The children came in groups of tens, twenties, thirties, forties and fifties. They came on foot on the hard packed potholed dirt roads, the older ones, ages eight or nine, holding the hands of the younger ones. Many of them walked barefoot the several kilometers from the eleven villages around Nandi Hills, Bangalore rural district, India to the HH Sai Maa Health Centre, as they owned no shoes. There are no buses nor could they have afforded to take one. They came with their teachers, smiling and eager to get some needed medicine and vitamins and to learn about health and hygiene.
The children came in groups of tens, twenties, thirties, forties and fifties. They came on foot on the hard packed potholed dirt roads, the older ones, ages eight or nine, holding the hands of the younger ones. Many of them walked barefoot the several kilometers from the eleven villages around Nandi Hills, Bangalore rural district, India to the HH Sai Maa Health Centre, as they owned no shoes. There are no buses nor could they have afforded to take one. They came with their teachers, smiling and eager to get some needed medicine and vitamins and to learn about health and hygiene.
The children streamed in until the brick and cement hall was packed with over a thousand thin small bodies, all sitting quietly on the cool cement floor, wide eyed in anticipation of what we may share with them. Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked at the sea of expectant, upturned little faces. I could feel their hope...
AALDEF Exit Poll Surveyed over 4,700 Voters in Nine States and 23 Cities During Decisive Midterm Elections
Washington, DCToday, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), a 33-year-old national civil rights organization, released detailed findings from its nonpartisan, multilingual exit poll of more than 4,700 Asian American voters in 23 cities and in nine states on Election Day 2006New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, and Washingtonas well as Washington, D.C. Released during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, AALDEFs exit poll was the largest survey of Asian American voters conducted during the midterm elections last November.
Margaret Fung, AALDEF executive director, said "In the 2006 midterm elections, Asian American voters continued a decade-long shift to support Democratic candidates, which played a role in the dramatic leadership changes in Congress. Elected officials and policymakers should pay close attention to the viewpoints of the fast-growing Asian American community in the 2008 elections."
According to Census data, Asian Americans numbered over 14.4 million nationwide. 38.5% of all Asian Americans were born in the U.S., and 33.7% are foreign-born, naturalized citizens. In AALDEFs November 2006 exit poll, respondents were: Chinese American (38%), South Asian American (27%), Korean American (14%), Southeast Asian American (8%), and Filipino American (7%).
Key findings from AALDEFs exit...
2007 SAJA Journalism Awards will be handed out at the 13th annual dinner on July 14, 2007 in NY.
SAJA Group, Inc. and the South Asian Journalists Association will honor the winners of the 2007 SAJA Journalism Awards contest at its 13th annual gala awards ceremony and dinner on Saturday, July 14, at the Roone Arledge Auditorium at Columbia's Lerner Hall (115th St & Broadway) as part of the four-day SAJA Convention (http://www.sajaconvention.org) in New York. These annual awards recognize excellence in reporting about South Asia, as well as outstanding reporting by South Asian journalists and students in the U.S. and Canada.
CBS correspondent Hari Sreenivasan and Aditi Roy, an anchor with NBC 10 News in Philadelphia will emcee the gala. Sendhil Ramamurthy, who plays Dr. Mohinder Suresh on NBC's hit show "Heroes", is the keynote speaker. Ramamurthy, who got his start in acting at Tufts University and then studied in London, has performed in theater in New York and England. He's also worked in film and in television, with guest appearances on "Numbers" and "Grey's Anatomy."
The four-day convention opens with a day of workshops on Thursday, July 12, and a reception at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, where journalism deans Steve Shepard of CUNY and Nicholas Lemann of Columbia University will speak. Friday opens with a conversation with Keller. After a day of workshops and panels, the evening reception at Bloomberg News will be headlined by Amanda Bennett, executive...
AALDEF Launches New Web Campaign on Facebook and YouTube; the Multilingual Voter Hotline is 800-966-5946.
(New York City) The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), a 34-year old national civil rights organization, announced details of its Asian American Election Protection Project and nonpartisan multilingual exit poll for the November 4, 2008 elections. Attorneys, law students, and community volunteers will cover 200 poll sites in 11 states with these characteristics: 1) areas with a surge in newly-registered Asian American voters; 2) jurisdictions in which Asian-language assistance is provided; or 3) polling places where Asian Americans have reported voting barriers or intimidation in recent elections.
Margaret Fung, AALDEF executive director, said: "We want to ensure that all eligible Asian Americans can participate in the electoral process and have their votes counted in this critical Presidential election." She said that AALDEF plans to poll 15,000 Asian American voters on Election Day in 11 states with large Asian American populations: New York, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, Texas, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Louisiana and Washington, D.C.
POLL MONITORING
AALDEF will monitor 200 poll sites for compliance with the Voting Rights Act and the Help America Vote Act. Volunteer attorneys check to see whether Asian-language voting assistance is provided (such as ballots, interpreters, signs and voting materials), whether...
Upcoming Activities from members of http://SAVEOURCHINATOWN.org:
- Tues., May 12 at 5:45 p.m., Revoke the Vote Demonstration; City Council Public Comments session begins at 6:30 p.m.
- Sat., May 16:
- 6th Annual Riverside International Drum, Mask, and Dance Festival, White Park, 12 noon - 7 pm, SOCC table 12 noon - 4 pm
- Old Riverside Foundation Vintage Home Tour event. SOCC will staff a table 10 am - 4 pm at the non-profit area in the Courtyard Marriott on University Avenue (near ORF's Weber House).
- Mon., May 18, 6-8 pm, 1503 Humanities & Social Sciences (HMSS 1503). For Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, SOCC will co-sponsor a film screening and Q&A session with UC Riverside's Asian Pacific Student Programs for When They All Still Lived. Admission: free to all.
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1. The Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) filed a Writ of Mandamus on April 22, 2009 against the Superior Court of the State of California and the Save Our Chinatown Committee (SOCC) in an attempt to overturn the Preliminary Injunction issued by the Court on March 20, 2009, Judge Sharon Waters presiding. The SOCC trial date has been moved from June 20 to July 9 at 9:30 a.m.
2. Join us for the Revoke the Vote demonstration! The image of George Wong, the last caretaker of Chinatown, will appear once again on May 12 when we will urge Riverside City Council to rescind its approval of the...