WASHINGTON, D.C.–Some 1,000 Asian Pacific American Catholics in the East Coast are expected to attend the 11th annual Marian Pilgrimage on May 11, a Saturday. Venue is the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in the nation’s capital. “We’re inviting the general public to join us in this one-day celebration of faith and heritage,” said Fred Semendy, …

By Jennie L. Ilustre Congresswoman Judy Chu (D, CA), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), has joined forces with other leaders to fight for family reunification in the comprehensive immigration reform bill. “There is absolutely no reason why we can’t have both family-based and work-based visa programs at the same time,” she said at the CAPAC ceremony …

By Jennie L. Ilustre Photos: Jennie L. Ilustre Do you want to influence law-making and policy-making on important Asian Pacific American issues? Then publicly tell your stories and “visit, call or write your legislators as a constituent–make noise,” advocates and aides to members of the US Congress in Virginia suggested at a recent discussion organized by the Coalition of Asian …

On May 14th 2013, the McDonald’s Family Restaurants of Greater Washington, D.C. presented the McDonald’s Educates Scholarship to 60 outstanding local students, totaling nearly $105,000.  Eliza Adhikari, Jae Wook Choi, Rafa Chowdhury, Megan Huynh, Shahzeb Khan, GyeongMin Lee, Do Yeon Park, Ana Gloribel Pereira, Yasamin Rahmani, and Khanh Vo were among the recipients. These students all demonstrated dedication to volunteerism, …

By Jennie L. Ilustre This month, the Asian American Government Executives Network (AAGEN) is holding major events to celebrate its 20th year of promoting a diverse, quality workforce and career advancement for its members. Small wonder that as the new AAGEN executive director, Stanley Fujii’s email Inbox of late was constantly full, and that was true with the state of …

By Jennie L. Ilustre Fiesta Asia unfurled the welcome mat for the community and the general public on May 18. The annual Sunday extravaganza showcased an array of individual and group performers, and yes, cutting-edge bands, food and product vendors, and offered fun activities for the young and the old alike. But one uninvited guest turned up: Mother Nature. She …

By Jennie L. Ilustre Photos by Jennie L. Ilustre, unless otherwise indicated. Reform Bill Filed in the US Congress Washington, D.C.–A coalition of Asian Americans across the country–community, labor, immigrant rights and faith-based supporters–joined thousands of Hispanic American advocacy leaders and families in a rally on April 10, urging the passage of a comprehensive immigration reform legislation. They stressed that …

By Jennie L. Ilustre Mee Moua, who became president and executive director of the Asian American Justice Center (AAJC) a year ago, is ready for the civil rights advocacy organization “to turn the page on a new chapter.” “In a couple of months, we will operate under one brand name–Asian Americans Advancing Justice (Advancing Justice),” she elaborated in an email …

Gathering Draws nearly 400 Participants By Jennie L. Ilustre The annual National South Asian Summit, held in the nation’s capital April 19-22, drew nearly 400 community and business leaders, educators, lawyers and students from across the country, discussing top issues and holding skill-building advocacy sessions. Held days after the Boston Marathon tragedy, SAALT leaders sent “our thoughts and prayers to …

By Jennie L. Ilustre Surae Chinn once wrote for Asian Fortune. “It was my first job out of college,” she said. “I wrote about events in the community.” That was late in 1996 until 1997. Well, look at her now. She’s an award-winning reporter for WUSA-TV9. She also fills in as anchor on occasions. In 2004, she won the prestigious …

By Jennie L. Ilustre WASHINGTON, D.C.–Fred Semendy, executive chairman of the Asian Pacific American Catholic Network (APACN), told Asian Fortune he welcomed the recent election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina as the new pope. Cardinal Bergoglio will be officially installed as the new pope in a mass next Tuesday (March 19). He chose as his name Pope Francis I, after …