National Council of Asian Pacific Americans

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The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) is a coalition of 21 Asian-Pacific American organizations in the United States. Founded in 1997 and based in Washington D.C., NCAPA seeks to expand the influence of Asian-Pacific Americans in the legislative and legal arenas, and enhance the public's and mass media's awareness and sensitivity to Asian-Pacific American concerns.

The organization's current executive director is Lisa Hasegawa.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

The 1990s saw significant growth in the number and size of Asian-Pacific American (APA) organizations. Nevertheless, many of these organizations spoke for only a segment of the broader community.[2][3] The push to create an organization gained additional impetus after the 1996 United States campaign finance controversy, in which Asian-Pacific Americans played a significant role.[4] At the July 1996 Organization of Chinese Americans convention in Chicago, Illinois, the leaders of several APA organizations agreed that there was a need for an advocacy coalition which would bring together APA organizations on the local, state, regional and national levels.[2][3] Former U.S. Representative Norman Mineta assisted the group in convening a series of meetings to discuss the new organization's mission and functions.[2]

NCAPA was formally constituted in 1997.[3] Daphne Kwok of the Organization of Chinese Americans was elected the organization's first chairperson.[2]

NCAPA has been primarily active in politics. In 2000, the group strongly criticized Senator John McCain for using the "gooks" to describe his North Vietnamese prison guards.[5] Four years later, NCAPA took a more proactive role by issuing a first-of-its-kind political platform addressing APA issues, and asking presidential candidates to adopt the platform as their own.[6]

In 2007, after the Virginia Tech massacre, NCAPA worked to counteract discrimination against Asian-Pacific Americans and negative images of APAs in the national media.[1]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Basu, "Va. Tech Massacre Casts Pall of Hatred, Suspicion," Florida Today, April 28, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c d "In the Thick of Things," Asian Week, December 25, 1997-January 7, 1998.
  3. ^ a b c Nash, "State of Politics-1998," Asian Week, May 21, 1998.
  4. ^ Gersham, "Still the Pacific Century? U.S. Policy in Asia and the Pacific," in "Global Focus," 2000, p. 284.
  5. ^ "McCain Under Fire for Racial Slur," Associated Press, March 1, 2000.
  6. ^ Kong, "Asian Americans Work to Raise Political Voices," Honolulu Star-Bulletin, February 13, 2004.

[edit] References

  • Basu, Kaustuv. "Va. Tech Massacre Casts Pall of Hatred, Suspicion." Florida Today. April 28, 2007.
  • Gersham, John. "Still the Pacific Century? U.S. Policy in Asia and the Pacific." In "Global Focus." Martha Honey and Tom Barry, eds. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2000. ISBN 0312225814
  • "In the Thick of Things." Asian Week. December 25, 1997-January 7, 1998.
  • Kong, Deborah. "Asian Americans Work to Raise Political Voices." Honolulu Star-Bulletin. February 13, 2004.
  • "McCain Under Fire for Racial Slur." Associated Press. March 1, 2000.
  • Nash, Phil Tajitsu. "State of Politics--1998." Asian Week. May 21, 1998.
  • Paget-Clarke, Nic. "28 Asian Pacific American organizations file support for affirmative action at the U. S. Supreme Court." In Motion Magazine. April 1, 2003.

[edit] External links

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