As part of its Truth About Immigrants campaign, YKASEC reached out to 200 Bayside High School students in April about joining the movement for immigration reform. The campaign seeks to educate students on the contributions immigrants have made for our country, and the need for improvement in the current U.S. immigration system.
Power Vote
For the June 3 California primary, KRC mailed Korean and English voter guides to 12,000 registered Korean American voters, conducted 5,000 phone calls, and knocked on 3,000 doors to get out the Korean American vote. Dozens of community members also attended the second supervisorial district’s candidate forum on May 3, where Hwang Jin Kim, a member of KRC’s Community Health Promoters, asked candidates about their stance on enforcing language access regulations for those seeking Medi-Cal. Monthly meetings of the Power Vote precinct leaders will continue until the November elections to ensure that community members are educated and working together to activate the civic engagement of the Korean American community.
Marching In Solidarity
On May 1, more than 15,000 people marched from Union Park to downtown Chicago in support of immigrant rights. As a key organizing partner, KRCC joined the Alliance of Filipinos for Immigrant Rights and Empowerment and the Asian American Institute to mobilize a bus of 40 Asian Americans.
Quick Updates
> The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, a coalition of 26 groups, released its 2008 platform for national policy priorities with coordinated press conferences in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. NAKASEC is vice-chair and immigration committee co-chair of NCAPA. To obtain a copy, please contact NAKASEC.
> Two Homes, One Heart, a ten-minute documentary on Korean American immigrant families, screened at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival on May 6. The short was produced by participants of KRC’s Summer Youth Empowerment.
> On May 9, Eun Sook Lee of NAKASEC testified at a congressional field hearing for the U.S. Helsinki Commission, hosted by Rep. Hilda Solis, on immigrant integration experiences, challenges and opportunities in Los Angeles.
