|
Uncategorized
First Lady of Maryland Signs on to Our #StopAsianHate Coalition / Press Conference Tomorrow
To attend the virtual press conference on Tuesday, April 6, at 11:00 a.m. PDT/2:00 p.m. EDT, please follow this zoom link. Passcode: 841492
|
Asian Americans Call on Biden Administration to Address Violence and Discrimination with Concrete Action
Asian Americans Call on Biden Administration to Address Violence and Discrimination with Concrete Action
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APRIL 1, 2021Bellevue, WA and Industry, CA – April 1, 2021 – A national coalition of Asian-American advocacy groups today called on the Biden administration to take concrete action to combat anti-Asian racism and violence. The leaders of the coalition will hold a virtual press conference on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. PDT/2:00 p.m. EDT to discuss their recommendations.
Though President Joe Biden has repeatedly condemned anti-
Asian hate and has proposed measures to address the problem, thus far his administration has failed to fully identify and properly address crucial issues of longstanding violence and racism against Asian Americans. Spearheaded by Asian Industry B2B (in California) and Washington Asians for Equality (in Washington State), this national coalition urges the Biden administration to take the following steps.
- Reinstate the Justice Department’s lawsuit against Yale University regarding discrimination against Asian-American applicants in undergraduate admissions, and denounce racial preferences and other systemically racist practices commonly used to reduce the number of Asian-American students at educational institutions.
- Publicly state—through President Biden—that all perpetrators of violent attacks against Asian Americans must be condemned and punished, regardless of the perpetrator’s race. Anti-Asian racism has existed in America for many years and did not begin during the COVID-19 pandemic. On too many occasions, we as a country and a society have failed to fight such racism with adequate vigor, commitment, or candor.
- Appoint Vice President Kamala Harris, who is the former Attorney General of California, to work with local and state law enforcement, especially in urban areas, to strengthen police protection for Asian Americans in their communities.
“Stopping racism and violence against Asian Americans will require courage and moral clarity,” said Linda Yang, director of Washington Asians for Equality. “We hope the Biden administration will rise to the occasion by not only speaking honestly about anti-Asian hate crimes, even when it might be uncomfortable, but also taking real action to tackle problems that contribute to anti-Asian discrimination, whether in America’s higher education or on the streets in our local communities.”
“In recent months, far too many horrific, wanton attacks against Asian Americans have occurred in this country. They are grotesque and they must end,” said Marc Ang, president of Asian Industry B2B. “It is unconscionable that in multiple cities, the elderly feel they cannot walk down the street safely in broad daylight and ordinary people cannot take a subway train without being assaulted. Law and order must be upheld to prevent further attacks on the most vulnerable, and we call on the Biden administration to defend law and order and help protect Asian Americans.”
The national coalition of individuals and organizations include:
o ACE Foundation
o American Recovery Center of Hope
o Asian Industry B2B
o Association for Fair Education
o Better Communities Foundation
o Betty Chu, former mayor and city council member of Monterey Park, California, and former candidate for U.S. Representative in California’s 32nd congressional district
o California School Choice Foundation
o Chinese American Citizens Alliance Orange County
o Chinese American Citizens Alliance Las Vegas
o Chinese American Citizens Alliance San Gabriel Valley Lodge
o Chinese American Equalization Association
o Chinese American Parent Association of Howard County
o Chinese American Parent Association of Loudoun County
o Chinese American Parents Association of Montgomery County
o Chinese American Parents Association of Northern Virginia
o Chinese-American Volunteers Association
o Equal Rights for All PAC
o Federation of Philippine American Chambers of Commerce Southern California Chapter
o Filipino American Chamber of Commerce Tri-County
o George Li, former president, The Orange Club PAC
o Maryland Chinese American Network
o National Federation of Filipino American Associations Greater Los Angeles Region
o National Federation of Filipino American Associations Northern California
o People Encouraging People
o Wanyu Foundation
o Washington Asians for Equality
o George Yang, former chair, Menlo Park Sister City CommitteeTo attend the virtual press conference on Tuesday, April 6, at 11:00 a.m. PDT/2:00 p.m. EDT, please RSVP by emailing defendingequal@gmail.
com. About Asian Industry B2B
Asian Industry B2B (AIB2B) is a Southern California community organization bringing together business professionals to engage in charitable and civic causes to improve local communities. AIB2B’s causes include fighting human trafficking, preserving the environment (beach cleanup), alleviating poverty, promoting quality education through school choice, saving animals, and supporting veterans and military. These efforts are supported by strong partnerships with municipal governments and law enforcement. More information is available at https://aib2b.org/.
About Washington Asians for Equality
Washington Asians for Equality was founded in 2018 after a group of concerned Asian-American parents organized to stop the state legislature from repealing Washington State’s ban on racial preferences. Since then, WAFE has been active in advocating for Asian Americans’ equal rights in Washington state. For more information, please visit https://
waasians4equality.org/. Contact:
Ying Ma
defendingequal@gmail.com
(703) 436-4539
City of Hope OC Names Edward S. Kim Its Physician In Chief
CITY OF HOPE ORANGE COUNTY NAMES EDWARD S. KIM, M.D., M.B.A. ITS PHYSICIAN-IN-CHIEF, LEADING A NEW GENERATION OF CANCER CARE
Nationally renowned cancer researcher and clinician joins a team of top-tier professionals speeding breakthrough treatments closer to home
- City of Hope Orange County, transforming the cancer care landscape, attracts nationally acclaimed clinician with vast history of pioneering research and immense oncology expertise.
- Edward S. Kim, M.D., M.B.A., named a U.S. News and World Report “Top Doctor,” will lead City of Hope Orange County’s distinguished roster of highly specialized cancer experts.
- Dr. Kim will be instrumental in the development of a world-class network of care and visionary cancer campus underway in Irvine, California, to include widespread access to clinical trials, leading-edge treatments, and innovations in cancer prevention and early diagnosis.
(Irvine, CA. Nov. 17, 2020) – City of Hope Orange County announced today it has appointed preeminent oncologist Edward S. Kim, M.D., M.B.A., as the senior vice president and vice physician-in-chief at City of Hope and Orange County physician-in-chief. In recruiting this leading expert, City of Hope is fulfilling the promise of enhancing access to cancer breakthroughs in Orange County and becoming a model for the nation in revolutionizing the delivery of cancer treatment and research.
“Dr. Kim has a depth and breadth of cancer expertise that is well-matched for the expansion of City of Hope into Orange County. We needed a clinician-scientist who embraces the innovation and energy of the region and is up to the challenge of transforming health care delivery so that breakthroughs are significantly more accessible to those who need them. With this appointment, our vision for the future of cancer care in Orange County is being fulfilled,” said Michael A. Caligiuri, M.D., president of City of Hope National Medical Center, physician-in-chief and the Deana and Steve Campbell Physician-in-Chief Distinguished Chair.
Dr. Kim, named a U.S. News and World Report “Top Doctor,” will lead City of Hope Orange County’s esteemed team of clinician-scientists with unique cancer expertise. As City of Hope Orange County’s chief physician, he will be responsible for driving innovation in cancer care and delivery for the Orange County network of care and the planned Irvine campus. Specifically, he will encourage and develop new paradigms for translating state-of-the-art research into practice within the community – including introducing new therapies – as well as champion and advocate for cancer patients and their families.
Dr. Kim comes to the new position with a distinguished history of pioneering cancer research and leadership positions at the Levine Cancer Institute in North Carolina and University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is among the country’s foremost experts in molecular prognostication for lung, head and neck cancers, which greatly advances cancer detection and personalized therapies. As part of his lifelong commitment to ongoing oncology research, Dr. Kim is also the principal and co-principal investigator on numerous studies and protocols and the author or co-author of more than 200 published original articles, book chapters and reviews in top-tier journals, such as The Lancet, The Lancet Oncology, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cancer Discovery, Cancer, Nature Medicine, and Cancer Prevention Research.
Before joining City of Hope, Dr. Kim was the chair of Solid Tumor Oncology and Investigational Therapeutics, the Donald S. Kim Distinguished Chair for Cancer Research, and medical director of the Clinical Trials Office at the Levine Cancer Institute, Atrium Health in Charlotte, North Carolina, and a professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Prior to the Levine Cancer Institute, he held many leadership positions including associate professor (tenured) in the Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Additionally, Dr. Kim has recently completed his Masters in Business Administration at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler School of Business.
“My appointment to City of Hope Orange County is the culmination of my career thus far. The vision of City of Hope to redefine the accessibility of cancer treatments is well-aligned with my personal commitment to continually meet unmet needs,” said Dr. Kim. “Along with my prestigious colleagues, we will be creating opportunities for strategic and teamoriented translational research that is delivered through a comprehensive network of care spanning the breadth of the Orange County region.”
City of Hope Expansion in Orange County
City of Hope is answering Orange County’s unmet needs by expanding access to advanced therapies not previously available in the region. Presently, nearly 20% of Orange County residents diagnosed with cancer leave the area for highly specialized cancer care, often commuting up to two hours each way to City of Hope’s main Duarte campus.
City of Hope launched a Newport Beach, California, location in January as the initial phase of its plans to invest $1 billion, fueled in part by philanthropy, to develop and operate a regional cancer care network featuring a world-class cancer center of the future in Irvine, California. The planned 11-acre Irvine campus will house a comprehensive cancer center opening in 2022 that will offer highly specialized cancer care, phase 1-3 clinical trials, precision medicine, and early detection and prevention programs. Orange County’s only specialty hospital exclusively dedicated to treating and curing cancer is slated to open on the campus in 2025. City of Hope leaders and volunteers are engaging the philanthropic community to help make this vision a reality.
“City of Hope Orange County is pleased that America’s leading medical talent wants to join us because we pursue bold goals and are a beacon for the future. This is transformative work that will impact our community for generations. Right here in Orange County, we are not only making our local region healthier, but we are also engaged in research and new therapies that will help influence an eventual end to cancer. This is the promise that we bring and the vision that Dr. Kim and his outstanding colleagues will help make a reality,” said Annette Walker, president, City of Hope Orange County.
For updates on City of Hope Orange County, or to become a volunteer or philanthropic partner, please visit CityofHope.org/OC and follow the organization on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
About City of Hope
City of Hope is an independent biomedical research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes, and other lifethreatening diseases. Founded in 1913, City of Hope is a leader in bone marrow transplantation and immunotherapy, such as CAR T cell therapy. City of Hope’s translational research and personalized treatment protocols advance care throughout the world. Human synthetic insulin and numerous breakthrough cancer drugs are based on technology developed at the institution. A National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, City of Hope has been ranked among the nation’s “Best Hospitals” in cancer by U.S. News & World Report for 14 consecutive years. Its main campus is located near Los Angeles, with additional locations throughout Southern California. For more information about City of Hope, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.
Asian Industry B2B is Honored to Partner with City of Hope Orange County
City of Hope Orange County is investing $1 billion in Orange County to build a state-of-the-art cancer and research center and is working every day to improve the health and well-being of all of us in Orange County.
Over the last several months, cancer screenings have dropped up to 94 percent, potentially leading to cancers that may go undiagnosed or diagnosed at a later stage. We want to remind our members cancer doesn’t stop because of COVID-19. The pandemic underscores the importance of having world class-cancer treatment accessible and close to home and now we do with City of Hope Orange County. It is essential to have routine screenings because the best way to fight cancer is to prevent it in the first place. Asians are almost twice as likely to have stomach, liver and IBD cancer. ABAOC has tragically lost beloved members we to cancer and that is why we are educating our members on the extreme importance of routine cancer screenings.
Scanxiety: How to Keep it from Derailing Your Next Cancer Scan
Physicians who work with cancer patients have coined a term for what they have come to recognize as a common and impactful part of the patient experience: “Scanxiety.”
Scanxiety is the stressful emotions that can affect patients in connection with cancer scans, and the uncertainties and fears that may accompany them.
It’s easy to understand why scans can create a special kind of anxiety when you consider the ways that cancer, and the experience of the imaging technologies themselves – like having to lay still inside a tight space to get an MRI, or having to drink a foul-tasting liquid prep – can cause people to feel vulnerable, depressed and out of control. They may also develop physical symptoms associated with anxiety, such as headaches, heart palpitations, chest pain, increased blood pressure, breathing problems, upset stomach and fatigue.
Coping with scanxiety during cancer treatment is difficult enough. Add to that an uncertain public health and economic environment due to the COVID-19 crisis, and a real concern emerges. “It’s entirely normal to be anxious,” said Tingting Tan, M.D., Ph.D., a medical oncologist who specializes in thoracic cancers at City of Hope Newport Beach, “but scanxiety left unmitigated may contribute to a cancer patient stopping or postponing important care. It is a situation where proactive stress reduction can make a meaningful difference in keeping a patient on course.”
4 ways to reduce scanxiety
Try one or more of these coping mechanisms to reduce the burden and restore a sense of control when dealing with scanxiety:
- Identify the most distressing aspects of the scans. Is it waiting for your appointment, actually having the scans, or knowing that the results are in but you don’t know what they are? Be aware of when you’re going to be most nervous, and ask your physician for advice.
- Surround yourself with people who understand. Stay engaged with supportive, reassuring people who “get” you and can put you at ease.
- Employ distraction techniques that work for you. Do you have a favorite way to relax, such as mindfulness exercises, having a conversation with a friend or family member, or listening to soothing music? Visit the City of Hope YouTube channel and try our guided imagery meditations and deep breathing videos.
- Make a plan with your care team. Do you need to minimize the time spent in the waiting room to keep your anxiety level from rising? Who is going to give you the results? Will it be a call, an email, an office visit? Will you want to bring someone with you?
Having scans to check on a cancer is an important part of the care plan; don’t let scanxiety dampen your spirits. People use different coping strategies, but finding a healthy, constructive technique for scanxiety that’s right for you isn’t a job you have to take on alone. Your physician, family and friends are among your best resources for advice and encouragement.
City of Hope Newport Beach is here to help keep your treatment moving according to plan, and we’re doing everything necessary to ensure a safe in-person visit when you come to see us. Learn more about our COVID-19 protective measures and policies. To make an appointment with a physician at City of Hope Newport Beach, please call (949) 763-2204. For more information, please visit cityofhope.org/OC.
Statement on Proposition 16
Full text:
July 4, 2020 (first published on SGV Examiner – July 9, 2020)
OP-ED: PROP 16 IS RACIST & KILLS MERIT BASED ACHIEVEMENT
by Marc Ang, President/Founder of AIB2B
Admissions and promotions based on race/gender (instead of merit) have the potential to destroy society.
I challenge everyone to not look at this as a left-right issue, which oversimplifies and prevents us from exploring the nuances of an issue.
I also challenge everyone not to look at this as a race issue, though I will certainly explore effects on subgroups in this article. While Prop 16 disproportionately affects Asians in college admissions, it would have an equally detrimental effect on Black Americans, currently “overrepresented” in public sector jobs.
We are honored to work with a multicultural team, including African American University of California Regent, Ward Connerly and key social media influencers like Indian American Vijay Chokalingam, who in 2015, exposed the flaws of affirmative action by getting admitted as an African American to college. Our team also includes principled and passionate community leaders in the Korean, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Chinese, Filipino, Hispanic and Black communities, who offer fresh perspectives and creative solutions on a Proposition that could potentially divide us further, or unite us in ways never before. We recognize this unique moment in the national mood and hope to spark a nuanced discussion on what “equality” truy means. Spoiler: It should not just be a shallow slogan that ushers in poorly thought-out legislation that actually creates *less* fairness.
Whether or not the Proposition passes, my goal is community education and we will fight all the way to the Supreme Court if needed, to stand against systemic racism (macro), and to share the real stories of the effects on specific individuals and in turn, diverse subgroups (micro).
Equal opportunity does not mean equal outcomes
The biggest myth in today’s society is that if everyone were given equal outcomes, all society’s ills would be absolved. Freebies bring entitlement and disgruntlement. Instead, I encourage equal opportunities, where hard work is the prerequisite for certain outcomes, allowing anyone regardless of gender or race, to do the work and achieve success. Prop 209, passed in 1996, created today’s environment, a generation of high quality scholars and professionals. In 2020, bureaucrats are actually taking these outcomes for granted, to “fix” something that isn’t broken, with a “solution” that is actually a problem.
Wouldn’t you want your doctor who is operating on your body to be the best and most vetted, regardless of race or gender? Interestingly enough, one of the real-world outcomes for Prop 209 was increased percentages of minorities and women in colleges and in professional fields. And an added bonus is no one would look at a UCLA or UC Berkeley graduate and question if they got in because of some shortcut or a flawed point system. It is incredibly insensitive and dangerous to put someone in a group where they are clearly behind their peers. This would cause a slowdown in the group’s advancement if the class teaches to the person farthest behind, or it would ignore that child, breeding stigma and resentment.
Filipinos are now seen as affluent and “privileged”, when hard work and perseverance (not shortcuts) have brought them up the ladder from humble beginnings.
Eastvale has one of the highest per capita incomes in Southern California’s Inland Empire because the city itself is home to many Filipino American nurses working double shifts for 3 days of the week and then taking on a *second* job or starting a side business to supplement their income. Many have come from poor families but are now strong contributors to society and are able to afford luxuries once seen as unattainable. In fact, there is a dynamic of resentment that many Fil-Ams feel, that people back in the mother country don’t appreciate the hard work required in America. This is what makes America special: the ability to achieve. Chinese have had a similar story, experiencing the worst discrimination in the past but have now moved up thanks to a stellar work ethic.
Who would be the bureaucrat in charge of determining demographic breakdowns?
Remember our state legislature and government positions are in flux, with elections every 2 or 4 years for key positions. Who would have the power to decide what the percentages of whites, blacks, Latinos and Asians are? Who would decide point systems such as “likability” for certain races that would influence final decisions, as we seen in Harvard? This is a dangerous slippery slope if we give a government bureaucrat such power for social engineering. One may start with good intentions, but how about the successor? Can we count on them to be truly fair with no bias?
Outdated Designations
What if you were of mixed race, say half black and Latino (common in our multicultural melting pot)? Which race do you identify with? Which race would be worth more likability or intersectionality points? Which race is most favorable at a given time, for the best outcome to get into college or a job? I sympathize with the young adult who grows up thinking their race is inferior and would undermine their future opportunities. What a terrible message to send to a child, causing emotional issues that would distract them from achievement.
Simplicity will actually foster higher quality and less racism.
I’m not just Asian. I’m Chinese and Filipino, but that nuance is missed by shallow surveys. As a society, we were already moving in a direction of color-blindness, but this now regresses us from that progress, while simultaneously suffering the effects of diminished quality of professionals in key industries because we didn’t choose the best of the best. We instead picked top professionals based on race or gender and maybe in the process, lost the cure for cancer? Merit is the only true equalizer.
| Marc Ang is a Southern California community leader, currently serving as the President of community organizations Asian Industry B2B, People Encouraging People and Chinese American Citizens Alliance (Orange County), He is also Director of Outreach for Californians For Equal Rights, dedicated to the fight against systemic racism, specifically, ACA5, now Proposition 16 on November’s ballot. His events have drawn thousands of attendees from all walks of life, in the areas of promoting veterans, the autism community, anti-human trafficking, health and wellness and business advocacy. Marc’s op-eds have been featured extensively in Chinese and mainstream media, such as The Epoch Times, EDI, World Journal, and the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. |