Here is a comprehensive report of CAPAA Commissioners’ activities between the months of September 2016 and November 2016:

Commissioner Dickinson
Activity Date Issues & Recommendations
Spokane County Bar Diversity Committee Meeting 9/19/2016

 

 Discussed ways to encourage minority law students to apply for scholarships and how to retain minority attorneys.
ABAW, VABAW, KABA Harvest Moon Event 9/22/2016 Meeting among minority Asian Bar Associations to coordinate events.
ABA GP Solo Small Firm Diversity Event 10/1/2016 Filling the leadership pipeline in ABA GP Solo, identifying and recruiting diverse attorneys to the Section.
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) 11/2/2016

 

 NAPABA had several meetings to discuss issues surrounding justice, civil rights, professional development, API judicial issues, and recruitment. They also honored local Justice Mary Yu with the Trailblazer Award, John Fetters, Top 40 Under 40, as well as other national attorneys and judges.
National Filipino Asian Lawyers Association (NFALA) Annual Meeting and Gala 11/3/2016

 

 Discussed ways to increase diversity in the judiciary and recruit and retain API attorneys.
NAPABA Judicial Division Dinner

 

 11/4/2016

 

 Coalition of API judges met to form relationships and exchange ideas about how to assist API judges in retention and how to support and mentor the network of API judges nationwide.
Commissioner Dinh
Activity Date Issues & Recommendations
Caged No More (anti-human trafficking) Meeting 9/23/2016 N/A
UNITE Summit 9/29/2016 Presented workshops on:

  • Intersectionality of Culture, Spirituality, and Mental Health
  • Culture, Spirituality, and Mental Health: Culturally Appropriate Practices and Interventions
Commissioner Finau
Activity Date Issues & Recommendations
All Bethel Community (ABC) Days – Bethel School District 10/1/2016 Panel discussion and speaker promoting and representing the ethnic diversity of teachers in the Bethel School District.
Briefing with Michael Itti 10/6/2016 Michael briefed me on issues of justice and fair treatment for upcoming meeting the next day at ACRS with WSU President regarding Pacific Islander student athletes.
API Community Meeting with Washington State University President 10/7/2016 API community leaders throughout Washington came together as a coalition to meet with Washington State University President Kirk Schultz regarding the unfair treatment/arrest of Pacific Islander football student-athletes. Issues discussed were on equality, discrimination and proper due process proceedings for the athletes.
UPRISE Conference @ Highline College 10/8/2016 Represented CAPAA and read the welcome letter from Governor Inslee to start the conference.
Hawaiian Art Exhibit @ Burke Museum 10/15/2016 Collaborating with Dr. Holly Barker at the UW Burke Museum. An exhibit on Hawaiian art and the messages it conveys to the community about the culture and inequalities that exist. This event advocated for the visibility of PI cultural artifacts at the Burke Museum hosted by Dr. Barker’s class. Participated in discussions.
Education Committee Meeting 10/19/2016 Committee meeting to check up on individual activities. Reflection and discussion on committee goals to align our work towards closing the opportunity gaps for API students, discussion on HB 1541, support services to our communities.
UW Burke Museum Tongan Project 10/29/2016 Initial meeting and gathering of Tongan high school and UW college students to present research project on Tongan artifacts stored in the Burke. Collaboration with Burke Museum and Dr. Holly Barker at UW.
Commissioner Gaur
Activity Date Issues & Recommendations
Collaborating with King County Health Services 11/04/2016 Working with King County to create a mental health workshop.
Mental Health Workshops 11/05/2016 Working with different partners to obtain information about developing a plan to address mental illness through seminars and workshops.
Reaching out to the Department of Health 11/14/2016 Contacted DOH for mental health resources and discussed issues about clinical laboratories compliances.
Commissioner Guerrero
Activity Date Issues & Recommendations
Polynesian Community Meeting 10/10/2016 The Ke Kukui Foundation invited me to speak to the Polynesian Community about the resources from CAPAA and provide a presentation for the youth and non-traditional students on how to apply for FAFSA and scholarships. Also, we invited healthcare personnel from SW Free Clinics and Planned Parenthood to discuss some healthcare resources for the community.
Vietnamese Community Leaders Meeting 10/19/2016 The Vietnamese Community Leadership and I met to discuss some resources for their community and how we can establish a partnership with other communities in Clark County. There were many issues regarding healthcare and education. They wanted to know how I can assist their children and the youth in their community to enter higher education and get financial assistance while in school.
COFA Community Meeting 10/22/2016 There were many issues that were shared about the healthcare treatments and non-treatments the Micronesian community are experiencing in Spokane, WA. I offered to check in on some resources and forwarded information to community partners and organizations to outreach to the Micronesian community in Spokane.
Educator Workforce Development Workgroup Meeting 11/16/2016 A more detailed description of this workgroup will be forwarded to the Education Committee and staff of CAPAA. This is a workgroup that will meet five times during the academic year.
Post-Election Stronger Together Town Hall Meeting 11/16/2016 People in systemically non-dominant populations (underrepresented populations) in SW WA are fearful and frightened for their lives, their families, and the community. The Town Hall meeting was organized by the Southwest WA Lulac Council, Latino Community Resource Group, One America Vancouver, Clark County Latino Youth Conference, YWCA Clark County, and invited the Commission on African American Affairs and Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs to listen in on how to support these communities. The Mayor of Vancouver, Chief Deputy Sheriff, Assistant Superintendent of Vancouver School District and Executive Director of the Evergreen School District were on a panel to discuss their support and answer questions from the community. An immigration lawyer was present to discuss DACA concerns and next steps. It was a good opportunity for the community to meet the commissioners and know that we are a good resource for them.
Commissioner Gurung
Activity Date Issues & Recommendations
Uncle Bob Santos Memorial 9/23/2016 People shared memories about Uncle Bob and talked about ways to cultivate leaders in the community.
Blood Drive at Lake Forest Park 9/24/2016 Learned that only one pint of blood could save the lives of three people. Commissioner Zer Vue also attended the event and donated her blood as well. Encourage others to donate blood if they can.
Attended the University of Washington Nepal Studies Initiative annual program 9/25/2016 It was inspiring to see how students can be effective in creating change. Topics included Nepal, health, and education. Students asked if there are resources to help with access to higher education and financial aid.
Attended Tibetan Association Seattle Fundraiser and cultural program 10/30/2016 Learned about their program which is focused on teaching Tibetan language and culture to Tibetan youth in the Seattle area. Funds raised will go towards supporting the program.
Attended the Hmong New Year Celebration 11/5/2016 This annual event showcases the Hmong culture and heritage.
Global Nepali Film Award and International Nepali Literacy meeting. 11/12/2016 Met with Nepali celebrities who gave encouraging advice to the youth about how to be successful. They also discussed the importance of saving the Nepali language and culture.
Commissioner Nguyen
Activity Date Issues & Recommendations
APIC Meeting

 

 9/28/2016 A community member inquired whether CAPAA can look into the criteria that universities and colleges use to assign incoming students to remedial classes (such as basic math and English).
Vietnamese Language School Board Meeting 11/12/2017 Community members want to know how they can start the process of building a community center in Thurston County.
Commissioner Pen
Activity Date Issues & Recommendations
Immigrant and Refugee Youth Forum organized by Tacoma Community House 9/21/2016 Hundreds of people attended this event, including Mayor Strickland and other elected officials. Attendees had the opportunity to discuss issues that immigrant and refugee youth face with the panelists.
Asian Moon Festival 9/24/2016 Helped coordinate a performance at the Asian Moon Festival for Cambodian classical & folk dancers. Over 400 people attended, and I had the opportunity to talk with many of the attendees, including Council Anders Ibsen.
How to Prevent Burglaries October 12-14, 2016 Informed API seniors that most residential burglaries occur during the daytime and business hours. Handed out informational material about how to prevent burglaries. Residents were thankful to receive the important information.
Vehicle and Residential Prowl Prevention November 14-17, 2016 Arranged to have Lieutenant C. Darlington from the Tacoma Police Department talk with API seniors about how to prevent vehicle and residential prowl during the holiday season. Handed out informational material and residents were thankful to receive the important information.
Commissioner Sinclair
Activity Date Issues & Recommendations
He Huliau Indigenous Health Conference 10/13/2016 Identified the need to value culture and traditions when working with Pacific Islander people.
Commissioner Tufono
N/A
Commissioner Vue
Activity Date Issues & Recommendations
SEAeD planning

 

 9/15/2016 Discussed ways to support and empower smaller ethnic groups to voice their concerns.
Hmong Association of Washington Meeting 9/25/2016 Shared CAPAA brochures and marijuana brochures in Hmong and Lao. Hmong community asked for info to be recorded or videotaped.
Professional Development for Southeast Asians 10/8/2016 Requested that CARE data be shared with all staff.
SEAeD Planning Committee Meeting 10/13/2016 Questions asked:

  • How can we share new CAPAA brochures and data in a meaningful way?
  • How do we get involved with communities and share more resources?
SEAeD/UNITE Summit 10/29/2016 The UNITE Summit was an important opportunity to engage with the community and youth and learned about ways to continue the partnerships in a strategic way.
Hmong New Year 11/5/2016 Encouraged the community to attend events and request for interpreters to be invited.
Commissioner Wada
Activity Date Issues & Recommendations
Medicare Enrollment Ongoing Volunteering to help API seniors with Medicare enrollment because the annual Medicare enrollment is from October 15-December 7.
Outreach to Korean Community Ongoing Communicating with Korean community about potential partnership opportunities with CAPAA.
Advocacy to translate prescription drug labels Ongoing Working with Commissioner Nora Coronado from CHA to advocate for the translation of prescription drug labels into various languages. Actively making connections with leaders such as Senator Linda Parlette and the King County Health Department.