Top State Legislators

L.A., California–California State Senator Ted Lieu and Pennsylvania State Senator John Pippy–both APAICS Leadership Academy alumni–were among the 28 state legislators to watch by Governing, a list of top Democrats and top Republicans. They were chosen out of over 12,000 total state legislators in the country.

Anti-Bias Resolution

New Jersey–Mayor Mohammed Hameeduddin, the Muslim American mayor of Teaneck, New Jersey, and the Teaneck Township Council unanimously passed on July 12 an anti-bias resolution presented by South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT). The resolution reaffirms the township’s commitment to state bias intimidation laws and requires the municipality to train law enforcement agencies in identifying and investigating bias crimes; gather and make accessible data on bias crimes, and inform residents about their rights around bias incidents.

NCAPA Chair

Washington, D.C.–SAALT’s Executive Director Deepa Iyer is the new Chair of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) for the rest of this year. NCAPA is a coalition of 29 Asian Pacific American organizations across the country. Based in this capital, it represents the interests of the Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander communities, providing a national voice for their issues.

Bullying Claim

Washington, D.C.–On July 28, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI) held a webinar and conference on “How to File a Bullying/Harassment Claim.” The conference call brought together the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division to advise the community on how to file a bullying/harassment claim. Bullying is a pervasive and underreported problem in the AAPI community.

APAICS Director

Washington, D.C.–The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) has welcomed Laila Mohib as its new Program Director. Ms. Mohib will oversee the development of all leadership programs, including the Leadership Academy for elected officials, Summer Internship Program, Fellowship Program, and Congressional Mentorship Program. She has worked with elected officials, candidates and organizations to develop skills in training, messaging, polling and outreach.

Asia Society

NY, NY–Asia Society President and CEO Vishakha Desai announced that as of July 1, the Asia Society office in Washington will be restructured into a smaller, differently configured staff reporting directly to Suzanne DiMaggio, Vice President of Global Policy Programming in New York.

Election Day Team

Montgomery County, Maryland–The Montgomery County Board of Elections is currently seeking registered voters to serve as Election Judges in the 2012 Elections. Volunteers of all party affiliations welcome. Republicans and Spanish-speaking Election Judges are always needed. The Primary Election will be held on April 3, 2012. The General Election will be held on November 6, 2012. Sign up now to add your name to the database. Training begins early next year. For details, visit www.777vote.org. Or e-mail election.judge@montgomerycountymd.gov or call 240-777-8533.

‘Unite for Japan’

Honolulu, Hawaii–Jake Shimabukuro’s cover of “Amazing Grace” is currently airing over an online charity video, “Unite for Japan,” (www.uniteforjapan.org) to benefit those affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami. Produced by actor Ken Watanabe, the video features an all-star lineup of cameos, including Ellen DeGeneres, Matt Damon, Katy Perry, John Travolta, Clint Eastwood and Jake himself.

Ma-Yi Theater

NY, NY–Ma-Yi Theater Company announced the world premiere here of “The Sugar House at the Edge of the Wilderness,” by Carla Ching and directed by Daniella Topol. Performers are Ali Ahn, Cindy Cheung, William Jackson Harper, Christopher Larkin, April Matthis and David Spangler. Play date is in November at the Connelly Theater. For details, visit www.ma-yitheatre.org.

Weiwei Exhibit

NY, NY–Asia Society Museum presents an exhibition of 227 photographs taken by Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei, capturing the history, culture, and atmosphere of 1980s New York from his unique perspective. The exhibition marks the first time his NY Photographs series is being shown outside of China. It is open through Aug. 14.