During the APA Justice monthly meeting on April 3, 2023, Paula Madison, businesswoman and retired executive from NBCUniversal, proposed a proactive and assertive national media alert network for the Asian American community.
The idea was prompted by the challenge of Texas Senate Bill 147 (SB147) and the revival of discriminatory alien land bills. While this bill was introduced in Texas, the implications nationally and globally were huge.
Paula’s idea was warmly received. A brief, vibrant discussion followed. It was decided that a roundtable will be convened to further discuss the development and implementation of the concept and strategies for the near term and the longer term.
Following a discussion with the Asian American Journalists Association on April 10, 2023, the virtual Inaugural Roundtable was hosted by APA Justice on April 17, 2023.
The Inaugural Roundtable has two stated purposes:
It is recognized that the Asian American and immigrant communities are in turbulent times again, facing enormous cross-cutting challenges, including but not limited to
Members of the Inaugural Roundtable are:
The Roundtable is intended to be a diverse and inclusive "big tent" with additional participants and observers to build an organic, focused and structured approach.
About 100 organizational representatives and individuals registered, attended, or spoke at the online event.
Three questions were asked of each Roundtable member. Discussions were held after the initial rounds of questions before the floor was opened to all participants and observers.
The discussions covered a wide variety of issues and perspectives such as the historical and current state for the Asian American and immigrant communities including societal racism and bias; the need to combat stereotypes and to accentuate the contributions with education and sustainable actions; the positive and negative roles of the media in addressing recent events; understanding and exercising our constitutional and civil rights; the fundamental divide between the scientific and law enforcement perspectives; the importance of avoiding silos and building bonds and enduring relationships; the potential actions and use of technology to reach out across generational, racial, and industry boundaries; the establishment of strategies, unity, and readiness to change narratives and address immediate and anticipated issues; training and calling for strike teams and a bureau of well-versed speakers ready for action on short notice; filing lawsuits and taking legal actions to fight injustice.
In essence, our communities are lacking in an infrastructure to address issues, and we need to build one that is diverse, sustainable, and ready.
The vibrant discussions went beyond the scheduled time of 90 minutes.
At the conclusion of the Roundtable, Paula quoted Desmond Tutu, “there is only one way to eat an elephant: one bite at a time” as she summarized her observations and suggested these follow-up actions:
The idea was prompted by the challenge of Texas Senate Bill 147 (SB147) and the revival of discriminatory alien land bills. While this bill was introduced in Texas, the implications nationally and globally were huge.
Paula’s idea was warmly received. A brief, vibrant discussion followed. It was decided that a roundtable will be convened to further discuss the development and implementation of the concept and strategies for the near term and the longer term.
Following a discussion with the Asian American Journalists Association on April 10, 2023, the virtual Inaugural Roundtable was hosted by APA Justice on April 17, 2023.
The Inaugural Roundtable has two stated purposes:
- Assertively address immediate xenophobic challenges to our freedoms
- Consider longer-term proactive actions to ensure fairness and justice for all, including the AAPI and immigrant communities
It is recognized that the Asian American and immigrant communities are in turbulent times again, facing enormous cross-cutting challenges, including but not limited to
- Legalizing discrimination at the state and federal levels, such as Texas Senate Bill 147, DATA Act, RESTRICT Act, etc
- Return of the Red Scare and McCarthyism, such as the loyalty attacks on Rep. Judy Chu, Gang Chen, and Committee of 100 members
- Warrantless surveillance such as the loopholes in Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that victimized Temple University Professor Xiaoxing Xi and others
- Mini "China Initiative" conducted by the National Institutes of Health that damaged or ruined the careers of hundreds of researchers and scientists
- Cross-border profiling, interrogation, harassment, and denial of entry of Chinese American faculty, students and their families by federal agents
- Continuing fallout from the now-defunct "China Initiative" including New York Police Department Officer Angwang
- Collateral damage from the deteriorating U.S.-China relations
- Anti-Asian hate and violence resulting from xenophobic rhetoric, insinuations, scapegoating, and demonization
Members of the Inaugural Roundtable are:
- APA Justice Task Force
- API Coalition
- Asian American Advancing Justice - AAJC
- Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA)
- Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF)
- Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance (CALDA)
- Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA)
- Committee of 100 (C100)
- National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA)
- OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates (OCA)
- The Serica Initiative
- United Chinese Americans (UCA)
The Roundtable is intended to be a diverse and inclusive "big tent" with additional participants and observers to build an organic, focused and structured approach.
About 100 organizational representatives and individuals registered, attended, or spoke at the online event.
Three questions were asked of each Roundtable member. Discussions were held after the initial rounds of questions before the floor was opened to all participants and observers.
The discussions covered a wide variety of issues and perspectives such as the historical and current state for the Asian American and immigrant communities including societal racism and bias; the need to combat stereotypes and to accentuate the contributions with education and sustainable actions; the positive and negative roles of the media in addressing recent events; understanding and exercising our constitutional and civil rights; the fundamental divide between the scientific and law enforcement perspectives; the importance of avoiding silos and building bonds and enduring relationships; the potential actions and use of technology to reach out across generational, racial, and industry boundaries; the establishment of strategies, unity, and readiness to change narratives and address immediate and anticipated issues; training and calling for strike teams and a bureau of well-versed speakers ready for action on short notice; filing lawsuits and taking legal actions to fight injustice.
In essence, our communities are lacking in an infrastructure to address issues, and we need to build one that is diverse, sustainable, and ready.
The vibrant discussions went beyond the scheduled time of 90 minutes.
At the conclusion of the Roundtable, Paula quoted Desmond Tutu, “there is only one way to eat an elephant: one bite at a time” as she summarized her observations and suggested these follow-up actions:
- Share contact information to stay connected
- Create a chat group
- Organize and provide media training
- Reach out and build allies
- Create a playbook
- Identify a group of speakers ready to speak
- Employ playbook and deploy strike teams
Paula Madison speaks at APA Justice monthly meeting on April 3, 2023
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