from his employer, Phillips 66, a US petroleum company.

Tan, 36, and a permanent resident of the US, pleaded guilty in November and admitted to copying and downloading proprietary material without his employer’s permission.

“This investigation and prosecution uncovered another instance of China’s persistent attempts to steal American intellectual property,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers. 

From June 2017 until December 2018, Tan was employed as an associate scientist at the petroleum company and was assigned to work in a group with the goal of developing next generation battery technologies for stationary energy storage, specifically flow batteries. In his plea agreement, Tan admitted to intentionally copying and downloading the technologies’ research and development materials without authorization from his employer.

Later that day, he returned the thumb drive, claiming that he had forgotten to do so before leaving his employer’s property. Upon examination, it was discovered that there was unallocated space on the thumb drive, indicating five documents had previously been deleted. Investigators with the FBI searched Tan’s premises and found an external hard drive. They discovered that the same five missing files from the thumb drive had been downloaded to the hard drive. Tan maintained the files on a hard drive so he could access the data at a later date. 

Besides meting out Tan's sentence, US District Judge Gregory K. Frizzellordered the defendant to pay $150,000 in restitution to his former employer. Following his release from prison, Tan will spend three years on supervised release.

“American ingenuity inspires advances in science and technology and drives world markets. Nowhere is that more true than in Oklahoma’s energy industry. Unscrupulous individuals like Hongjin Tan seek to steal American trade secrets to take home to China so they can replicate our technology,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores for the Northern District of Oklahoma.

The same day Tan was sentenced, the FBI arrested a University of Tennessee professor for hiding his alleged association with a Chinese university in his application to NASA. Federal law forbids any ties with China by the space agency employees or prospective employees.

These two actions are part of a government crackdown against alleged agents of China and their attempts to steal intellectual property, trade secrets or technology from US institutions and businesses.

Members of Congress, led by Rep. Judy Chu, D-CA, are afraid the crackdown can easily become racial profiling of all people of Chinese descent, including American citizens. The DOJ has already mistakenly arrested US citizens and accused them of spying for China, in effect, ruining some of their careers. 

Chu, along with other Congress members, have asked the Trump administration for information and records as a result of its policy.

Film director Jon M. Chu to be honored by Chinese Historical Society of America

Jon Chu, right, directing Michelle Yeoh and Henry Golding in 'Crazy Rich Asians.'

ASAM NEWS

Crazy Rich Asians director Jon Chu will be feted at the Chinese Historical Society of America gala in San Francisco on March 28.
The gala will be focused around the theme “In Celebration of Family.”

“It is so important during these times to celebrate the ways that families and children of immigrants have enriched and strengthened our society,” said Jane Chin, who is co-chairing the event with Gorretti Lui. “While we are showcasing a few remarkable families, there really are so many more personal stories that need to be told.”

Chu, who was born and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, will receive the CHSA’s Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award. His next film In the Heights with music by Lin-Manuel Miranda is scheduled to be released this summer.

In keeping with the family theme, the Bay Area-based Fong family will receive the Phil & Sarah Choy Community Service Award.

Business and community leader Ronald Fong will accept the award with his sons Rodney Fong, president and CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, and filmmaker Barre Fong, director of the acclaimed documentary Finding the Virgo, which is about Vietnamese refugees, a heroic captain and crew of their boat.

Sponsors include the Fong family, Laurene Wu, Charles McClain, Buck Gee and Mary Hackenbracht, Lui foundation, Doug Chan and Eriko Doi, DLA Piper, LLP and Connie Young Yu.

AsAmNews is a media sponsor.

ABC7/KGO-TV news anchor Kristen Sze will emcee the awards program. Maddie B will entertain. All guests will receive a special gift made by designer Mulan Leong-Suzuki to commemorate families, honor culture and appreciate history.

“The 200-year story of Chinese America matters because it represents everything from the pioneer tales of railroad workers, farmhands and builders to the immigrant labor of the seamstress, the fry-cook, and especially the soldiers, sailors and aviators whom we will honor later this year,” said CHSA president Doug Chan.

Since the organization’s founding in 1963, CHSA has been dedicated to preserving Chinese American history and telling stories to enlighten a new generation. Its museum and learning center in San Francisco Chinatown attracts thousands of visitors each year.

For more information on CHSA’s 2020 gala, visit chsa.org/gala2020. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.

UTK researcher arrested for lying to NASA about ties to a Chinese university

A Chinese American associate professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) was arrested Thursday (Feb. 27) on federal charges he defrauded the National Aeronautics and Space Administration by hiding his dual employment with a Chinese university, authorities said.

Anming Hu, a researcher in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering on a federal indictment and charged with three counts of wire fraud and three counts of making false statements.

“Hu allegedly committed fraud by hiding his relationship with a Chinese university while receiving funding from NASA,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers.

The indictment alleges that beginning in 2016, Hu took part in a scheme to defraud the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) by concealing his affiliation with Beijing University of Technology (BJUT), a university in China. 


While NASA is restricted from funding any activity that that cooperates or collaborates with the Chinese government or Chinese companies, including Chinese universities.

Anming Hu

As alleged in the indictment, Hu’s false representations and omissions to UTK about his affiliation with BJUT caused UTK to falsely certify to NASA that UTK was in compliance with this federal law. 

If convicted, Hu faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each of the wire fraud counts, and up to five years in prison on each of the false statement counts.

"The University of Tennessee has suspended Associate Professor Anming Hu, who was indicted by federal authorities on felony charges," UT spokesman Owen Driskill wrote in a statement to Knox News.

"UT officials have cooperated with federal authorities during the investigation. University leadership is fully committed to adherence to grant procedures and the protection of intellectual property."

Hu appeared in federal court Thursday and was appointed a public defender. A detention hearing has been scheduled for March 3.

Hu's arrest appears to be part of a broader DOJ strategy against Chinese attempts to obtain US technology by compromising Chinese and Chinese American scientists, researchers and educators, a concern also driving trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies.

Earlier this month, Rep. Judy Chu, the Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), and Rep. Jamie Raskin, the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform’s Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, sent letters to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seeking information related to news reports that these institutions are targeting Chinese American scientists as potential spies.

“While there are undoubtedly authentic and legitimate cases of espionage that should be investigated, these reports have created serious concern that innocent people are being swept up in this initiative,” Chu and Raskin wrote.

TGIF Feature: Ali Ewoldt and Josh Dela Cruz onstage in 'Cinderella'

YOUTUBE

Josh Dela Cruz and Ali Ewoldt will appear in 'Cinderella - In Concert.'

Filiipino Americans Ali Ewoldt and Josh Dela Cruz will star in a special performance of Cinderella—In Concert. 

The concert is part of the Rediscover Series of the National Asian Artists Project (NAAP). The NAAP series explores classic American musicals with professional artists of Asian descent, proving that great works of theatre speak to all communities.

Alan Muraoka will direct with musical direction by Kristen Lee Rosenfeld and choreography by Billy Bustamante.

The concert is on Monday, March 2., 8 p.m. Tickets are still available here.

LocationThe Ailey Studios405 West 55th StreetNew York, NY 10019

Besides Ewoldt, who was the first "Christine" of color in Broadway's Phantom of the Opera, and Dela Cruz, who is currently on "Blue's Clues & You" on the Nickelodean network, the rest of the cast includes:

Ann Harada (Avenue Q, Cinderella, Emojiland), Carol Angeli, Hannah Balagot, Cáitlín Burke, Jordan De Leon, Kendyl Ito, Kevin Kulp, Jason Ma, Jaygee Macapugay, Mia Mooko, Anthony Obnial, James Seol, Kyra Smith, Matheus Ting, Vishal Vaidya, and Kelli Youngman with the NAAP Kids and the NAAP Broadway Community Chorus.

National Asian Artists Project, which was co-founded by Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award honoree Baayork Lee, Steven Eng, and Nina Zoie Lam, is a community of artists, educators, administrators, community leaders, and professionals, who recognize the need to build bridges between the work of artists of Asian descent, and the many communities that the work can serve.

Through this special concert presentation, NAAP brings a new and unique voice to interpret a timeless classic. Originally nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s adaptation shares the enduring enchantment of a favorite fairy tale told with their hallmark charm and elegance.

The VIP package includes a pre-theater dinner at La Masseria Dei Vini!

Here;s a sneak peek of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella presented by the National Asian Artists Project on March 2, 2020 as Dela Cruz and Ewoldt sing, "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?"

Sandra Oh eyes new series for Netflix

SANDRA OH

ASAM NEWS

Sandra Oh is set to produce and star in a new Netflix dramedy called The Chair. 

Game of Thrones creators David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Bernie Caulfield along with Benioff’s wife Amanda Peet will join Oh as executive producers, according to Netflix.

Oh will play the chair of the English department at a prominent university, Variety reported. Her co-star Jay Duplass (Transparent), will appear in an unnamed role, according to Hollywood Reporter.

The series was created by Amanda Peet, who will serve as writer, executive producer, and showrunner.

Further details about the show, including its premiere date, have yet to be released.

And for those who are still hooked on Killing Eve, there’s no need to worry. Oh is still attached to the acclaimed series, which has already been renewed for a third and fourth season, Hollywood Reporter reported.

Pew Report: Most immigrant voters are from Mexico and Asia

ANALYSIS

Immigrant voters, who make up 21% of California's eligible voters could swing the Primary election on Super Tuesday.
Of this group, voters from Mexico and the Philippines make up the bulk of the foreign-born electorate, according to a new study by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center.

The Pew report, released Wednesday (Feb. 26), says that nationally, Mexico, the Philippines, India, China, Vietnam, Cuba, Korea, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and El Salvador, in descending order, make up the top ten origin countries of the immigrant electorate.

In fact, most eligible immigrant voters, as can be surmised from Pew's data, are from either Mexico or  Asia.

Taking the top ten countries as a sample, Latin American and Caribbean countries provide 5.9% of all immigrant voters. But the surprise is that immigrant voters from Asian countries, make up 5.3% of the total, a fact that most mainstream media and pollsters seem to overlook when reporting sample surveys that are usually broken down to only white, black and Hispanic.

Immigrant eligible voters born in Mexico account for 16% of all foreign-born eligible voters, far below their 25% share among all immigrants. By contrast, immigrant Filipino eligible voters make up 6% of foreign-born eligible voters even though they account for onl 4% of all U.S. immigrants. The disparity suggests that Filipinos become naturalized citizens at a faster rate than immigrants from Mexico.

Immigrant voters will play a critical role when Californians cast their ballots on Super Tuesday, March 3. Out of California’s 25.9 million eligible voters, 21% (5.5 million) are foreign born, the highest share of any state through Super Tuesday and in the nation, reports Pew.

At stake is California's 416 delegates, the largest number in the nation and the grand prize for the Democratic candidate who is paying attention to the state's demographics. The state's first-generation electorate could seal a Bernie Sanders nomination or it could give hope to any of Sanders' rivals.]

As of Wednesday evening, according to FiveThirtyEight, Sanders has a commanding lead in California with 30.2% of voters favoring her. 

The real contest, it appears, is for second place. Elizabeth Warren's strong performance in the last two debates has placed her in a virtual tie  with 13.2%  vs. Joe Biden's 13.1%. 

Mike Bloomberg, who has had the state for himself with a barrage of media since January, but all that spending has earned him 11.4%; followed by Pete Buttigeig, 9.5%; Amy Klobuchar, 4.8%; Tom Steyer, the lone Californian, 3.1%; and Tulsi Gabbard, 2%

Nationally, first-generation immigrants make up about 10% of eligible voters, or more than 23 million eligible voters, a record high according to Pew.

On and before Super Tuesday, California along with Texas (1.8 million immigrant eligible voters), Massachusetts (619,000), Virginia (550,000), North Carolina (307,000) and Nevada (293,000) four-in-ten of the nation’s immigrant eligible voters will have cast their primary ballots or expressed their caucus preference. 

Considering the critical role immigrant voters -- or first-generation US citizens -- will play on Super Tuesday and during the rest of the primary season, immigration issues have barely been mentioned in the ten debates held so far among Democratic candidates.

As first-generation Americans, their ties with their country of origin are still strong and many are likely petitioning for more family members to immigrate to the US but Donald Trump immigration policies seem to thwart or lessen the importance of family reunification, the basis of US immigration policy since 1965.

One of the other avenues for possibly becoming US citizens is through the special visas for refugees and students who can change their status while in the US. Again, the Trump administration seems to be placing more and more hurdles for applications from these groups.

Preferred workers with H-1B visas who work in professions in which the US lacks workers such in the medical field or high tech industries find the waiting lines longer and longer as the Trump administration cut down the number of visas issued.

Although separate candidates have explained their positions on immigration on their websites, the debates seem to be a major source of information for many voters. Yet moderators -- most of whom are based in the East Coast -- in the 10 debates have seemed to not realize the importance of the topic of immigration for this group of voters, who will help choose the Democratic nominee to run against the incumbent resident of the White House.

Immigration has been a flashpoint between Democrats and Donald Trump’s administration since the moment he took office and declared a Muslim Ban and it will likely be the centerpiece of his presidential campaign to fire up the xenophobic tendencies of his base and to attract as many racists and white supremacists he can get.

Democrats can counter Trump's supporters' zeal by paying attention to the immigrant voters' concerns about family reunification, deportation, the separation of babies from their parents and bans or limitations on travel from certain countries.

Pew's findings may be surprising, or even impressive, but they will mean nothing if this segment of voters don't bother to vote because r they feel there is no difference between Trump and the Democrats or if they feel their concerns are being ignored.

CORRECTION: Feb. 27, 10 a.m. Earlier versions of this blog had an incorrect number of delegates for California.

'Kung Fu' reboot names actress as its lead

Olivia Liang will play the lead role in the remake of 'Kung Fu.'

The reboot of the 1970s television series Kung Fu isn't exactly like the original show. For one thing, the central character is a woman.

The CW product found its star in Olivia Liang of Legacies. In the original, producers yellow-faced David Carradine  in a role meant for martial arts legend Bruce Lee.

In the remade Kung Fu, a quarter-life crisis causes a young Chinese American woman, Nicky Chen (Liang), to drop out of college and go on a life-changing journey to an isolated monastery in China. But when she returns to find her hometown overrun with crime and corruption, she uses her martial arts skills and Shaolin values to protect her community and bring criminals to justice — all while searching for the assassin who killed her Shaolin mentor and is now targeting her.

Liang’s casting in the CW/Warner Bros. Kung Fu pilot comes on the heels of her joining the network and studio’s drama series Legacies as a recurring earlier this season. She plays Alyssa Chang on The Vampire Diaries offshoot.

Liang’s previous credits include Dating After College and guest shots on Grey’s Anatomy and One Day at a Time. She guest stars on the current second season of Hulu’s Into the Dark.

Executive producer Christina M. Kim, who wrote for Lost and Blindspot, will also pen the new series.

Besides starring Carradine, the original Kung Fu, was reportedly first pitched by Bruce Lee. His idea was rejected - reportedly because producers couldn't accept an Asian as the hero -- but elements of his idea made it into the Kung Fu series.

The series Warrior, which premiered last year, is reportedly closer to Lee's original idea which takes place amid the Tong Wars in 19th Century San Francisco's Chinatown and Barbary Coast.

Wrongly deported Cambodian American refugee returns to the US

Supporters celebrate Thy Chea’s return to the US. He’s seen here with his wife Victoria Un holding their children.

By Felix Poon
ASAM NEWS

Dozens of people Wednesday night held “Unjustly Deported” and “Welcome Home” signs at Boston Logan Airport  as they waited for Thy Chea, a 50-year old Cambodian American refugee and a Lowell, Massachusetts resident, who was deported in August 2018.

Bethany Li, director of the Asian Outreach Unit of the Greater Boston Legal Services, and  Chea’s attorney, said she was feeling incredibly happy and excited for Chea’s return.

“People want to be able to live and be with their families,” Li said, “and [the policies] under this administration are preventing that and it doesn’t help anyone.” Li said that Chea’s wife, Victoria Un, has had a hard time as a single parent raising their toddler daughter and one-year-old son.

“It’ll be really great to see (them reunited).”

Chea’s deportation stems from a criminal conviction in 1999, when Chea plead guilty to assault and battery and “threat to commit a crime.” He served three months in jail, and in 2000, federal officials ordered his removal from the country. Without a repatriation agreement between Cambodia and the U.S., Chea was allowed to remain in the country as long as he didn’t commit further crimes and checked in regularly with immigration officials.

In April 2018 ICE ordered Chea to report early for his routine check in.

“[Chea] and his wife and his daughter went with him…they thought it was a regular check in,” Li said.

But it wasn’t. Chea was detained. Li got an immigration judge to grant an emergency stay, but it came too late — just minutes after his plane took off for Cambodia, a country Chea fled at the age of 10 with his family to escape the brutal Khmer Rouge genocide.

Li kept fighting. She motioned to get Chea’s green card reinstated on the grounds that his offense was not deportable, and that he was sentenced incorrectly to a year in jail for an offense with a six month maximum sentence.

The judge denied the motion.

Li appealed. She succeeded in reinstating Chea’s green card in June 2019. But the U.S. consulate refused to issue his travel documents, and on top of that, DHS recharged Chea with entirely new proceedings of removal.

“This is crazy,” Li said of the proceedings.

“Enough was enough. We filed a mandamus in federal court, meaning we were asking the court to order the Department of State…to issue travel documents so that he could return home as a green card holder.”

That was in December 2019. After weeks of back and forth between Li and the DHS, the consulate finally issued Chea’s travel documents.

“Up up with liberation, down down with deportation,” the crowd chanted, before Chea’s wife Un got a phone call.

“Come downstairs,” Un and Li said into the phone.

Chea finally appeared. He squatted down with arms open, his two children ran to him laughing and crying, straight into his arms. A tearful and smiling Chea scooped them up.

“I’m so grateful to be with my family. It’s been 18 months. This is my kid,” Chea said looking at his one-year-old.

“It’s my first time holding him, and meeting him.”

Chea is the fourth Cambodian American in the country to return to the U.S. after being deported, and the first on the East Coast. According to ICE data, deportations of Cambodian Americans have increased by 279% from 2017 to 2018.

ICE has not returned a request for comment at the time of this publication.

Kevin Lam, organizing director for the Asian American Resource Workshop noted that it’s the 45th year anniversary of the Vietnam War. “Forty-five years later the US may have forgotten about the devastation that they’ve caused in Southeast Asia, but we have not,” Lam said as a rallying call. He said that Chea’s return is just one of many his organization is fighting for, and he asked for continued support as they advocate for them and those that are vulnerable for deportation.

Both Lam and Li are hopeful after Wednesday.

“When we fight, we win,” Li said.

“So we’re looking forward to welcoming many more people like Thy home.”

DOJ asks court to overturn Harvard admissions ruling

Asian American students were on both sides of the affirmative action case.

The Trump administration is taking a more active role in the Harvard admissions court case by asking the court to overturn the judge's decision.

The Department of Justice Monday filed an amicus brief in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College in the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. In its amicus brief, the United States explains that Harvard’s expansive use of race in its admissions process violates federal civil-rights law and Supreme Court precedent.

“Race discrimination hurts people and is never benign,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Civil Rights Division. “Unconstitutionally partitioning Americans into racial and ethnic blocs harms all involved by fostering stereotypes, bitterness, and division among the American people. The Department of Justice will continue to fight against illegal race discrimination.”

The DOJ action follows a similar request last week by Students for Fair Admissions. Lawyers for the plaintiffs said in a brief filed with the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that Harvard “imposes a racial penalty on Asian American applicants” and that the school's “transparent regime of racial balancing flagrantly violates settled law.”

As a condition of receiving millions of dollars in taxpayer funding every year, Harvard expressly agrees to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a cornerstone civil-rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. In 2017, the Department opened a Title VI investigation into Harvard’s admissions process after a complaint was filed by more than 60 Asian-American organizations. That investigation remains underway.

In this case, Students for Fair Admissions, an organization headed by anti-affirmative action activist Edward Blum, alleged that Harvard College intentionally discriminates against Asian American applicants when making admissions decisions, in violation of Title VI. 

Plaintiffs claimed that Harvard's admission criteria bypassed some Asian American applicants who had high test scores in favor of students with lower scores.

During the 2018 trial, none of the Asian American plaintiffs chose not to testify while several students defended Harvard's affirmative action policy.

The district judge denied Harvard’s attempts to dismiss the lawsuit, and the case proceeded to a three-week trial in the fall of 2018.

Plaintiffs believe that although the Supreme Court has held that colleges receiving federal funds may consider applicants’ race in certain limited circumstances, the district court’s factual findings demonstrated that Harvard’s use of race is anything but limited. 

The district court concluded that “more than one third of the admitted Hispanics and more than half of the admitted African Americans, would most likely not be admitted in the absence of Harvard’s race-conscious admissions process.” These applicants are allegedly taking the place of well-qualified Asian American applicants, contend Students for Fair Admission attorneys.

The district court concluded that Harvard’s use of race in the admissions process does not discriminate against Asian Americans and did not violate federal law or Supreme Court precedent.

In her 130-page opinion, Judge Allison Burroughs stressed that race-conscious admissions hold "an important place in society and help ensure that colleges and universities can offer a diverse atmosphere that fosters learning, improves scholarship, and encourages mutual respect and understanding."

The DOJ’s amicus brief alleges that the evidence at trial showed “that Harvard actively engages in racial balancing that Supreme Court precedent flatly forbids.” The evidence also demonstrated that Harvard’s admissions officers consistently score Asian American applicants lower on the so-called “personal rating.” 

“In other words,” the brief alleges, “Harvard’s admissions officers tended to evaluate Asian Americans, as compared to members of other racial groups, as having less integrity, being less confident, constituting less-qualified leaders, and so on.” “That disparity,” the brief points out, “is undisputed, and explained.” For these and other reasons, the DOJ urged the appellate court to reverse the district court’s judgment.

The Harvard case exposed the rift in the Asian American community over affirmative action. The plaintiffs were newer immigrants unaware of the historical nature of the race-based policy. Pitted against them are Asian American groups who are veterans of the civil rights struggle of minorities. 

Both Harvard and the plaintiffs say, if necessary, they will appeal the case all the way to the US Supreme Court.

12-year old California girl killed in hit-and-run accident

Sisters Jadyn, left, and Lana Carlos.

Twelve-year old Lana Carlos was walking home after school and in a crosswalk with her 13-year old sister Jadyn when she was hit by a pick-up truck. She was transported to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in Oakland with major injuries where she succumbed to her injuries.

"They were crossing the street and about midway through, for unknown reasons, Joshua turned left and collided into Lana," said CHP Officer Gabe Walters. 

The sisters were within sight of their home in Castro Valley, Calif. when the accident occurred Monday afternoon.

The driver of the vehicle stopped but then drove away from the scene. He was identified as 24-year-old Hayward resident Joshua Byrne, surrendered at about 8 a.m. Tuesday (Feb. 25). He was booked on felony charges of hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter, the CHP said.

The intersection has been a problem, neighbors told NBC.

"They’re always late for something, you’re just driving too fast, you’re just not paying attention, and you don’t know there are kids walking around," neighbor Anne Ponugoty said.

People have been dropping off flowers and teddy bears at the scene of the collision. One man even put up a sign encouraging drivers to watch out for children.

Lana was a sixth-grader at Creekside Middle School where counselors will be made available for students and staff.

Woman named poet laureate for Santa Clara County in California

Santa Clara County's new poet laureate, Janice Lobo Sapigao.

Asian Americans make up the largest ethnic group in Santa Clara County in California so its fitting that it finally names an Asian American as its poet laureate.
Janice Lobo Sapigao of San Jose, Calif. was named as Santa Clara County's poet laureate on Feb. 10. She will hold the post Dec. 31, 2021.

“The poet laureate’s role is to elevate Santa Clara County residents’ awareness of the arts and help inspire all readers and fans of poetry, including the next generation of poets,” said County Librarian Nancy Howe.

“Janice brings a unique voice that speaks to the experience of many residents of Silicon Valley,” said Supervisor Cindy Chavez. “Her identity as a U.S.-born daughter of immigrants from the Philippines, and her ability to write about the intersection of these two identities, is a rich confluence of artistic influences.”

"I am honored to be appointed as the next Santa Clara County Poet Laureate and develop my project to start a youth poet laureate program," Sapigao said in a news release. "I hope to visit elementary, middle, and high schools in the county to promote the power of poetry as a source for connection, community, and critical conversations."

Born and raised in San José, California, she is the author of two books of poetry, "Like a Solid to a Shadow" and "microchips for millions," which documents her mother’s experience of being an assembly line worker in the Silicon Valley. She is currently the editor of TAYO Literary Magazine, 

Sapigao, an assistant professor of English at Skyline College in nearby San Bruno, was named one of the Bay Area’s “2017 Women to Watch” by KQED Arts.

The Filipina American has watched Santa Clara County transform from sleepy part of the Bay Area with San Francisco as the hub of culture and finance, to the powerhouse economic engine and the center of innovation known as Silicon Valley.

"Growing up in San José, I went to a lot of schools that were mostly Latino," recalls Sapigao. "I felt like I was constantly searching for things that were Filipino, whether it be friends, teachers, books or even songs. Thankfully, during that time, there was a lot of Filipino R&B on the radio.

"I was looking for things to belong to, and I didn’t know where to look because the only things that were Filipino were my music and my family. It was more observing and learning about how to be Filipino," she said in an interview with Valley of Heart's Resistance.

The massive changes to her hometown have not been ind to her memories. 

"It’s kind of uncomfortable to be in this place where I was able to live before, but now Big Tech has brought a lot of people here who don’t care about what was here before them. I think that’s a huge problem."

'Mira, Royal Detective' premieres March 20

From left, Aparna Nancheria, Aasif Mandvi, Leela Ladnier and Kal Penn got a sneak peek of the animated series.

ASAAM NEWS & VIEWS FROM THE EDGE

The cast of the upcoming Disney Channel and Disney Jr series Mira, Royal Detective attended a New York screening last weekend.

The Indo-American Arts Council hosted the screening at the Cinépolis Chelsea Theater in New York City on Saturday.

Cast members including Kal Penn, Leela Ladnier, Aasif Mandvi and Aparna Nancherla were in attendance. Freida Pinto, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Hannah Simone, Jameela Jamil, Aasif Mandvi, Karan Soni, Maulik Pancholy, Sarayu Blue and Sarita Choudhury are also set to star in the animated series.

Sixteen-year old newcomer Leela Ladnier will voice the lead character.

Mira, Royal Detective takes place in the magical Indian-inspired land of Jalpur, and focuses around Mira, a commoner who the queen appoints to be the royal detective.

A music video has been released in advance of the series.

Disney Junior has given an early season 2 renewal to Mira, Royal Detective, ahead of its  debut this Spring. The news was announced in by Joe D’Ambrosia, SVP Original Programming and general manager, Disney Junior.

“Mira, Royal Detective hasn’t even premiered yet and we have already seen the excitement building for this series featuring a brave and empowered young girl who will stop at nothing to solve a case,” D’Ambrosia told Deadline. “To ensure that we have plenty of new mysteries ahead for Mira, we are thrilled to begin production on a second season and can’t wait to introduce her to the world in 2020.” 

Mira, Royal Detective will premiere in the US on Friday, March 20 (11 a.m. EDT/PDT on Disney Channel and 7 p.m. EDT/PDT on Disney Junior).

'Public charge' rule goes into effect Monday

New immigrants face new obstacles to citizenship.

ASAM NEWS

A ruling from the US Supreme Court late Friday clears the way for the Trump administration to make it harder for legal immigrants who are likely to apply for government benefits to get a green card, an important step towards citizenship.

Known by its critics as the wealth test, the policy discourages people seeking legal citizenship from applying for housing assistance, medicaid, food stamps and other public benefits. The court's decision allows it to go into effect Monday, Feb. 24.

The high court lifted a national injunction in January against the public benefit, but Friday it removed the last legal obstacle from its implementation in all 50 states beginning Monday.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote a blunt dissenting opinion of the 5-4 split decision blasting the five justices for making its ruling despite a lower court in Illinois being scheduled to take up the Illinois-specific stay this week.

“Today’s decision follows a now-familiar pattern. The Government seeks emergency relief from this Court, asking it to grant a stay where two lower courts have not,” wrote Sotomayor, who voted in the minority. “The Government insists—even though review in a court of appeals is imminent—that it will suffer irreparable harm if this Court does not grant a stay. And the Court yields.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Know your rights

“It is hard to say what is more troubling: that the Government would seek this extraordinary relief seemingly as a matter of course, or that the Court would grant it,” she concluded.

The White House applauded the decision, according to the Economic Times.

“This final rule will protect hardworking American taxpayers, safeguard welfare programs for truly needy Americans, reduce the Federal deficit, and re-establish the fundamental legal principle that newcomers to our society should be financially self-reliant and not dependent on the largesse of United States taxpayers,” said White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham.

Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren tweeted that she would “roll back” the public-charge policy if elected.

“Millions of children could lose their health care coverage because of the Trump administration’s cruel public charge rule,” Warren said.

Contrary to the popular model minority stereotype, in 2015, eight of 19 Asian American groups had poverty rates higher than the US average thus most likely to use some form of government aid such as food stamps or rental assistance.

Among those subgroups, Pakistani Americans (15.8 per cent), Nepali Americans (23.9 per cent), Bangladeshi Americans (24.2 per cent), and Bhutanese Americans (33.3 per cent) had the highest poverty rates among South Asian American groups, according to the PEW Center.

As much as 69% of the more than 5 million individuals who received a green card over the past five years have at least one negative factor against them under the new rule, and thus might have been denied immigration benefits had the new rule been in effect.

Late last month, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), and Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) joined together to oppose the public charge rule.

“Our immigration system has long been built on the principle that immigrants from all walks of life make our country better. And despite the false claims made to justify this public charge rule, the data shows that immigrants help grow the economy and use fewer government resources than native-born individuals. Regardless, the Trump Administration has spent the past three years creating an immigration system that is cruelly stacked against immigrants of color and the public charge rule is no exception,” the groups stated.

Views From the Edge contributed to this report.