Crossposted at Asian Pacific Americans for Progress...
As we're all trying to preserve the public option in health care reform, let's keep an eye out on the next big issue around the bend...
Today starts the kickoff to the first Asian American and Pacific Islander National Week of Action, a series of events around the country organized by several of the leading AAPI organizers and allies of comprehensive immigration reform. Organizations are calling on AAPI communities to make contact with their legislators and send the message that immigration reform needs to happen this year.
In addition to these actions and rallies, some of the leaders will be blogging at apaforprogress.org throughout the week in order to raise awareness for both the activities and the immigration issues our community continues to face. We'll have substantive policy discussions such as the need for a legalization program, the importance of the family immigration system to AAPIs, immigration from a woman's perspective and the political landscape and the role of health reform in moving immigration legislation, as well stories from immigrants about their struggle to navigate a long broken system.
To help launch the AAPI National Week of Action, simultaneous press conferences in Los Angeles and San Francisco were held today. To find out more and to read the press release from the Los Angeles event please visit the website of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center's Immigrant Rights Project.
We hope you'll check back in at apaforprogress.org and see how you can get involved. A number of this week's events and other related events are listed below:
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for Immigration Reform Press Event
When: 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. PST
Date: Aug. 17
City: San Francisco
Location: American Civil Liberties Union, 39 Drumm St, San Francisco, CAÂ
Organizers: Asian Law Caucus and Asian Pacific American Legal Center
Local contact: Chris Punongbayan, chrisp@asianlawcaucus.org
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for Immigration Reform Press Event
When: 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. PST
Date: Aug. 17
City: Los Angeles
Location: Historic Filipino town at Unity Park (Beverly-Union Park)
Organizers: Asian Pacific American Legal Center and Asian Law Caucus
Local contact: Connie Choi, cchoi@apalc.orgÂ
National Telephone Press Conference with Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.)
When: 12 p.m. EST
Date: Aug. 18
Organizers: National Immigration Forum and Asian American Justice Center
Local contact: Nicole Duran, nduran@advancingequality.org
National Text-In Day
Date: Aug. 20
Immigrant Service Day
When: 3 p.m. PST
Date: Aug. 20
City: Los Angeles
Location: Los Angeles Regional Food Bank
Organizers: Asian Pacific American Legal Center
Local contact: Connie Choi, cchoi@apalc.org
Community Briefing on Immigration
When: 12 p.m.-1 p.m. EST
Date: August 14
City: Boston
Location: Asian American Civic Association
Organizers: Asian American Justice Center and Asian American Civic Association
Local contact: Georgiana Tam, gtam@aaca-boston.org
Town Hall with Reps. Jan Schakowsky and Mike Quigley (D-Ill.)
When: 1 p.m.-3 p.m. CDT
Date: Aug. 22
City: Chicago
Location: Mayfair Salvation Army Community Church
Organizers: Asian American Institute, Korean Resource and Cultural Center, Coalition for a Better Chinatown and Filipinos for Immigrant Rights and Engagement
Local contact: Sung Yeon, sungyeon@aaichicago.org
Made in L.A. Film Screening and Discussion
When: 3 p.m.-5 p.m. EST
Date: Aug. 30
City: Washington, D.C.
Location: Contact napawfdc@yahoo.com
Organizer: National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, Washington D.C. Chapter
Local contact: Lan Nguyen, lnguyen@napawf.org
South Asians and Immigration Town Hall
When: 11am.-2 p.m. EST
Date: Sept 26
City: Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Location: To Be Announced
Organizers: South Asian Americans Leading Together and Sahara
Local contact: Priya Murthy, priya@saalt.org
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