Chair Ty Tufono and Vice Chair Lisa Dickinson submitted a guest column to the International Examiner updating constituents about CAPAA’s priorities for 2016 to improve education, health and opportunity for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Below is an excerpt:

Whether it’s college tuition, health care access, or immigrant and refugee services, these issues will be among many discussed when your state representatives and senators convene in Olympia for the 60-day legislative session on January 11.

The Commission submitted a guest column to the International Examiner in August updating constituents about the work of Commissioners, staff, and community partners in supporting our strategic plan goals and objectives.

Below is an excerpt:

By Nina Huang
Northwest Asian Weekly

For the past four decades, the Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs (CAPAA) has worked to improve the wellbeing of Asian Pacific Americans by ensuring their access to participation in the fields of government, business, education, immigration policy, and other areas.

The Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs is pleased to announce the selection of the 2017 Legislative Intern, Anuilagi Nguyen.

The Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs and the Asian Pacific Islander Community Leadership Foundation are pleased to announce the selection of two 2016 Fellows: Bronson Purcell and Seungkyul Joseph Park.

Bronson Purcell

“Ruth Woo was a trailblazer who shaped our communities and state in more ways than anyone could ever know. Auntie Ruth did not seek recognition or the spotlight, but worked tirelessly behind the scenes mentoring and opening doors for aspiring civic leaders from school board directors to county executives and to governors, particularly among the Asian American community.

“Uncle Bob Santos fought to protect the history, culture, and places that are cherished by so many immigrants and communities in our state. His efforts to save Seattle’s Chinatown International District, where he served in many leadership roles and was beloved for his singing at Bush Garden, earned him the title of ‘unofficial mayor.’

“A champion fighter for social justice and equity, Alan Sugiyama helped define the Asian American civil rights movement in Seattle in the late 1960s and 1970s. From education, to the media, and government, he fought to ensure Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders were included in all aspects of our community. As a student leader, the first Asian American elected to the Seattle School Board, and chair and a member of the Asian Pacific Directors Coalition, he held administrators, police chiefs, and mayors accountable to serving the unique needs of our communities.

The Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs issued the following statement regarding today’s Supreme Court decision on a travel ban impacting Muslim-majority nations and the federal government’s use of Hirabayashi v. United States as the basis for its legal argument in a recent case.

“CAPAA joins Gov. Inslee in expressing our commitment to a state that upholds the values of diversity and inclusion and is welcoming to all people. We express our disdain regarding today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upholds the president’s travel ban policy.

The Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs (CAPAA) offers its deepest sympathies and thoughts to the families and individuals who have been impacted by Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda).

The Filipino community is the second largest Asian Pacific Islander group in Washington. Sofia Aragon, a first generation Filipino American with family near the disaster area and Chair of CAPAA issued the following statement: