Second Asian Pacific American Legislative Briefing and Reception in Richmond, Virginia
Asian Americans Celebrate the Year of the Dog by Greeting Virginia Legislators with a Bark -- Asian and Pacific Americans from all regions of the Commonwealth of Virginia will gather in Richmond on February 2, 2006 for two major events: a Legislative and State Briefing Forum and an evening reception honoring State legislative and executive officials.
Fairfax, VA (PRWEB) January 27, 2006 -- Asian and Pacific Americans from all regions of the Commonwealth of Virginia will gather in Richmond on February 2, 2006 for two major events: a Legislative and State Briefing Forum and an evening reception honoring State legislative and executive officials.
The Legislative and State Briefing forum will be held from 2:00-5:00 p.m. at the Bank of America Building (18th floor conference room), 1111 East Main Street. Officials from the Clerk’s Office, Republican Caucus, Democratic Caucus, and State programs offices will brief the APA community on how to access state services and how legislation affects them.
The evening reception will be held at the Peking Restaurant, 1302 East Carey Street, from 5:30-8:00 p.m. The Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General and House and Senate elected officials will be attending.
February 2 is an opportunity for elected officials to meet a broad spectrum of communities in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In collaboration with the National Congress of Vietnamese Americans (NCVA), the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans of Virginia (CAPAVA), Asian American Society of Central Virginia and the Virginia Asian Advisory Board are hosting these events with the support of over 20 Asian Pacific American community groups and businesses.
“There are 310,000 Asian Americans living in Virginia, comprising 4.2 percent of the Commonwealth population. Our 22,500 businesses generate over $4.4 billion of revenue and we employ over 47,000 employees. Yet we have no political representation,” said Hung Nguyen, President/CEO of NCVA.
Rose Chu, Board member of CAPAVA said, “What many don’t know is 14 percent of APA families live in poverty, compared to 8 percent of the general population. And 33 percent of foreign-born residents do not have health coverage.”
Delegate Lionell Spruill and Senator Patricia Ticer have introduced amendments to provide an Asian and Pacific American outreach office at the state.
“If the State creates an Asian Pacific American outreach office, our communities will get the help they need and APAs will be even stronger contributors to the Commonwealth’s economy,” CAPAVA President Ting-Yi Oei said.
Nguyen Ngoc Bich, NCVA Chairman said, “Virginia is preparing to celebrate the 400th Anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. Virginia has changed dramatically since then and current stereotypes of quiet Asians are not valid. As tax paying citizens, Asian Americans are not staying quiet as they seek better use of State resources and programs.”
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