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In 1992, the 102nd Congress approved, and
then-President George H.W. Bush signed into law, the annual designation of May
as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. May was selected to acknowledge Asian
& Pacific Islander populations for two reasons: commemorates the immigration of the first Japanese
to the U.S. on May 7, 1843; and marks the anniversary of the completion of the
Transcontinental Railroad on May 10, 1869 – many of the workers who laid the
tracks were Chinese immigrants.
 Today, the State Data Center of Iowa released updated figures providing the most current snapshot of Iowa's Asian & Pacific Islander Community.
View the entire data profile at http://bit.ly/2Ju2vpi
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Des Moines – World Tai Chi Day – April
28 Central Iowa Tai Chi & Qigong
Des Moines – CelebrAsian – May 25-26
Sioux City – Asian Festival June 16
Cedar Rapids – Asian Fest – July 28
Smithsonian Asian Pacific American
Center
The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American
Center brings history, art and culture to you through innovative museum
experiences and digital initiatives. Since its establishment in 1997 as an
initiative critical to the mission of the Smithsonian, the vision for the
Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center has been to enrich the appreciation
of America’s Asian Pacific heritage and empower Asian Pacific American
communities in their sense of inclusion within the national culture. http://bit.ly/2HtR3xA
PBS API Story Collection
Celebrate Asian Pacific American
Heritage Month this May and every day with a special PBS collection of stories
that explores the history, traditions and culture of Asians and Pacific Islanders
in the United States. https://to.pbs.org/2r2uJ41
The Court's decision in this was seen as
trailblazing -- it struck down legislation aimed at closing Chinese-operated
laundries in San Francisco and guaranteed non-citizens the Constitution's
protections. It was the first case to use the "equal protection"
clause of the 14th Amendment, which prohibits states from denying any person
within their jurisdiction the equal protection of the law. In a unanimous
decision, the Supreme Court ruled laws with discriminatory intent were
unconstitutional. This decision opened the doors for immigrant integration in
American society and established precedent for subsequent cases with similar
issues affecting non-citizens.
This landmark case has been cited over
150 times since the Court's decision. Yick Wo was the name of the laundry owned by Chinese
immigrant Lee Yick in San Francisco, California. Peter Hopkins was the Sheriff
of the San Francisco police department (1885-1886). Learn more about this case on
C-SPAN: http://bit.ly/2HwpW0I
New Curriculum Available from the
Fred Korematsu Institute
Fred T. Korematsu was a national civil rights hero. In 1942, at the age of 23, he refused to go to the government’s incarceration camps for Japanese Americans. After he was arrested and convicted of defying the government’s order, he appealed his case all the way to the Supreme Court. In 1944, the Supreme Court ruled against him, arguing that the incarceration was justified due to military necessity.
The Korematsu Institute has published a
revised and expanded Teacher’s Guide and new multimedia resources, including
clips from five excellent documentaries on the Japanese American incarceration,
with accompanying lesson plans.
Civic Saturday in Des Moines
Citizen University is a national platform for fostering responsible and empowered citizenship through activation, communication, and education. Via CU, Civic Saturday is an initiative that originated out of Washington State by Eric Liu and is now going nationwide in an effort to promote civic dialogue and coming together as a community around civic ideals.
This free event is taking place on May 5th from 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM at Grand View University Student Center Speed Lyceum. Get your free ticket. Doors open at 9:30 AM for the social impact fair prior to the program beginning at 10:30 AM.
 Chidananda Dahal recounts the long journey from his home in Bhutan to Des Moines, Iowa. Mr. Dahal eloquently writes about the history of his native land and the forces that pushed he and his people from their homeland. Read his story here: http://bit.ly/2KlLj6H
Excerpt:
"We are so proud that we are now citizens. We are ready to use our civic rights and vote in all local, state and national elections. It is a privilege for people like me to be a citizen protected by the constitution of this wonderful country. I shall never take it for granted. We no longer feel that our future is dark. Our kids are doing great in school and as community members. The sky is the limit for success now. It is a whole new life, like a rebirth, for all of us."
Iowa Department on Aging
The State of Iowa's Department on Aging hosts educational webinars. Click the link to learn about upcoming informational webinars that will prepare yourself and your loved ones for the future. These webinars are scheduled events as part of the 2018 Dialogue on Aging Series. http://bit.ly/2KhZmdA
Elder Law Webinars
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