- 2023/03/06 APA Justice Monthly Meeting
- One Year After the End of the "China Initiative"
- Updates on Texas Senate Bill 147 and Opposition to Revival of Alien Land Laws
- Racist and McCarthyist Attacks on Rep. Judy Chu and Dominic Ng Condemned
- Building a Sustainable Platform and Pipeline for AAPI Leadership in Higher Education
- Asian American Community News and Activities
2023/03/06 APA Justice Monthly Meeting
The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held on Monday, March 6, 2023. Confirmed speakers include:
- Nisha Ramachandran, Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), to provide updates on the latest developments and activities of CAPAC
- John Yang 杨重远, President and Executive Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC to provide updates on the Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights & National Security Program and related Activities
- Gisela Kusakawa, Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum, to provide updates on AASF activities
- Peter Toren, Attorney and Member of Sherry Chen Legal Team, to be recognized and share his reflections on the Sherry Chen case
- Steven Pei 白先慎, Co-organizer, APA Justice, to provide updates on Texas Senate bills, webinars, and opposition to discriminatory land laws
- Grace Meng 孟昭文, Member, U.S. Congress and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, to remark on the latest developments and legislation for the Asian American community
- Baimadajie Angwang 昂旺, New York Police Department, and John Carman, Attorney, to share Angwang's story of injustice as another victim of racial profiling under the "China Initiative"
The virtual monthly meeting is by invitation only. If you wish to join, either one time or for future meetings, please contact one of the co-organizers of APA Justice - Steven Pei 白先慎, Vincent Wang 王文奎, and Jeremy Wu 胡善庆 - or send a message to Email住址會使用灌水程式保護機制。你需要啟動Javascript才能觀看它. Read past monthly meeting summaries here: https://bit.ly/3kxkqxP.
One Year After the End of the "China Initiative"
 
1. Baimadajie Angwang 昂旺. One year has passed since the end of the "China Initiative," but the damages inflicted on impacted innocent persons continue. Hear the story of a New York police officer, an Afghanistan veteran, and an Army reservist, who became yet another victim of the "China Initiative." His case was finally dismissed in January 2023. After an ordeal of two and a half years, he has yet to return to the New York Police Department. What does he want the public to know and learn from his experience? Where does he go from here? Angwang will tell his story with his attorney John Carman in the March 6, 2023, APA Justice monthly meeting. Read more about Angwang's story at https://bit.ly/3RIqXId
2. Nature Report. According to the Nature report on February 24, 2023, anti-Asian scrutiny has only intensified since the controversial "China Initiative" ended one year ago. Scientists of Chinese heritage say that they are still being targeted unfairly and fear for their safety.¶ While the "China Initiative" was active, more than 150 people were criminally charged for actions such as failing to disclose funding or partnerships with institutions in China.¶ Nearly 90% of them were of Chinese heritage. Many of the charges brought by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) after the initiative’s launch in 2018 were eventually dropped or dismissed, and some prosecutions ended in acquittal.¶ The climate of fear and anxiety hasn’t gone away — researchers are just being pressured in a new way, says Jenny Lee.¶ Since the initiative’s official shutdown, the US government has adopted various anti-China policies. And although the DOJ is pursuing fewer criminal charges, it says that it will work increasingly with federal agencies to investigate researchers and issue civil and administrative penalties for noncompliance. Universities are also taking a more active role in assisting investigations and pursuing potential wrongdoing, sources tell Nature.¶ “I’m sorry to say that it has only intensified,” says MIT professor Gang Chen 陈刚, He and others who have had their lives upended by the initiative have been speaking out about the damage that it has done.¶ According to the San Diego Union-Tribune in December 2022, Xiang-Dong Fu, a molecular biologist at the University of California, San Diego, was forced to quit his position after the university accused him of hiding ties to China.¶ According to Toby Smith, US institutions acknowledge the considerable research contributions from these scientists. Universities are working to ensure that all faculty members are disclosing information properly. But he calls on US funding agencies to provide greater clarity for universities on what counts as an offense and what are appropriate and fair sanctions.¶ The end of the "China Initiative" gave the illusion that researchers of Chinese heritage would be targeted less, Jenny Lee says, but “the chilling effect” is “still very much at play.”¶ Researchers unjustly accused under the "China Initiative" and now rebuilding their lives and careers are emblematic of this situation. Scrutiny of researchers of Chinese heritage had begun years earlier than the launch of the "China Initiative." Xiaoxing Xi 郗小星 was accused of passing information to scientists in China about restricted technology in 2015. The DOJ eventually dropped the charges. “I am afraid of doing any research,” he says. “We always live in fear.”¶ Anming Hu 胡安明, a nanotechnology researcher at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, who was indicted for hiding ties with China in 2020 and put under house arrest for more than a year before being acquitted, is also trying to get his research back on track. He has spent the past year rebuilding his lab, but has had trouble securing any funding.¶ Read the Nature report: https://go.nature.com/3kveefx
Updates on Texas Senate Bill 147 and Opposition to Revival of Alien Land Laws
1. Second Webinar: Historical R-hash - Alien Land Law and SB147
WHAT: Webinar titled "Historical Re-Hash - Alien Land Laws and SB147"
WHEN: Friday, March 1, 2023, starting at 6:30 pm ET/3:30 pm PT
WHO:
Moderator: Janelle Wong, Professor of American Studies, University of Maryland
Panelists:
- Gene Wu 吳元之, Attorney and Texas State Representative
- Madeline Hsu, Professor of History and Asian American Studies, University of Texas at Austin
- Carol Suzuki, Professor of Law, School of Law, University of New Mexico at Albuquerque
Opening Remarks: Ted Gong, Executive Director of the 1882 Foundation
Register for this webinar at http://bit.ly/3Id2uGp
2. Joint Statement in Opposition to Texas SB 147. On February 17, 2023, the Asian American Bar Association of Houston (AABA Houston), the Austin Asian American Bar Association (Austin AABA), the Dallas Asian American Bar Association (DAABA), and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) issued a joint statement to strongly oppose the provisions of Texas Senate Bill 147 that prohibit individuals from owning land, buying homes, or establishing businesses in Texas based on their family's country of migration.¶ Read the joint statement: https://bit.ly/3EG7YZl
3. SB 147 Panel: A Reprisal of Alien Land Laws?
On March 2, 2023, the American Constitution Society (ACS) will host an event to discuss proposed Texas Senate Bill 147. Panelists will discuss the Federal and State constitutionality of the proposed bill, its mirroring of bigoted Alien Land Laws that banned Asian immigrants from owning property and establishing businesses, and the overall policy implications of this bill on our immigrant communities. The event is co-sponsored with: ACS DFW Lawyer Chapter, NAPABA, DAABA, AABA Houston, SMU APALSA, SMU ACS, SMU FedSoc.
WHEN: Thursday, March 2, 2023, 12:30pm CT
WHERE: Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law | Karcher Auditorium, 3315 Daniel Ave, Dallas, Texas 75205
WHO:
Panelists:
- Rep. Salman Bhojani, Texas State Representative District 92
- Rep. Gene Wu 吳元之, Texas State Representative District 137
- Leo Yu, Clinical Professor of Legal Research, Writing, and Advocacy and ACS Faculty Advisor, SMU Dedman School of Law
Moderator:
Kristine Cruz, Associate, Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP; Co-Chair, ACS Dallas-Ft. Worth Lawyer Chapter; President-Elect, Dallas Asian American Bar Association
Register for the hybrid in-person and Zoom event at: http://bit.ly/3Z28id0
4. Media Reports
MSNBC. According to a MSNBC report on February 25, 2023, a bill introduced in December 2022 is picking up steam in the Texas Senate. SB 147 would make it illegal for Chinese citizens to buy any property in the state of Texas, including home purchases. Ling Luo 罗玲, founder and chair of the Asian Americans Leadership Council, stops by "The Katie Phang Show" to discuss the bill. Watch the MSNBC video: https://on.msnbc.com/3SvK9Jo (4:42)
San Francisco Standard. According to a report by the San Francisco Standard on February 23, 2023, Nick Gee, a staff member of Chinese for Affirmative Action, flew from San Francisco to his hometown of Houston to join the local protests against Texas SB 147.¶ Texas SB 147 has sent a shock wave through Chinese American communities nationwide, sparking new debate on the anti-China rhetoric, anti-Chinese racism in politics and the “perpetual foreigner” stereotype. In response, a coalition of Chinese Americans from across the country are banding together to voice their opposition.¶ Peter Kuo, the vice chairman of the California Republican Party, said he was disheartened by the proposed bill. “It actually harnesses a lot of negative energies or negative prejudice against the Chinese Americans who are already here,” said Kuo. He said the bill’s language would increase anti-Asian sentiment and turn Asians into scapegoats. Read the San Francisco Standard report: http://bit.ly/3KAcVXs
Washington Post. According to a report by Washington Post on February 22, 2023, a growing number of state legislators and members of Congress are offering a master class in how not to confront China by supporting indiscriminate crackdowns on Chinese citizens and companies seeking to purchase U.S. land.¶ Bills like SB 147 evoke a long and painful history. In the past, the desire to ensure U.S. national security has often been expressed in ways that excused or justified hatred against Asians. In turn, racist anxieties about people of Asian descent have played a key role in shaping the development of national security policy.¶ Revisiting the long history of anti-Asian behavior in the United States makes clear the inherent dangers of today’s assaults. Read the Washington Post article: https://wapo.st/3Z3ZpzI
Racist and McCarthyist Attacks on Rep. Judy Chu and Dominic Ng Condemned
 
1. Mediaite.com. According to a report by Mediaite.com on February 24, 2023, top House Democrats slammed Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) over the Republican’s comments on Fox News earlier in the week in which he said he questions Rep. Judy Chu’s 赵美心( D-CA) “loyalty or competence.”¶ Gooden made the remarks in response to Fox News host Jesse Watters asking if he believed “Congresswoman Chu should be looked into?”¶ House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) also released a statement lambasting Gooden. “Lance Gooden’s slanderous accusation of disloyalty against Rep. Chu is dangerous, unconscionable and xenophobic.”¶ Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA), head of the House Democrats’ campaign arm, also released a statement: "At a time when anti-Asian hate continues to threaten communities, it’s critical that we condemn these racist and xenophobic attacks immediately and hold our fellow colleagues accountable to rid our politics of such dangerous statements and hatred." Read the Mediaite.com report: http://bit.ly/3ZnnfpN
2. Congressional Black Caucus. On February 24, 2023, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) issued the following statement: "Last night, Rep. Lance Gordon appeared on Fox News and questioned the loyalty of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chairwoman Rep. Judy Chu 赵美心, indicating that she should be stripped of her security clearance simply because of her Chinese ethnicity. To be clear, a person's ethnicity is not indicative of their trustworthiness or loyalty to this country and to suggest otherwise is inflammatory as a nation of immigrants. The CBC stands with CAPAC in denouncing Rep. Gooden's racist and xenophobic remarks, and we urge Republican House leadership to follow suit and take action."
3. United Chinese Americans (UCA). On February 26, 2023, UCA issued a statement. "United Chinese Americans (UCA) strongly condemns the recent racist and offensive remarks made by Texas Representative Lance Gooden against Representative Judy Chu 赵美心, Chairwoman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and a highly respected leader in Chinese American and AAPI communities. His baseless comments questioning Representative Chu's loyalty to the United States are McCarthyist, racist, and shameful."¶ "It is no less disturbing and shameful to accuse Dominic Ng 吴建民, a highly respected Chinese American business and community leader, and President Biden’s pick to represent the United States on the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in 2023, of treason to America, based on flimsy and unsubstantiated evidence." Read the UCA statement: https://bit.ly/3kBl0An
4. AP News Report. According to an AP News report on February 26, 2023, the leaders of a new House select committee on China defended Democratic Rep. Judy Chu 赵美心, saying it was abhorrent and unacceptable for a GOP lawmaker to question her loyalty to the United States based on her Chinese heritage.¶ “One of my colleagues, unfortunately, attacked Judy Chu, the first Chinese American congresswoman in the United States Congress, saying that somehow she’s not loyal to the United States. I find that offensive as an Asian American myself,” said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, the ranking Democrat on the panel, about the comments last week from Rep. Lance Gooden.¶ Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher, the Republican chair of the China panel who appeared with Krishnamoorthi on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” said Gooden was out of line. “We should not question anybody’s loyalty to the United States,” Gallagher said. “That is out of bounds. It’s beyond the pale.” Gallagher said his bipartisan committee, which is officially called the “Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party” was named as such “to constantly make that distinction between the party and the people.” “We must constantly be aware of going overboard as we try and win this competition with China,” he said. Read the AP News report: http://bit.ly/3IwLhI5
More Media Reports
Politico. According to a Politico report on February 26, 2023, “One of my colleagues, unfortunately, attacked Judy Chu 赵美心, the first Chinese American Congresswoman in the United States Congress, saying that somehow she’s not loyal to the United States. I find that offensive as an Asian American myself,” Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi said of criticism last week of the California Democrat by Rep. Lance Gooden.¶ Joining Krishnamoorthi on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Rep. Mike Gallagher agreed with him: “We should not question anybody’s loyalty to the United States. I think that is out of bounds.” “Absolutely, we shouldn’t question anybody’s loyalty,” Gallagher added.¶ Host Margaret Brennan asked Gallagher how the American people can be sure the panel doesn’t end up as being seen as persecuting people, as in the 1950s loyalty hearings led by Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-Wis.).¶ “Joseph McCarthy’s from my district, he’s buried in my district; we need not exhume his body and reanimate it,” Gallagher said, adding: “We must constantly be aware of going overboard as we try and win this competition with China.”¶ Read the Politico report: https://politi.co/3KBOxVn
- 2023/02/27 CBS News. "House China panel leaders denounce heritage-based attack on Rep. Judy Chu." https://cbsn.ws/3SEe4iz
- 2023/02/27 Salon. House Democrats rip MAGA Republican for 'blatantly racist' attack on Rep. Judy Chu." http://bit.ly/3Zvv9xz
- 2023/02/27 NBC News. "House China panel leaders defend Rep. Judy Chu after Texas Republican's attack." https://bit.ly/3xWLqjd
- 2023/02/25 Los Angeles Times. "GOP congressman questions her ‘loyalty.’ Rep. Judy Chu, House Democrats blast ‘racist’ rhetoric:" https://lat.ms/3ktyMVV.
- 2023/02/25 Business Insider. "Democratic Rep. Judy Chu, the first Chinese American woman elected to Congress, blasts a Texas GOP congressman after he questioned her loyalty to the US: 'It is racist'." http://bit.ly/3xXleoA
- 2023/02/25 Vanity Fair. "Democrats Denounce Rep. Lance Gooden for Questioning The 'Loyalty' of Rep. Judy Chu Following Rumors of Ties to China's Communist Party." http://bit.ly/41uG1xr
- 2023/02/24 The Hill. "Democrats erupt with fury after Republican questions ‘loyalty’ of Rep. Chu." http://bit.ly/3Y4rYvx
- 2023/02/24 Washington Post. "Democrats defend Rep. Chu against ‘xenophobic’ accusations of disloyalty to U.S." https://wapo.st/3Z6miCs.
Building a Sustainable Platform and Pipeline for AAPI Leadership in Higher Education
Register for this workshop webinar: http://bit.ly/3xPv6Rj
Chang-Lin Tien Leadership in Education Award. Know an academically accomplished AAPI leader in Higher Education? Nominate them to the Asian Pacific Fund for the 2023 Chang-Lin Tien Leadership in Education Award! Deadline MARCH 3, 2023. For eligibility criteria and more information, go to: https://bit.ly/TienAward
Asian American and Scientific Community News and Activities
1. Workshop on Asian American Trailblazers in Civil Rights. On Wednesday, March 22, 2023, the 1990 Institute and the Alice Fong Yu Alternative School invite middle and high school teachers to learn more about the Asian Americans who fought for civil rights that benefited all who call America home. By 2025, a majority of states will have requirements in place for Asian American and Pacific Islander studies be taught in school. This multifaceted event will highlight Asian American pioneers and the pivotal court cases that have changed the landscape of U.S. civil rights, including the U.S. Supreme Court decision in United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898) that established the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship. The 125th anniversary of this landmark case is on March 28, 2023. Register for the event: http://bit.ly/3ZpBLgN
2. MIT Technology Review. According to a report by MIT Technology Review on February 20, 2023, Citizen, a hyperlocal app that allows users to report and follow notifications of nearby crimes, is trying to remake itself by recruiting elderly Asians.¶ Read the MIT Technology Review Report: http://bit.ly/3xVWmgZ
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