| Contents |
- Notes From The President
- Flashback
- Upcoming Events
- Echoes From The Heart
- Community Information and Services
|
Notes From The President
Greetings, my fellow IACA members. Despite all the hype of Y2K, we
finally sailed into the next millennium without breaking stride. The
year 2000 indeed is a significant landmark in the long journey of mankind.
It represents the beginning of a new millennium (some purists would
argue that it is merely the end of this millennium and the true celebration
of a new millennium will not be for another year), and it happens to
be the Year of the Dragon, a very auspicious year. In Asia, the dragon
is considered authoritative, wise and caring, so I would like to take
this opportunity to wish all of you happiness and prosperity.
The year 1999 also represents a very important year for IACA. Under
the leadership of Benny Ko, the immediate past president, we changed
the name of our organization from the Indianapolis Association of Chinese
Americans to the Indiana Association of Chinese Americans. The new name
signifies a new mission for all IACA members: to reach out to all Chinese
Americans in the State of Indiana, and to promote the well being of
all Chinese Americans in Indiana. We should not look upon ourselves
as a small interest group, the sole purpose of which is to find comfort
in our niche of Chinese culture. We should instead share with our fellow
Americans our rich heritage and help shape the main stream American
culture. In order to achieve this goal, IACA needs to be more visible.
The first step we took in 1999 is to have our own web site on the Internet.
With the help of Justin Young, we now can communicate our ideas through
the vast electronic network. Our address is http://www.iacaonline.org.
We are still in the infant stage, but I urge you to visit us and to
give us your ideas.
IACA participated in quite a few community service projects in 1999.
The annual Greenway clean up and the International Festival are but
two examples. However, in order to reach out to our community, we need
more of you to participate. You can contact me or any council member
to express your interest. You can find our telephone numbers in this
issue of the newsletter.
We face a few important issues in the year 2000. First we must decide
if we will become a member of the national organization, Organization
of Chinese Americans (OCA). You will find a mission statement of OCA
in this issue of the newsletter, and a related article written by Benny
Ko. We will put the issue to a vote later this year. The decision is
yours, so you need to make your opinion known by sending in your vote.
The year 2000 also is an election year. We should exercise our rights
as Americans by casting our votes. So please get involved to help shape
our future.
Rudy Yung
President
2000-2001
A few words on OCA, the Organization of Chinese Americans…
At the annual business meeting in December 1998, the IACA membership
at large voted to have the Council study the feasibility of an alliance,
or a union, with OCA.
Who is OCA and why the study?
As American citizens, we all know that it is our right to partake in
this nation’s politics, just like any other citizens, regardless
of our place of birth, our race or our creed.
But, when was the last time a political contribution from an ethnic
group ever became so mired in scandal? Not until it involved Chinese
American fundraisers and the so-called “Chinese money.”
A conscientious, dedicated and highly respected Chinese American civil
rights attorney, Bill Lan Lee, should have been confirmed as an Assistant
Attorney General, but instead his nomination was blocked twice. Can
you imagine the public outcry if he were of any other ethnicity but
ours?
How about Wen Ho Lee, the Chinese American nuclear scientist suspected
of spying for China? No proof has ever surfaced, but he already has
been tried and convicted by the press, thanks to governmental leaks.
Now he is languishing in jail on charges of “security rule violation”
which was applied selectively to him, but not to his colleagues, or
to the former head of the CIA.
Whenever our civil rights were so blatantly trampled, who has spoken
out on behalf of Chinese Americans? Time after time the voice belongs
to OCA. What is OCA if not for its sixty plus component chapters and
affiliates representing just about all states except for Indiana and
a few others? Are we to be the only mute among vocals when it comes
to speaking up for our own civil rights? If not, then IACA, purportedly
the organization that represents all Chinese Americans in Indiana, should
share the role of this honorable fraternity. In the next several months,
I hope all IACA members will give some careful consideration to this
issue, and air their opinions. Hopefully by the summer, we can proceed
with a referendum on the direction of further intercourse between IACA
and OCA.
Benny Ko, Immediate Past President
For more information, click here.
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