National
Occupy, Economics & Movement Building
The Occupy movement has spectacularly united progressive forces with a base. In the month from initial occupation on Wall Street in New York, there are now, according to OccupyTogether, over a hundred occupied cites in the U.S., (and five internationally) and over a thousand meetups being organized around the Occupy movement. Facebook lists nearly 500 "Occupy" groups. The Occupy movement is important to support.
SEARAC Denounces Deportations of Cambodian Americans, Calls for Fairness in Immigration Policies
The Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) based in D.C. has noted a significant rise in the detention and removal of Cambodian Americans from Lowell, MA; Long Beach, CA; and Philadelphia, PA. Communities have organized prayer vigils in Lowell and Philadelphia in mid-August and a rally in Philadelphia last week to protest the deportations of community members. They have also demanded changes to immigration policies.
New Report Highlights Human Rights Impact of Immigration Laws on Cambodian Americans
Thanks to Dimple Rana
This is a press release from the organizations described below
Leitner Center Releases Removing Refugees: U.S. Deportation Policy and the Cambodian-American Community
Immigrant Notes: "Take Our Jobs" and New Mainstream Pro-Immigrant Coalition
The United Farm Workers have initiated a "Take Our Jobs" campaign, promising to train unemployed Americans to take agricultural field jobs. There's an on-line application. Stephen Colbert is piling on by featuring it on his July 8th show. California's agriculture industry launched a similar campaign in 1998 and three people showed up.
The Good, the Bad and the Curious about Asian American Unemployment
A recent study from the Economic Policy Institute pointed out the unusual position of Asian Americans in the current recession, While a large portion of Asian Americans have bachelor’s and advanced degrees, a larger share of Asian American workers than whites lack high school diplomas.
However, Asian Americans with bachelor’s degrees and advanced degrees have a higher unemployment rate than whites with equivalent educational attainment. On the other hand, Asian American high school dropouts, are more successful than white dropouts at finding employment.
APIs to Gather at Detroit - U.S. Social Forum
API individuals and organizations across the U.S. are planning to join thousands of other activists in Detroit this June at the second gathering of the U.S. Social Forum.
Presently, API groups are planning for a variety workshops; the call for workshops is open right now. For APIs overall, API Movement Building will be coordinating a social gathering and an exchange about ongoing work if there is sufficient interest.
Report on Asian Americans (and others) and Recession
The Center for American Progress has issued a report on the effects of the recession on the different racial groups in the U.S.
There's both relative good news and bad news. Asian Americans continue to have lower unemployment rates and higher median household incomes than other racial groups. On the negative side, their unemployment rates
Support Immigration Reform and the CIR ASAP Bill!
Support the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009. Luis Guiterriez (D-Illinois) has introduced a progressive bill that constructively addresses long-standing immigration issues in a just and humane manner.
The Chinese American Urban Lower Working Class
Mike Liu
