Heidi M. Pascual*
Publisher & Editor
* 2006 Journalist of the Year for the State
of Wisconsin (U.S.-SBA)
Publisher & Editor
* 2006 Journalist of the Year for the State
of Wisconsin (U.S.-SBA)
| For more Asian American stories in Wisconsin, click: |
By Heidi M. Pascual
The Wisconsin Organization for Asian Americans (WOAA) has proven time and
again that it is an association promoting in-depth discussions of important issues that
impact not only Asian Americans but also other groups in the state of Wisconsin and
in the U.S. WOAA prides itself on the fact that several government officials have
spoken to the group and answered queries on topics that currently matter. As co-
Chair Lakshmi Sridharan said at their Fall Potluck, WOAA has had the following
speakers: U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, Wis. Gov. James
Doyle, and Dane County Exec. Kathleen Falk, among others. Aside from government
officials, notable community leaders from various ethnicities have been WOAA
panelists.
One of the major issues WOAA has been actively focusing on this year is
immigration, with the ultimate goal of creating a position paper that will be sent to our
legislators in the nation’s Capital before it tops the legislative agenda in 2011. The
Spring/Summer WOAA meeting on June 28 featured a panel composed of Madison
Alder Shiva Bidar-Sielaff and lawyers Carmel Capati, Saejung Lee, and Ramona
Natera. At the recent Fall meeting on Nov. 21, five UW-Madison students of WOAA
member Jan Miyasaki (UW-Asian American Studies Program) presented their
research on immigration, as part of the course Asian American Studies 540 (Asian
American Pan-Ethnicity and Community Organizing) - service learning component.
At the outset, Miyasaki explained how the students’ research dovetails into
the present discussion of WOAA. “There’s been a couple of sites that Asian American
Studies has been conducting service learning at — Freedom Inc., the
Cambodian Temple and the Cambodian Association of Wisconsin, and this
organization — the Wisconsin Organization for Asian Americans (WOAA),” she said.
“We’ve been looking at a couple of issues. These students are working with WOAA,
while other students are looking at domestic violence in the Hmong community, at
naturalization and immigration in the Cambodian community, and at youth and
juvenile delinquency over at Freedom Inc. It’s a range of topics that are important.
This semester, these five students have been working on an assignment to help
WOAA come up with a position paper on immigration.”
Miyasaki spoke of two reasons she was interested in working with WOAA
on the immigration issue: for Asian Americans to have representation in the
Madison Area Immigration Coalition, a group largely composed of Latino groups; and
to help local Asians facing deportation, such as low-income families and individuals
in the Cambodian community. She praised Saejung Lee for being very helpful to
Cambodians who are facing deportation for a range of reasons: language barrier
(family has interpreted for them instead of a professional
interpreter); criminal-justice experience, such as domestic violence; or those
who entered the country through a fiancé visa and who are now having
problems.
“These are the kinds of things that become much more pressing to me as a
member of the Asian American community,” Miyasaki said. “So when I think
about what kinds of service learning my students could do, I thought that some
students could do some research on what other communities are doing.”
The Wisconsin Organization for Asian Americans (WOAA) has proven time and
again that it is an association promoting in-depth discussions of important issues that
impact not only Asian Americans but also other groups in the state of Wisconsin and
in the U.S. WOAA prides itself on the fact that several government officials have
spoken to the group and answered queries on topics that currently matter. As co-
Chair Lakshmi Sridharan said at their Fall Potluck, WOAA has had the following
speakers: U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, Wis. Gov. James
Doyle, and Dane County Exec. Kathleen Falk, among others. Aside from government
officials, notable community leaders from various ethnicities have been WOAA
panelists.
One of the major issues WOAA has been actively focusing on this year is
immigration, with the ultimate goal of creating a position paper that will be sent to our
legislators in the nation’s Capital before it tops the legislative agenda in 2011. The
Spring/Summer WOAA meeting on June 28 featured a panel composed of Madison
Alder Shiva Bidar-Sielaff and lawyers Carmel Capati, Saejung Lee, and Ramona
Natera. At the recent Fall meeting on Nov. 21, five UW-Madison students of WOAA
member Jan Miyasaki (UW-Asian American Studies Program) presented their
research on immigration, as part of the course Asian American Studies 540 (Asian
American Pan-Ethnicity and Community Organizing) - service learning component.
At the outset, Miyasaki explained how the students’ research dovetails into
the present discussion of WOAA. “There’s been a couple of sites that Asian American
Studies has been conducting service learning at — Freedom Inc., the
Cambodian Temple and the Cambodian Association of Wisconsin, and this
organization — the Wisconsin Organization for Asian Americans (WOAA),” she said.
“We’ve been looking at a couple of issues. These students are working with WOAA,
while other students are looking at domestic violence in the Hmong community, at
naturalization and immigration in the Cambodian community, and at youth and
juvenile delinquency over at Freedom Inc. It’s a range of topics that are important.
This semester, these five students have been working on an assignment to help
WOAA come up with a position paper on immigration.”
Miyasaki spoke of two reasons she was interested in working with WOAA
on the immigration issue: for Asian Americans to have representation in the
Madison Area Immigration Coalition, a group largely composed of Latino groups; and
to help local Asians facing deportation, such as low-income families and individuals
in the Cambodian community. She praised Saejung Lee for being very helpful to
Cambodians who are facing deportation for a range of reasons: language barrier
(family has interpreted for them instead of a professional
interpreter); criminal-justice experience, such as domestic violence; or those
who entered the country through a fiancé visa and who are now having
problems.
“These are the kinds of things that become much more pressing to me as a
member of the Asian American community,” Miyasaki said. “So when I think
about what kinds of service learning my students could do, I thought that some
students could do some research on what other communities are doing.”
Wis. Organization for Asian Americans Fall Potluck
Cross cultural perspectives on
Immigration
Cross cultural perspectives on
Immigration
Below is the summary of the presentations made by UW students Becky Tabbert, Blia Xiong,
Jenny Renzas, Fengling Han, and Andrea Sunarisa Soen. Miyasaki acknowledged that most of
the students’ researches were Internet-based.
Becky Tabbert – “Golden Venture” film excerpt
“Golden Venture” (written, directed and produced by Peter Cohn) chronicles
the ongoing struggles of passengers who were aboard the Golden Venture, an
immigrant smuggling ship that ran aground near New York City in 1993. These “immigrants”
who originated from Fujian Province in China paid at least $30,000 to be brought to the United
States unnoticed. The Golden Venture crash caught national media attention and became a
symbol of a growing concern over illegal immigration. The film follows the stories of the 220
Golden Venture passengers, about half of whom were deported (but 60 have returned to the U.
S. illegally). Initially, the illegal immigrants were detained by the INS in jails around the U.S.,
with 150 of them held in York County, PA. Twelve of the passengers received political asylum
in South America through a deal brokered by the Vatican; 55 were released on bond or INS
parole; 53 were released on a parole from Pres. Clinton but were not awarded legal status; 2
received artists’ visas; 14 juveniles were released to court custody; 6 escaped; and 10 died.
Jenny Renzas, Fengling Han, and Andrea Sunarisa Soen. Miyasaki acknowledged that most of
the students’ researches were Internet-based.
Becky Tabbert – “Golden Venture” film excerpt
“Golden Venture” (written, directed and produced by Peter Cohn) chronicles
the ongoing struggles of passengers who were aboard the Golden Venture, an
immigrant smuggling ship that ran aground near New York City in 1993. These “immigrants”
who originated from Fujian Province in China paid at least $30,000 to be brought to the United
States unnoticed. The Golden Venture crash caught national media attention and became a
symbol of a growing concern over illegal immigration. The film follows the stories of the 220
Golden Venture passengers, about half of whom were deported (but 60 have returned to the U.
S. illegally). Initially, the illegal immigrants were detained by the INS in jails around the U.S.,
with 150 of them held in York County, PA. Twelve of the passengers received political asylum
in South America through a deal brokered by the Vatican; 55 were released on bond or INS
parole; 53 were released on a parole from Pres. Clinton but were not awarded legal status; 2
received artists’ visas; 14 juveniles were released to court custody; 6 escaped; and 10 died.
(From top left) UW
students Andrea
Sunarisa Soen, Becky
Tabbert, and Fengling
Han
students Andrea
Sunarisa Soen, Becky
Tabbert, and Fengling
Han
| (From top right) UW prof. Jan Miyasaki; UW students Blia Xiong and Jenny Renzas; (Below) Carmel Capati and Regina Cowell discuss the students’ report |
Most of the passengers who stayed in the U.S. work in or own Chinese restaurants; many have gotten married and have American-born
children; a handful of them have become U.S. citizens. Those without legal status haven’t seen their families for more than 14 years,
including those with wives and children in China.
Blia Xiong and Jenny Renzas – Latino Organizations
Blia Xiong focused on organizations that have made a statement or have been cited for their comments on immigration reform.
Some of them were:
“Feet in 2 Worlds”-http://feetin2worlds.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/activists-see-reversal-even-betrayal-in-obamas-postponement-of-
immigration-reform-bill/; Voces de la Fontera-http://www.vdlf.org/-supports the DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien
Minors Act); Standing Firm-http://www.standing-firm.com/ is a national coalition of grassroots organizations fighting for immigrant rights
at the local, state, and federal level; http://www.freerepublic. com/focus/f-news/1080734/posts says dairy farmers in Wisconsin are
unhappy with raids of undocumented immigrants; and the Council for the Spanish Speaking Inc. (Milwaukee)-aside from supporting the
DREAM Act and the Obama immigration reform, provides legal aid to undocumented immigrants.
Jenny Renzas highlighted Latino Ethnic Groups in Wisconsin, their mission, programs, and contact information, such as: The
Hispanic American Council of Wisconsin, Inc. (Fond du Lac and Sheboygan); Hispanic Professionals of the Greater Milwaukee ; Centro
Hispano of Dane County-provides programs that serve Latino youth in Dane County schools and cultural, educational and social service
programs for adults; Latino Support Network (LaSup)- a network of social service providers and others working in the Latino
community to share information, discuss and find solutions to critical issues, and to learn about community resources; Hispanic Latino
Alumni Association (UW-Madison) promotes higher education in the Latino community. Renzas also included other Latino groups
actively involved in the well-being of the Latino community.
Han- African and African American Organizations
Fengling Han started off with statistics about African Foreign-Born residents in the U.S. (1960-2007), highlighting the top five
countries of origin and which American state has the largest number of African immigrants. She then talked about the percentages of
those granted legal permanent residency status depending on immediate-relative petition by U.S. citizens, refugee/asylum, and diversity
and employment-based visas; as well as state resettlement patterns which, she said, are generally dominated by certain ethnic
communities.
Local African and African American Associations include: ASA (African Students Association)-promotes cultural and social
awareness of African students at UW; African Association of Madison, Inc.-promotes and encourages the collective cultural, social and
economic welfare of members; The Urban League of Greater Madison’s mission is to improve the social and economic conditions of
African Americans, other people of color, and the economically disadvantaged in the community.
Andrea Sunarisa Soen –Asian and Pan-Asian Ethnic Groups
Soen’s report focused on these groups and their efforts at making their views known about various issues, including immigration:
The Asian Law Caucus (San Francisco, - the first legal and civil rights organization serving low-income Asian Pacific ; NAPALC
(National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium)/AAJC (Asian American Justice Center), Washington, D.C. -the nation’s premiere
authority on immigration policy as it affects the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities; NAKA (National Association of
Korean Americans)-a civil and human rights organization of concerned Korean Americans that also promotes cooperation and better
understanding between the Korean American community and other racial/ethnic groups in the U.S.; the CASL (Chinese American
Service League), Chicago, Ill. -the largest and most comprehensive social service agency in the Midwest dedicated to serving the
needs of Chinese Americans; the CAI (Cambodian Association of Illinois) prepares clients to properly complete INS application forms,
successfully graduate from citizenship classes, pass actual citizenship interviews and tests, and recognize important changes to
citizenship procedures; JACL (Japanese American Citizens League), San Francisco, CA has always supported comprehensive
immigration ; NAVASA (National Alliance of Vietnamese American Service Agencies), Silver Spring, MD has enabled local service
providers to strengthen their activities by bringing together key community and ethnic leaders to work on vital issues affecting self-
support, cultural adjustment and community strengthening of refugees; Hmong National Development, Inc., Washington, D.C. works to
build capacity, develop leadership and empower the Hmong American community; NaFFAA (National Federation of Filipino American
Associations) Washington, D.C. addresses four major issues: immigration, affirmative action, welfare reform and equity for Filipino
World War II veterans; and IADO (Indo-Americans Democratic Organization), Skokie, Ill.- strives to be a unified voice for the Indian
American community and encourages participation in the political process.
After the students’ presentations, WOAA members and guests discussed some more ongoing problems and issues revolving
around current immigration policies. With the above research work, additional collaborative work with other local community groups
such as the Latino community and other immigrant groups, and perhaps an audience with Wisconsin legislators in the U.S. Congress,
WOAA hopes to take a unified stand on the issue and make its voice heard when the comprehensive immigration reform debate tops
the agenda in Washington, D.C.
children; a handful of them have become U.S. citizens. Those without legal status haven’t seen their families for more than 14 years,
including those with wives and children in China.
Blia Xiong and Jenny Renzas – Latino Organizations
Blia Xiong focused on organizations that have made a statement or have been cited for their comments on immigration reform.
Some of them were:
“Feet in 2 Worlds”-http://feetin2worlds.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/activists-see-reversal-even-betrayal-in-obamas-postponement-of-
immigration-reform-bill/; Voces de la Fontera-http://www.vdlf.org/-supports the DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien
Minors Act); Standing Firm-http://www.standing-firm.com/ is a national coalition of grassroots organizations fighting for immigrant rights
at the local, state, and federal level; http://www.freerepublic. com/focus/f-news/1080734/posts says dairy farmers in Wisconsin are
unhappy with raids of undocumented immigrants; and the Council for the Spanish Speaking Inc. (Milwaukee)-aside from supporting the
DREAM Act and the Obama immigration reform, provides legal aid to undocumented immigrants.
Jenny Renzas highlighted Latino Ethnic Groups in Wisconsin, their mission, programs, and contact information, such as: The
Hispanic American Council of Wisconsin, Inc. (Fond du Lac and Sheboygan); Hispanic Professionals of the Greater Milwaukee ; Centro
Hispano of Dane County-provides programs that serve Latino youth in Dane County schools and cultural, educational and social service
programs for adults; Latino Support Network (LaSup)- a network of social service providers and others working in the Latino
community to share information, discuss and find solutions to critical issues, and to learn about community resources; Hispanic Latino
Alumni Association (UW-Madison) promotes higher education in the Latino community. Renzas also included other Latino groups
actively involved in the well-being of the Latino community.
Han- African and African American Organizations
Fengling Han started off with statistics about African Foreign-Born residents in the U.S. (1960-2007), highlighting the top five
countries of origin and which American state has the largest number of African immigrants. She then talked about the percentages of
those granted legal permanent residency status depending on immediate-relative petition by U.S. citizens, refugee/asylum, and diversity
and employment-based visas; as well as state resettlement patterns which, she said, are generally dominated by certain ethnic
communities.
Local African and African American Associations include: ASA (African Students Association)-promotes cultural and social
awareness of African students at UW; African Association of Madison, Inc.-promotes and encourages the collective cultural, social and
economic welfare of members; The Urban League of Greater Madison’s mission is to improve the social and economic conditions of
African Americans, other people of color, and the economically disadvantaged in the community.
Andrea Sunarisa Soen –Asian and Pan-Asian Ethnic Groups
Soen’s report focused on these groups and their efforts at making their views known about various issues, including immigration:
The Asian Law Caucus (San Francisco, - the first legal and civil rights organization serving low-income Asian Pacific ; NAPALC
(National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium)/AAJC (Asian American Justice Center), Washington, D.C. -the nation’s premiere
authority on immigration policy as it affects the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities; NAKA (National Association of
Korean Americans)-a civil and human rights organization of concerned Korean Americans that also promotes cooperation and better
understanding between the Korean American community and other racial/ethnic groups in the U.S.; the CASL (Chinese American
Service League), Chicago, Ill. -the largest and most comprehensive social service agency in the Midwest dedicated to serving the
needs of Chinese Americans; the CAI (Cambodian Association of Illinois) prepares clients to properly complete INS application forms,
successfully graduate from citizenship classes, pass actual citizenship interviews and tests, and recognize important changes to
citizenship procedures; JACL (Japanese American Citizens League), San Francisco, CA has always supported comprehensive
immigration ; NAVASA (National Alliance of Vietnamese American Service Agencies), Silver Spring, MD has enabled local service
providers to strengthen their activities by bringing together key community and ethnic leaders to work on vital issues affecting self-
support, cultural adjustment and community strengthening of refugees; Hmong National Development, Inc., Washington, D.C. works to
build capacity, develop leadership and empower the Hmong American community; NaFFAA (National Federation of Filipino American
Associations) Washington, D.C. addresses four major issues: immigration, affirmative action, welfare reform and equity for Filipino
World War II veterans; and IADO (Indo-Americans Democratic Organization), Skokie, Ill.- strives to be a unified voice for the Indian
American community and encourages participation in the political process.
After the students’ presentations, WOAA members and guests discussed some more ongoing problems and issues revolving
around current immigration policies. With the above research work, additional collaborative work with other local community groups
such as the Latino community and other immigrant groups, and perhaps an audience with Wisconsin legislators in the U.S. Congress,
WOAA hopes to take a unified stand on the issue and make its voice heard when the comprehensive immigration reform debate tops
the agenda in Washington, D.C.