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ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN
HISTORICAL TIMELINE DETAILS IN THE YEAR 2001

Our victories, obstacles and leaders (Part 5)


Discover additional specific info on the many links (outlined in "red" or "blue") listed below


2001 
BOSTON'S LARGEST ASIAN CHURCH

Boston's largest Asian church, Boston Chinese Evangelical Church, celebrate its 40th anniversary. Its 81-year-old founding father, the Rev. James Y.K. Tan is leaving for missionary work in Japan. James Chin, the senior pastor of the church, states that the nondenominational church's ethnic makeup is predominantly Asian with five Sunday services given in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin.

The church has grown from a tiny seed in 1961, when sermons were given in a dilapidated apartment building, to the present building with a 250-seat sanctuary, which can no longer hold the 1,000-member congregation.

The church was even featured in ''Excellent Protestant Congregations: The Guide to Best Places and Practices,'' by Paul Wilkes, as one of the nation's best Protestant churches.

2001 
ABA'S BOARD MEMBERS

Asian Business Association, Inc.'s 2001 Board of Directors are the following:

President: Basilio Chen - Chairman & CEO / Evotech, Inc
Secretary: Mitzi Pon Murakami - Program Manager / Macy's West
Treasurer: Stan Moy - Partner / Finger & Moy Architects

DIRECTORS
Alex Espinosa - Senior Vice President / Asiana Bank
Bill Imada - President / Imada Wong Communications Group
George Ong - President / ComTek, LLC
Denny Roja, Esq. - Attorney at Law / Acuity Ventures, LLC
Fred Wong - Partner / InveStar Capital, Inc
T.Y. Dennis Wong, Esq. - Attorney at Law / Law Offices of T.Y. Dennis Wong

2001 
BUSH APPOINTS 12 APA'S

Twelve Asian Pacific Americans are expected to be appointed to senior positions in the Bush administration, a move that shows President Bush's embrace of Asian American talent and ability.

In addition to Cabinet Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta and Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao, the President has appointed to subcabinet positions Korean American Shinae Chun of Chicago (director of the Women's Bureau of the Labor Department) and Chinese American Matt Fong of California (under secretary of the Army).

Other anticiptaed Asian American appointments include David Chu, as assistant secretary of state for administration and Viet Dinh, as associate attorney-general for policy.

President Bill Clinton appointed during his 8 years in office only 7 APAs and President George W. Bush has brought 12 APA's into his administration.

2001 
RACIAL PROFILING IN SEATTLE

A group of about three dozen Asian-American students participating in a leadership conference was attempting to cross the street. They say a police officer accused the group of jaywalking and lined 14 of them up against a wall and asked for 45 minutes - "Do you speak English - Are you foreigners?" The students stated that they were "intimidated and traumatized by the way they were treated by Officer Jess Pitts."

The students contend they saw several white people walking across the same street, but they were never stopped.

Seattle's Asian-American community are demanding an immediate apology from Seattle Mayor Paul Schell and Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske for what they call "blatant racial profiling."

State representative Kip Tokuda says the incident reminds him of the way his relatives were herded up at the start of World War II. A spokesman for Japanese-American community called the incident the worst case of racial profiling he had seen in the United States.

2001 
HATE CRIME IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

On July 29 - Kenny Chiu was murdered by a next-door neighbor, Christopher Hearn, a mentally unstable deaf and mute who is 20 years old. Police and investigators found the word "chink" scratched onto the car at the scene. He was attacked in a small passageway by his garage. Sadly, neighbors and family members in the house said that they had heard screaming outside for about 2 minutes, but no one thought to go out and see what was happening.

The two aspects of the murder, the "lying in wait" and the "killing because of ethnicity" aspects, as the newspapers (LA Times and Orange County Register) write, allow for the murderer to be tried under the death penalty.

2001 
CHINESE RAILROAD WORKERS HONORED

On September 5, 2001 - 3000 immigrant Chinese laborers honored for their efforts in completing the Southern Pacific Railroad and San Fernando Tunnel north-south line 125 years ago. It was the first North-South railway, changing the state's history.

Nobody knows for certain how many Chinese died building the railway and the mile-long San Fernando Tunnel, then the longest tunnel west of the Appalachians. The railroad was "representative of a host of achievements by Chinese Americans at a time when the Chinese were one of the dominant labor forces in the West, involved in most public works projects. The work was completed under terrible conditions, especially the tunnel, which was built through rock weakened by water and oil and subject to cave-ins

Ceremonies were held at the site of Lang Station, the depot where thousands celebrated the completion of the line on Sept. 5, 1876. At the original ceremony, the crowd cheered as railway baron Charles Crocker drove a genuine gold spike into the track, using a silver hammer.

Attendees included March Fong Eu (former California Secretary of the State), Irvin Lai (president of the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California), Eugene Moy (vice president of the Chinese historical group) and Joe Bonino (vice chairman of the Southern California chapter of the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society)

2001 
FILIPINO AMERICAN CHURCHES

Los Angeles' Filipino Christian "Disciples of Christ Church (established in 1898) had many workers--ranging from college students to studio singers to retired teachers--came to the church to help on what is known as a "Miracle Day," during which dozens of the denomination's churches share resources to help parishes that are less fortunate in the spirit of "bayanihan" (Tagalog word for togetherness).

Many of L.A.'s Filipino organizations and social clubs started at Filipino Christian.

Filipino Christian was not the only Disciples of Christ church to receive help Saturday. Artesia Christian Church and the Church of the Chimes in Fontana were also cleaned up.

2001 
SAG'S PETER NGUYEN FIRED

"From the earliest days after its founding in the 1930s, the Screen Actors Guild (news - web sites) has been concerned with the problems of inequality and the stereotyping of performers of color." That's the opening statement of the Screen Actors Guild's website page dedicated to its long history of affirmative action.

But the guild in 2001 has found itself being challenged by three minority employees fired this year. Peter Nguyen, an affirmative-action office's supervisors and an executive assistant who also served as a strike coordinator during SAG's bitter six-month commercials-contract walkout has filed a multi-million-dollar lawsuits against the union for wrongful termination and racial bias.

2001 
13 NEW MEMBERS OF PRESIDENT'S ADVISORY COMMISSION ON ASIAN AMERICANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS

Dr. John B. Tsu, of Milbrae, California, is the Chair of the Commission. Dr. Tsu is a life-long educator who is currently a Regent for John F. Kennedy University in Orinda, California. He has been a professor of Political Science, Asian Studies, and Multicultural Education at Seton Hall University, the University of San Francisco, and the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, where he was a visiting scholar. In 1988, he joined the John F. Kennedy University, where he established and directed the school's Asian Pacific Institute. In the 1950s, he was a leading advocate for the teaching of Asian languages in public schools, and he has been a pioneer of increasing Asian participation in mainstream American politics at the national, state, and local levels. In 1989, President George H. Bush appointed Dr. Tsu as Co-chair of his Presidential Personnel Advisory Committee. In this capacity, Dr. Tsu recommended more than 150 Asian Americans for positions in the Bush-Quayle administration. Born in the Jilin Province of China, Dr. Tsu was educated in Japan and received his LL.B. degree from Tokyo University. He came to the United States in 1950 to pursue graduate studies and received an M.A. degree from Georgetown University and a Ph.D. from Fordham University.

Dr. Lupo T. Carlota, of Lakeland, Tennessee, is the President and Founder of the Medical Acupuncture Research Institute of America, an institution of higher learning dedicated to the study, research, and development of modern scientific acupuncture. Dr. Carlota has been widely recognized for simplifying the study of acupuncture by western medical practitioners and has received numerous accolades for his scientific research and publications on the subject. In 1993, Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos awarded Dr. Carlota the "Pamana Ng Bayan" (Legacy of the Nation) award, the country's highest honor in recognition of exemplary service performed by Filipinos living overseas. Active in the Filipino American community, he has served as President of several organizations including: the Association of Philippine Physicians in America, the nationwide organization of the 25,000 Filipino American doctors serving in the grassroots communities across the United States; the Philippine Medical Association of Tennessee; the National Filipino American Council, a hub organization for Filipino Americans; and the Filipino American Empowerment Movement. In 1993 he was elected Vice Mayor of the City of Lakeland and also served on the city's Board of Commissioners. Dr. Carlota earned his Doctorate of Medicine in 1960 from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. After immigrating to the U.S. in 1965, he completed an internship and a psychiatric residency in Cleveland, Ohio, and Warren, Pennsylvania, respectively.

Mr. David B. Cohen, of Los Angeles, California, is a partner in the law firm of Sidley Austin Brown & Wood. In May of 2001, Mr. Cohen was nominated by Congressman Eni F.H. Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa) and appointed by Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao, to serve as Chairperson of the Special Industry Committee for American Samoa. This committee is charged with reviewing economic conditions in the Pacific region and establishing minimum wage rates for American Samoa. Mr. Cohen is also a member of the Board of Directors for the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging and previously served on the board of the Samoan Federation of America, Inc. In 1992 he was awarded a commendation from the late Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn for his dedicated service to the local Samoan community, and he also received the Samoa Mo Samoa award for community service from Samoa International Magazine. Mr. Cohen is the co-author of two books, Business and Its Legal Environment and Modern Business Law. He previously taught business law at California State University, Long Beach. Mr. Cohen earned a joint J.D.-M.B.A. degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was selected for law review, and the Wharton School. Mr. Cohen also received M.A., B.A. and Bachelor of Applied Science degrees from the University of Pennsylvania.

Ms. Mary M. Ling, of Toluca Lake, California, came to the United States in 1968 and has worked in a variety of fields including public affairs and international business. She was the founder of Fu-Kang International, a firm based in Taipei, Taiwan, which aids foreign investors, primarily from Hong Kong and Taiwan, to invest in small businesses in the United States. She served as the firm's President from 1995 to 1999. Prior to that, she served as Director of Public Relations for the Law Offices of Hogg and Benson in Los Angeles. Ms. Ling is a member of several community groups including the Republican Women's Federation, the Chinese Lion's Club of Los Angeles, Chinese Americans for Self-Empowerment, and the Taiwanese Women's Association. She is the proud mother of two daughters: Lisa, co-host of ABC Television's talk show The View, and Laura, a producer of documentary films. Ms. Ling received her B.A. degree from Christ College.

Representative Barbara Marumoto, of Honolulu, Hawai'i, is a member of the Hawai'i House of Representatives. She represents the 17th House District, a residential neighborhood near Diamond Head. Rep. Marumoto was first elected to state office in 1978, after she served as a delegate to the Hawai'i Constitutional Convention. She has served in the legislature for over two decades and was House Minority Leader from 1984 to 1986 and from 1998 to 2001. Her legislative efforts focus primarily on pocket-book issues, such as: taxation, improving business climate, promoting economic development, and advocating for better public schools and higher education. Rep. Marumoto has previously served on several federal advisory boards including the Small Business Administration's Honolulu Advisory Council, the Department of Education's Intergovernmental Advisory Council on Education, and the Department of Defense's Advisory Committee on Women in Services. She is currently President of the Women's Legislative Network of the National Conference of State Legislatures. Rep. Marumoto holds a B.A. degree in Sociology from the University of Hawaii.

Mr. Garry K. Ong, of Phoenix, Arizona, is the President of G.O. Enterprises, which operates pan-Asian restaurants in Phoenix. He is also President and C.E.O. of Great Wall Enterprises, Ltd., a corporation that includes the Phoenix International Trading Company and Travelink International and Consulting Services. Mr. Ong serves in several advisory roles for the State of Arizona. He is a member of the Asian Advisory Council for Secretary of State Betsey Bayless, the Business Round Table for Attorney General Janet Napolitano, and the Governor's Advisory Council on Aging. From 1993 to 1998, he served as a board member of the Arizona State Chamber of Commerce and Co-chair of its Economic Development Committee. Mr. Ong also served as Chairman of the Small Business Administration's Region IX Advisory Council and has been an active member of the Asian communities in Arizona for over fifteen years. He was the past President of the Chinese United Association of Greater Phoenix and one of the founding members of the Chinese Restaurant Association of Arizona. In 1987 Mr. Ong was honored with the "Outstanding Citizen" award from the Asian American Association of Arizona. Emigrated from Hong Kong to the U.S. in 1962, Mr. Ong received his B.S. in Marketing from Arizona State University.

Mr. Sunny K. Park, of Atlanta, Georgia, is the C.E.O. of General Building Maintenance, Inc., a commercial facility maintenance service. He is also the President of Global Sun Investments, Inc., a real estate investment firm, and the C.E.O. of Hepatech Clean Room Services, Inc., a micro contamination service provider for semi-conductor manufacturers. Mr. Park was the founder of the Good Neighboring Campaign, a movement to improve the image of Asian Americans. From 1990 to 1991, he led the Federation of Korean Associations of the United States, and he currently serves as President of the Korea America Friendship Society. Mr. Park serves on the Board of Directors for several organizations, including: the International Vaccine Institute's Supporting Committee, the Atlanta College of Art, the National Museum of Patriotism, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, and as a member of the Business Executives for National Security (BENS). He is also a Deacon at the Community Presbyterian Church in Tucker, Georgia, and contributes columns to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. In 1990, the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Atlanta Business Chronicle presented him with their "Small Business Person of the Year" award, and the State of Georgia has twice recognized him as "Outstanding Citizen." Mr. Park has completed independent studies and attended the Kellogg Business School at Northwestern University.

Mrs. Michelle Eunjoo Park Steel, of Palos Verdes, California, came to the U.S. in 1975 and has been an active leader in her local community. In the last decade alone, she has served as a member of the California World Trade Commission, the Los Angeles County Children and Family Services Commission, and the Los Angeles Airport and Fire Commissions. Mrs. Park Steel is presently the Treasurer of the Korean American Coalition and a Board Member of Brothers and Sisters Unlimited, an after school program for African American youth. In addition, she is the President of the Korean-American Republican Association. An avid skier, she has won numerous competition awards and is a Board Member of the Korean Ski Association. Mrs. Park Steel was born in Seoul, Korea, and attended Nippon Joshi Dai (Japan Women's University). She received a B.S. degree in Business Administration and Management from Pepperdine University.

Mrs. Amata Coleman Radewagen, a Samoan American and Native Hawaiian of Pago Pago, American Samoa, is a member of the U.S. House Leadership Staff under Congressman J.C. Watts (R-OK), Chairman of the House Republican Conference. She previously served on the staff of the Dean of the Conference, Congressman Philip M. Crane (R-IL), where her responsibilities included advising him on issues affecting the Pacific islands. Earlier in her career, Mrs. Radewagen was on the staff of Frank C. Carlucci, U.S.Under Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. A breast cancer survivor, Mrs. Radewagen has dedicated herself to educating island women on the importance of prevention and early detection of the disease. She is the founder of the Samoan Women's Health Fund and a member of the National Breast Cancer Coalition. Mrs. Radewagen has served as a Democracy Trainer for the International Foundation for Electoral Systems and the International Republican Institute, as an Advisory Council Member of the Western Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Council, and as a Washington advisor to the American Samoa Power Authority. Raised in Pago Pago, she has also resided in Honolulu, Saipan, and Guam, where she received a B.A. degree in Psychology from the University of Guam.

Master Jhoon Rhee, of McLean, Virginia, is a world-renowned martial arts instructor with over 60 affiliated Tae Kwon Do studios in the United States and 65 in the former Soviet Union. A 10th degree Black Belt, Master Rhee has been inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame and is regarded as the "Father of Tae Kwon Do" in both the U.S. and the former Soviet Union. He is the author of five books and received the Bicentennial Sports Award as the "Martial Arts Man of the Century." Master Rhee was a Special Advisor to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports from 1985 to 1988, and he served on the National Council on Vocational Education from 1988 to 1991. In March of 1992, President George H. Bush selected him to be the 721st "Daily Point of Light." He has appeared in two films and is a popular motivational speaker at seminars throughout the world. He has trained numerous celebrities including Muhammad Ali, Tony Robinson, Jack Valenti, and over 250 members of the U.S. Congress. Master Rhee, who emigrated from Korea to the U.S. in 1957, was honored by the National Immigrant Forum and the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service as one of the 200 most famous immigrants in American history, alongside such individuals as Albert Einstein and Alexander Graham Bell.

Mr. Joseph Ting, of Houston, Texas, is the C.E.O. of West Plaza Management, an investment and management company. In addition, he is the Vice Chairman of Metro Bank, a community bank that serves the Greater Houston and Dallas areas. In 1985, Mr. Ting founded Unitex Bags, Inc., a manufacturing plant based in Houston. He is a member of the Houston Convention Center Hotel Corporation's Board of Directors, the Asia Society of Texas Advisory Board, and the Houston Taipei Sister City Board of Directors. In 1996, he joined with City Officials to conduct business developments among Houston, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Taipei. He also traveled to Panama to promote international trade for the city of Houston. He has previously served as Executive Director of the Texas Asian Republican Caucus and as Vice President of the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Ting came to the U.S. in 1977 after receiving a B.A. degree in Economics from Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan. He also earned an M.B.A. degree from the Florida Institute of Technology.

Mr. Bao Ky N. Vu, of Atlanta, Georgia, is an Analyst and Portfolio Manager with A. Montag and Associates, a private investment firm based in Atlanta. He is currently the Secretary of the Vietnamese-American Public Affairs Committee, a member of the Northlake Regional Hospital's Minority Advisory Board, and a member of the Vietnamese Professionals Society. He previously served as the Vice President of the Vietnamese Confederation of Georgia, helping to raise funds for the organization, promote cultural heritage, and provide citizenship classes for new immigrants. Mr. Vu also helped found the Atlanta Chapter of the National Association of Asian American Professionals and serves as Co-chair of its Professional Development and Community Service committees. His family left Saigon prior to the collapse of South Vietnam in 1975, and two years later, they resettled in the United States. He received a B.S. degree from Georgia Tech and an M.B.A. degree from Georgetown University.

Dr. Zachariah P. Zachariah, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has been a private practice physician since 1976. He serves as the Director of Cardiology at Holy Cross Hospital, a nonprofit community hospital in Fort Lauderdale, and as a Voluntary Professor at the University of Miami School of Medicine. Presently, Dr. Zachariah holds several leadership positions including: membership on the Board of Trustees of Nova Southeastern University, Vice Chairmanship of the Florida Council on Economic Education, and membership on the Advisory Council for the Pace Center for Girls. He was a member of the Florida Board of Medicine from 1988 to 1992, and Chairman from 1990 to 1992. He currently serves as the First Vice Chairman of that board. Additionally, Dr. Zachariah has served on the National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council. He is a leading proponent of improving heart-health through education, exercise, and even financial incentives. Dr. Zachariah has received numerous awards for his humanitarian work, community service, advocacy on behalf of children, and his leadership in public health. The American Heart Association recognized him by establishing the "Zachariah P. Zachariah Golden Heart Award," of which he was the first recipient. He has also received the Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge's "George Washington Honor Medal," the "Ellis Island Medal of Honor," and the "Ellis Island American Legends Award." Dr. Zachariah received his medical training from the Armed Forces Medical College in India. After immigrating to the U.S. in 1972, completed his postgraduate training in Medicine at St. Joseph's Hospital in Patterson New Jersey.

 

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that occurred to the Asian Pacific American communities during the year of 2001.

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