Press Release: Assemblymember Ted Lieu Joins UCLA Students to Recognize the Diversity within the AAPI Community

[Cathy]

Hi All,

 

Thanks for sending out the media advisory. The press conference went well today, mainly ethnic media showed up - Singtao, China Press, LA 18, etc. Here is the press release, can you please forward this to your media contacts if you have the chance? We really appreciate it!!!

 

Thanks for everything!!

 

-- Cathy

 

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**PLEASE DISTRIBUTION WIDELY**

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PRESS RELEASE   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 31, 2007

Contacts:    Jason Osajima,  714.745.6243  Candice Shikai, 323.422.7406

 

Assemblymember Ted Lieu Joins UCLA Students

to Recognize the Diversity within the AAPI Community

 

 

LOS ANGELES – The Office of Assembly Member Ted Lieu and the Asian Pacific Coalition (APC) held a joint press conference at UCLA to highlight the disparities within the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community and the need to disaggregate data collected by state agencies and the University of California through Lieu’s AB295 and the “Count Me In” campaign.. Often hidden by the “model minority” myth, members of the AAPI community face serious barriers in accessing resources for higher education and other state services. The myth homogenizes the diverse make-up of AAPIs, despite the fact that each group has its own unique history, language, culture, and experiences. The reality is that while some AAPIs are very successful, others are living in poverty and disheartening conditions. As described by APC director, Jason Osajima, “We urge the UCLA and UC admission to support these two proposals, the state of California and University of California would be taking concrete steps towards recognizing the diversity within the AAPI community and addressing the specific educational barriers of they face.”

 

Since the beginning of the year, the Asian Pacific Coalition has been working on its “Count Me In” campaign— an effort to disaggregate AAPI statistics gathered by the UC system to help address the educational inequalities within the diverse AAPI community. Currently, the UC system lump smaller communities into the “Other Asian” category, essentially neglecting the existence of the obstacles many of them endure in pursuing higher education.  The “Count Me In” campaign calls for the recognition of the smaller Asian American ethnic groups in addition to creating a separate racial category for Pacific Islanders.  The overarching goal of the campaign strives to guarantee adequate funding for outreach and retention programs that serve underrepresented and underprivileged communities.

 

Coinciding with the Count Me In! Campaign, Lieu’s bill AB295 in the State Assembly stipulates that state agencies must collect data on smaller AAPI communities similar to the method used in the US Census. While some California state agencies collect data on the larger AAPI groups, Lieu’s bill would expand collection to include Bangladeshi, Fijian, Hmong, Indonesian, Malaysian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Taiwanese, Thai, and Tongan. The bill requires that state agencies collect demographic data on the broader AAPI community, but falls short of requiring jurisdiction over University of California policies. Accurate and detailed information about such groups is necessary in addressing existing inequalities and barriers to access. The data would also help lawmakers create programs and politics that address the needs of overlooked communities.

 

 

In addition to disaggregating AAPI statistics, the Count Me In! campaign calls for creating a separate racial category for Pacific Islanders. Nefara D. Riesch, co-chair of the Pacific Islands Student Association at UCLA explained that, "it is incredibly important that Pacific Islanders are recognized as a separate racial group… [doing so] will enable us to highlight the incredibly low number of Pacific Islanders.” In 2006, out of over 11,000 admitted to UCLA, only 23 Pacific Islander students were admitted, mostly as athletes.  Consequently, only 10% of Samoans, like the vast majority of Pacific Islander groups, have a bachelor’s degree or higher.  

           

            Finally, the Count Me In! campaign urges the administration to invest in student-initiated outreach programs that serve under-privileged and under-represented communities. As Kevin Peanh, second-year UCLA student and director of Khmer Outreach, Retention, and Education (KORE) describes, “In joining the Mentorship Program, I was also fortunate in being paired with one of the more troubled at-risk students.  If I could help him graduate from high school and work towards a positive path, I would have succeeded.” Such programs have historically given students that would otherwise never even consider college, a pathway to achieving their goals and ambitions.

 

 

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The Asian Pacific Coalition at UCLA represents over 21 different organizations as the officially recognized voice of AAPI students on campus. Founded under our Points of Unity, APC has historically worked on issues that impact the AAPI community both on and off-campus by advocating for progressive changes that ensure equal opportunity and civil rights.

 

 

 

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Cathy Lam Dang
Loyola Marymount University, c/o 2007
One LMU Drive, MS-B 2147
Los Angeles, CA 90045

 

 

"People are scared of your emotions because they are scared of their own - they are working hard not to feel, so they don't have to act... It's like when someone is in a bad relationship and deep down they know it but they are not admitting it, so they have to deny their feelings in order to exist in the status quo. Once you feel, you have to change, and change is scary." - Mari Matsuda

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