Workshop Track: Civil & Human Rights
AAPI Environmental Justice 101
Date: Thursday, June 24, 2010
Time: 10:45am - 12:15pm
Place: Room TBD
Environmental justice is an emerging field where Asian Americans are marking their mark. Underlying the environmental justice movement is the principle that all people deserve to live, work, play, learn and pray in safe and decent places. However, people of color, immigrants and other groups face a number of environmental inequities including disproportionately high rates of exposure to toxins and pollution. This workshop will provide an introduction to environmental justice using case examples of Asian American community organizations fighting back against environmental injustices in their workplaces and communities.
Speakers:
 | Piyachat Terrell National Program Manager EPA White House Initiatives for Asian and Pacific Islanders (Moderator) |  | Tuan Nguyen Deputy Director MQVN Community Development Corporation (Panelist) |  | Christina Wadhwani Health Outreach Coordinator Mary Queen of Viet Nam Community Development Corporation (Panelist) |  | Lenh Tsan Program Manager Asian Law Caucus (Panelist) |  | Miya Yoshitani Associate Director Asian Pacific Environmental Network (Panelist) |
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the Media: How Far Have We Come?
Date: Thursday, June 24, 2010
Time: 2:30pm - 4:00pm
Place: Room TBD
The perception of AAPIs is highly affected by how we are portrayed in popular media. Do these images perpetuate stereotypes or are they a fair reflection of who we are? Some AAPI groups have denounced negative depictions and called on the media to show us in a more positive light. Have these efforts made an impact on how society sees us? In this workshop we examine how characterizations of AAPIs in pop culture have changed. We will consider whether traditional and new media outlets serve our communities well and look at the growth and quality of outlets and programming that cater to our communities.
Speakers:
 | Fernando LaGuarda Vice President, External Affairs and Policy Counselor Time Warner Cable (Panelist) |  | Yul Kwon Deputy Chief of Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Federal Communications Commission (Panelist) |  | Shilpa Davé Assistant Professor Asian American and Ethnic Studies, Brandeis University (Panelist) |  | Cheryl Pearson-McNeil Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Government Relations The Nielsen Company (Panelist) |  | Jeff Yang Journalist (Panelist) |
Building a Civil Rights Broadband Strategy for America
Date: Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Time: 4:00pm - 5:30pm
Place: Room TBD
Broadband has the potential to empower citizens to effectively compete in the job market, access health-care solutions, break down language barriers, contribute to innovation and entrepreneurship, and otherwise fully participate in society. Yet broadband penetration in the U.S. lags behind the rest of the world. Nearly 40 percent of Americans do not have a high-speed Internet connection at home, and they are disproportionately people of color. A staggering 50 percent of those without at-home broadband access believe that Internet content is “not relevant to their lives.” This panel will examine key issues facing minority, under-served, and un-served communities in accessing broadband. Panelists will discuss programs in place to get our communities online and offer a brief overview of the net neutrality debate.
Speakers:
 | Vincent A. Eng Principal The Raben Group, LLC (Moderator) |  | Johnnie Giles Regional Vice President of Government Affairs for California Comcast (Panelist) |  | Faizun Kamal Executive Director, Public Policy and Strategic Alliances Verizon (Panelist) |  | Joseph Miller Deputy Director and Senior Policy Director Media and Technology Institute, The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies (Panelist) |  | Cheryl A. Leanza President A Learned Hand, LLC (Panelist) |
Collaborating with Federal Agencies to Enforce Civil Rights Laws
Date: Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Time: 4:00 - 5:00pm
Place: Room TBD
Community-based organizations play an important role in helping enforce our nation's civil rights laws—no lawyers required! This workshop will focus on how federal agencies investigate and resolve civil rights complaints (e.g., racial discrimination, language access, etc.) in areas such as health care, workers’ rights, employment, law enforcement and more. Learn what non-legal groups can do to successfully collaborate with federal agencies on these efforts.
Speakers:
 | Deeana Jang Policy Director Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum (Panelist) |  | William R. Tamayo Regional Attorney U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, San Francisco District (Panelist) |  | Paul M. Uyehara Coordination and Review Section Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice (Panelist) |  | Georgina Verdugo Director, Office for Civil Rights U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Panelist) |  | Michael Kravitz Deputy Director U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, Office of Performance (Panelist) |
Leveling the Playing Field: Should Race Be a Factor?
Date: Thursday, June 24, 2010
Time: 2:30pm - 4:00pm
Place: Room TBD
This session presents recent findings, advocacy strategies, and challenges for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) in affirmative action programs, both in government contracting and education. We will discuss whether it is helpful or harmful for AAPIs to be included in such programs. We will also discuss the views of those outside the AAPI community – particularly other minorities and women. Finally, we will discuss the need to better document and analyze the discrimination faced by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
Speakers:
 | Ami Gandhi Legal Director Asian American Institute (Panelist) |  | OiYan Poon Postdoctoral Research Associate Institute for Asian American Studies, UMass Boston (Panelist) |  | Anjali Thakur-Mittal Deputy Director for Field Operations and Director of the Americans for a Fair Chance Project Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (Panelist) |
Out on the Front Lines: Intersections Between the Asian American and Pacific Islander and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Civil Rights Movements
Date: Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Time: 4:00pm - 5:30pm
Place: Room TBD
This panel will explore how the AAPI and LGBT civil rights movements intersect and diverge. Panelists will reflect on how individuals, organizations and issues straddle between the AAPI and LGBT movements and communities.
Speakers:
 | Deanna Kitamura Statewide Redistricting Manager Asian Pacific American Legal Center (Panelist) |  | Cecilia Chung Commission Chairwoman San Francisco Human Rights Commission (Panelist) |  | Davide Gnoato Coordinator Providence Student Youth Movement (Panelist) |  | Dan Taulapapa McMullin Coordinator Providence Student Youth Movement (Panelist) |
Reauthorization of No Child Left Behind: Providing Equal Access to Education for All Children
Date: Thursday, June 24, 2010
Time: 2:30pm - 4:00pm
Place: Room TBD
In 1965, President Johnson passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as a part of his "war on poverty.” The goal was to ensure that equitable resources for public education were provided to all children in K-12. The reauthorization is long overdue. Education is essential to the success of individuals, our families, and our communities. Advocates and nonprofits can integrate this message into their work for the upcoming year, so that everyone does their part to address education disparities facing our children, especially those who are learning English. Learn about efforts to ensure that parent and family involvement among immigrant families is managed in a culturally and linguistically appropriate way.
Speakers:
 | Monica Thammarath Education Advocate Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (Moderator) |  | Iosefa Aina Associate Dean & Director Asian American Resource Center, Pomona College (Panelist) |  | Khin Mai Aung Director, Educational Equity and Youth Rights Project Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (Panelist) |  | Matthew Finucane Senior Liaison to the Asian American & Pacific Islander Community National Education Association (Panelist) |
Uncommon Common Ground: Race and America’s Future
Date: Thursday, June 24, 2010
Time: 10:45am - 12:15pm
Place: Room TBD
Even after the election of America’s first black (and multiracial) president, racial inequality continues to plague the nation. It is no longer just the future of racial minorities that is worrisome; the nation itself faces peril if the new, broader multiracial majority fails. Co-authors of the recently-released Uncommon Common Ground: Race and America’s Future, will lead a discussion on the state of race relations, looking at both the challenges and opportunities emerging for people of color, and the need for a new perspective on effective leadership to tackle the complex race issues of our times.
Speakers:
 | Manuel Pastor Professor of Geography and American studies & Ethnicity University of Southern California (Panelist) |  | Hilary O. Shelton Director NAACP Washington Bureau / Vice President for Advocacy (Panelist) |  | Stewart Kwoh President and Executive Director Asian Pacific American Legal Center (Workshop Moderator) |
