Archive for May, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  May 24, 2012
Ujala Sehgal, AALDEF, 646-207-1497, usehgal@aaldef.org
Rachanee Srisavasdi, Advancing Justice, 213-241-0227, rsrisavasdi@apalc.org

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Asian American Civil Rights Groups to File Amicus Briefs Urging Supreme Court to Uphold Affirmative Action in Fisher v. Texas

May 23, 2012 – The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) and the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice (Advancing Justice)-Asian American Institute (AAI), Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), Asian Law Caucus (ALC) and Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC)- announced they will file amicus briefs urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold University of Texas at Austin’s (UT-Austin) affirmative action policy in the upcoming case Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin.

“We stand in favor of affirmative action’s continued benefits for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) achievement – including enabling underrepresented AAPIs to achieve equal access to college, reducing the isolation of students of color on campus, and preparing youth to be leaders in our multicultural society,” said Khin Mai Aung, Director of the Educational Equity  Program at AALDEF.

Under UT-Austin’s current admissions policy, the majority (e.g., 86 percent in 2009) of freshmen are admitted under the state’s Top Ten Percent plan – a policy that guarantees admission to public (and many private) high school seniors in the top 10 percent of their class, based solely on grades and not on other aspects of merit like leadership abilities, pursuit of extracurricular activities, and overcoming of adversity. The university bases remaining admissions on applicants’ academic rankings, performance, and a holistic, individualized review that takes into account race and other diversity factors, leadership experience, extracurricular activities, and socio-economic status. UT-Austin’s policy was fashioned to comply with the Supreme Court’s 2003 Grutter v. Bollinger decision, which held that race can be one of many factors considered to attain campus diversity.

The Supreme Court in Grutter recognized that numerous racial and ethnic groups continue to face obstacles to higher education. For example, based on the 2000 Census, 59.6 percent of Hmong Americans, 53.3 percent of Cambodian Americans, 49.6 percent of Laotian Americans, and 38.1 percent of Vietnamese Americans received less than a high school education, compared to only 19.6 percent of white Americans. These numbers, together with the fact that K-12 schools are more segregated today than they were 40 years ago, reflect unequal access to educational opportunities along racial lines.

“If the Supreme Court strikes down affirmative action and diversity policies like the one in place at UT-Austin, overall diversity at colleges and graduate schools would diminish across the country. Much more must be done to overcome the increasing racial segregation of our schools and to provide equal educational opportunity to qualified students,” said Meredith Higashi, AAJC staff attorney.

“Racial segregation and discrimination continue to impede access to educational opportunity in this country. Because race still matters, considering race as one of several factors in a holistic, individualized review of university applicants is critical to mitigating barriers to higher education faced by qualified applicants from underrepresented groups, including certain Asian American sub-groups,” said APALC Litigation Director Laboni Hoq.

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The Asian American Institute (www.aaichicago.org) is one of the leading pan-Asian nonprofit organizations in the Midwest, dedicated to empowering the Asian American community through advocacy, by utilizing research, education, and coalition-building. The Asian American Institute, Asian American Justice Center, Asian Law Caucus, and Asian Pacific American Legal Center are members of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice.

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In observance of Memorial Day, ASIA’s Akron and Cleveland offices will be CLOSED on Monday, May 28, 2010.  A happy holiday to all!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

National Campaign Aims to End
Hepatitis B in High-Risk Asian American and Pacific Islander Populations

OAKLAND, May 15, 2012 – The Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) and the Hepatitis B Foundation, with the support of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health, today launched the “Hep B United” national campaign aimed at bringing attention and action to ending hepatitis B, especially among high-risk Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) populations in the U.S.

Chronic hepatitis B is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and is widely known as a “silent killer” because it can slowly destroy the liver without causing noticeable symptoms. More than half of the estimated 2 million people infected with HBV in the U.S. are AAPI. The primary goal of Hep B United is to support the success of community-based groups across the U.S. working to increase hepatitis B awareness, screening, vaccination, and access to care and treatment for all Americans, particularly AAPI populations disproportionately impacted by the disease.

Jeffrey Caballero, executive director at AAPCHO, says the campaign promotes collaboration between local coalitions and national partners working to eliminate hepatitis B. “Hep B United will help to ensure that new cases of hepatitis B are prevented and that persons who are already infected are tested and provided with the care that they need. It is an important component in the overall strategy to end this hidden epidemic.”

The Hep B United website features hepatitis B community-based groups across the country, with information on how to get involved at both the local and national level. The new website is now open to the public at hepbunited.org and offers a wide variety of hepatitis B resources including links to in-language brochures, fact sheets, and translated websites. “The Hep B United website makes resources created by local community coalitions easily accessible to a national audience,” said Joan Block, executive director at the Hepatitis B Foundation. “The website serves as a hub for comprehensive hepatitis B information, with special features including an interactive map that visitors can click on to easily find local campaigns working to improve hepatitis B testing, vaccination, and linkage to care among AAPIs.”

“Improved coordination of viral hepatitis activities across HHS, and with state and local partners, will have a positive impact on our efforts to reduce viral hepatitis disparities in the AAPI population,” said Dr. Howard Koh, assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Culturally appropriate outreach and education for those who are infected has been shown to decrease the burden of liver cancer and are among our viral hepatitis priorities as reflected in the Combating the Silent Epidemic of Viral Hepatitis: Action Plan for the Prevention, Care and Treatment of Viral Hepatitis.”

One in twelve AAPI suffer from chronic hepatitis B and this population is nearly three times more likely to develop liver cancer than Americans of non-Asian descent. An estimated 65% of those chronically infected are unaware of it and are at risk of transmitting the infection and of progressing to end-stage liver disease or developing liver cancer. Hepatitis B is largely preventable and treatable, and can be diagnosed with a simple blood test, often available for free or at a reduced cost.

About AAPCHO
AAPCHO is a national association of 29 community health organizations dedicated to promoting advocacy, collaboration, and leadership that improves the health status and access of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islanders in the United States. For more information on AAPCHO and its Guiding Principles and Values, please visit www.aapcho.org. AAPCHO can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/aapcho.

About Hepatitis B Foundation
The Hepatitis B Foundation is the leading national nonprofit organization solely dedicated to finding a cure for hepatitis B and improving the quality of life for those affected worldwide through research, education and patient advocacy. To learn more, go to www.hepb.org, read our blog at wp.hepb.org, follow us on Twitter @HepBFoundation, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hepbfoundation or call (215) 489-4900.

About OMH
The Office of Minority Health (OMH) was created in 1986 and is one of the most significant outcomes of the 1985 Secretary’s Task Force Report on Black and Minority Health. The Office is dedicated to improving the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will help eliminate health disparities. OMH was reauthorized by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-148). For more information on OMH, please visit minorityhealth.hhs.gov.