DTV Outreach at the Minneapolis Farmer's Market

On Saturday, June 6th, Lao Assistance Staff and youth volunteers along with representatives from Mn Media Empowerment Project, Grass Roots Solutions and Main Street Project came together to inform the community about resources available regarding the transition to DTV on June 12th at the Minneapolis Farmer's Market. Despite the cold and rain, everyone was happy to have the opportunity to talk to visitors from all over the Twin Cities and received great responses from many who were curious about their efforts.

Joint Staff Meeting With North Minneapolis Organizations

On Friday, June 5th, the Lao Assistance Center, Harrison Neighborhood Association, SEACC and other community organizations held a unique joint staff meeting to become acquainted with one another and to provide a greater opportunity for interorganization collaboration. The meeting was well attended and staff had an excellent opportunity to develop new plans for the future, including efforts to address Census 2010, DTV and other projects other groups are taking on in the common season ahead.

DTV Assistance Center Still Open!

The Lao Assistance Center in Minneapolis still has a DTV Assistance
Center to help Laotians prepare for the Digital TV Transition. This summer,
television stations will make the final transition towards Digital Television
and many older TV sets will no longer function without a signal converter box.

If you know someone who wants to know what kind of a converter box to
get, where to get one and how to install one properly, contact the Lao
Assistance Center at (612) 374-4967 or e-mail chongchith@laocenter.org.
You can also drop in at 503 Irving Ave. N in Minneapolis during regular
business hours.

Lao Assistance Center Staff Member Honored At Asian Pacific Heritage Awards

The Annual Dinner to commemorate May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month was held on Friday, May 15, 2009 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Hmong American Center, home of the non-profit organization, Hmong American Partnership at 1075 Arcade Street in St. Paul. Congratulations to Lao Assitance Center staff member Bryan Thao Worra who received a leadership award for excellence in the arts.

The dinner program consisted of a keynote address by Jon Campbell, Wells Fargo Bank’s Head of Social Responsibilities Group; the presentation of the annual Asian Pacific Leadership Awards; and a cultural performance by Julie Troung of the Chinese American Association of Minnesota’s Dance Theater.

This year, there were four recipients of the annual Asian Pacific Leadership Awards:
Tanweer A. Janjua is recognized for outstanding contribution and demonstrating vision and leadership in civil engagement through his educational efforts and outreach to get out and increase the Asian American and Pacific Islander vote.

K. Dennis Kim, Ph.D., P.E. is recognized for outstanding contribution to the business sector and for community service. Kim took over Enviroscience in 1982, which became EVS, a full service consulting civil engineering firm in 2003. Kim has served on state business committees, and as the Country Officer for Taiwan and Korea for the Rotary Youth Exchange Program, as chair of the Minnesota Korean Association and president of the Korean Environmental Professionals Association in America. He also serves on the Board of the Minnesota Chorale, and the Chamber Music Society of Minnesota board.

Bryan Douglas Thao Worra, a National Endowment of the Arts Literature Fellow, poet and activist, is recognized for his outstanding contribution to the Asian Pacific Islander arts and literature movement in Minnesota. Thao Worra was nominated by Saymoukda Vongsay, who said that it is his belief in making “a world where cultural diversity is a strength and not a liability, that has had a major impact in the course of 10 years since moving to Minnesota.
“Bryan has worked tirelessly as a Laotian American transcultural adoptee to create a space for Southeast Asian American writers not only in the Minnesota and Midwestern literary community but nationally and internationally,” said Vongsay in the nomination letter.

Additionally, the CAPM Board of Directors recognized Mr. Vy Van Pham with the “Distinguished Service” Award for his many years of commitment to and efforts on behalf of the community and public service.

This year’s banquet theme was “Across the Waves: In Pursuit of a Good Life.”

In May 1990, President George H. W. Bush designated May to be Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroard on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants. The Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans was created by the Minnesota State Legislature in 1985. The primary mission of the Council is to serve Asian-Pacific Minnesotans, current population 207,000 in the following ways: ensure they are more fully incorporated into the governmental and policy making process; help them gain better access to state government services; ensure that their talents and resources are used and promoted; and serve as a bridge between them and non-Asian-Pacific peoples.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is celebrated with community festivals, government-sponsored activities, and educational activities for students. At the State level, the Council commemorates May as Heritage Month with an annual dinner and the awarding of the Asian-Pacific Leadership Awards to outstanding persons and organizations who have made a significant contribution or improvement to the Asian Pacific community in Minnesota. The Council also coordinates a “Calendar of Events’ by challenging and offering assistance and support to communities, cities, and school to develop and implement their own events to commemorate Heritage Month.

Lao Assistance Staff meet with Noi Sengsourigna and the Children's Music Center

had the opportunity to meet with the immensely talented Lao singer and activist Noi Sengsourigna who is currently touring the United States as a cultural ambassador from Laos.

She is also working to bring attention to the amazing work at the Sengsourigna Children’s Music Center (SCMCC) which is working under the umbrella of Social Science Researchers Art of Speaking Promotion Association or SRASPA. The inspiration for the Center came about in 1982 in Sihome Village.  There, Noi Sengsourigna’s father ran the Traditional Music Center. The Sengsourigna Children's Music Center is devoted to teaching dance, music and Lao culture to Lao children in Shihone primary schools and other locations. In addition to dance and music, children are taught painting, drawing, reading, storytelling and other graphic arts.

It's really a terrific project. You can find out more athttp://noiscmcc.com/SCMCC.html.

Laotians Need To Be Counted: Census 2010

How many Lao are there in America?

Every 10 years we count the population, and in 2010 the US new census will be taken. The results we get help determine where federal aid and support goes for the next decade and has great historical and educational value.

Above are the results from the last Census, with map developed and generously donated by Norasack Pathammavong (www.NorasackDesign.com) for the Laotian American National Alliance. (www.lana-usa.org)

A lot has probably changed since 2000 and we need help making sure everyone is counted when the Census comes. Looking at the figures, do you think your state's population has grown or shrunk since we last looked?

http://www.searac.org/seastatprofilemay04.pdf

The Southeast Asian Resource Action Center in DC assembled a good profile issued in 2004 that broke down the information from the 2000 census, in addition to some other interesting figures. The Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans also has a pretty good profile on the MN community:
http://www.capm.state.mn.us/pdf/Minnesota_Profile.pdf

A key question is of course, these are people who self-identify as Lao, and doesn't take into account biracial, multiracial individuals or families, or some of the smaller minority populations from Laos. There's still a lot of work needed to fine-tune the figures from any given census.

There are many things we are really interested in seeing if there's been a change.

For example, in 2000, among those who responded from the Lao community, only 7.6% of us had bachelor's degrees or higher and only .2% had a PhD. Across the entire US, with all categories included, the average is: 1 out of 4 people have a bachelor's degree or higher. Interestingly, nearly 39% of Asian American women have bachelor's degrees from all Asian groups, and 46% of Asian American men.

At the start of this century, nearly 45% of us worked in production, transport and material moving occupations. That's a lot of deliveries and trucking!

And our average household income was $42,838! The average American household made $50,046 while Asian Americans made $57,874 for comparison.

Won't it be interesting to see how we've shifted?

But we need to start getting the word out to have people fill out the surveys, because they DO matter.

AAPIP/NGEC Organizational Fellowships Announced!

Lao Assistance Center staff traveled recently to Oakland to attend a gathering convened by Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy. 

This was part of the National Gender & Equity Campaign, which celebrated an important milestone February 18, 2009, with a $2.7 million investment in twelve Asian American organizations in both California and Minnesota. This was a major undertaking organized as part of the prestigious NGEC Organizational Fellowship Program. 

For Minnesota, the organizations selected were the Association for the Advancement of Hmong Women in Minnesota, Center for Hmong Arts and Talent, Centre for Asian Pacific Islanders, Lao Assistance Center of Minnesota, Shades of Yellow and Mu Performing Arts, all of whom we've known in one way or another over the years.

In the coming months ahead, we'll be profiling them and discussing some of the ideas they're working with and whether or not those concepts can work in our community.

The NGEC believes Asian American and Pacific Islander grassroots leadership is a vital part of building a more inclusive, effective, and lasting social justice movement.  There will be many changes ahead for all of these groups and those from California, and the Lao Assistance Center looks forward to growing in the coming years ahead to meet those changes.

“NGEC and the Organizational Fellowship Program really represent the core of AAPIP’s commitment to a vision of philanthropy that views community leaders and organizations as critical partners in determining how best to invest in their communities,” Peggy Saika, AAPIP Executive Director said in a statement. “This commitment could not be more important than now – when the need to invest in all communities in the face of a struggling economy is even more important, and valuable gains might be lost without continued support. Philanthropy has a responsibility to step up. And now is that time.”

Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy’s National Gender & Equity Campaign is a demonstration project created by Asian American women to support, engage and strengthen the infrastructure for social justice movement building. 

You can see many of the pictures from the event on Bryan Thao Worra's flickr account.