Monday, July 24, 2006

Request for TWO MINUTES of your help

I'll deeply appreciate your help in two matters requiring 2 minutes.
  1. Place AsianAmericanUnity@80-20.us in your address book.
  2. Why? From here on 80-20 will be emailing you from that e-address. With it in your address book, you are guaranteed to receive future 80-20 emails, even when you accidentally "junk" one of our emails. The above does NOT prevent you from un-subscribing from 80-20's list.

  3. Send us all the email addresses in your address book.
    Why? The size of our political clout depends on the number of Asian Ams. we can reach to achieve a common end. With this drive, 80-20 aims to create an email list of one million AsAms to increase YOUR political clout. We'll delete all the apparent non-AsAm e-addresses.

Just reply to this email, and put the e-addresses in your reply.

I solemnly promise you that these email addresses will NOT be placed on 80-20's email list if the individuals approached REFUSE to be on our list. In addition, 80-20 NEVER sells its email list. THANK YOU. Together, we shall overcome. Please do YOUR share to make your children equal citizens of America.

Respectfully,
S. B. Woo
President, 80-20 PAC, Inc.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

The Most Insidious Effect of Discrimination

The most insidious effect of discrimination is making the discriminated believe in the negative stereotyped images created for them by the bigots for the purpose of justifying bigots' prejudice.

Here is a well-known historic example. Before suffrage (i.e letting women vote) was established, plenty of women believed in the negative stereotyped image created for them by men: "Women are too soft-hearted and soft-headed to make the hard political decisions." Today, with examples of Condi Rice, Sandra O'Connor, Hillary Clinton and Dianne Feinstein, no one believes in that any more. However, a lot of women in earlier years believed in such an image created by men to justify the male prejudice.

For the Asian Americans, the stereotyped images created for us are that we are (1) good work horses but not capable of being race horses, (2) too timid to be aggressive even when a situation calls for it -- a requirement for managing in America and (3) less naturally endowed to be engaging and humorous in cocktail parties, the breeding ground of high executives, and (4) show a disproportionate lack of interest in getting into management. The insidious effect is that many Asian Americans are induced to believe in those images created for us.

Some Asian Americans also believe that since we are sometimes referred to as the "model minority," we are therefore not likely to be discrimination against.

Here is a historic counter example. Men stood up whenever a woman came into or was leaving a room. Nevertheless, men didn't allow women to vote, didn't afford them the same educational and job opportunities.

If you think "model minority" is a big deal, think who were the women who were given the stereotyped image of being too soft-hearted to vote. They were no less than the mothers, wives, sisters and daughters of the male who wanted an advantage in life.

I have an Asian American friend in Delaware who worked for a big company. One day he went out of his way to tell me that he was not interested in being in the management in his company. However, I have always observed that he fought fiercely for the top leadership position in ANY of the Asian American organizations that he belonged. He obviously has huge leadership appetite. Was he one of many Asian Americans finding the odds to become a manager too stiff and decided to practice self-deception or believed in the stereotyped images created for us?

Is there anything sadder or more insidious than coercing a normal or perhaps even smart individual to deny to him/ herself what he/she really wants and begin practicing self deception?

DON'T LET THAT HAPPEN TO OURSELVES AND OUR CHILDREN

Asian Americans have the lowest odds to get into management, the slowest rate of progress toward equal opportunity, despite having the highest educational attainment. The following people put their mighty shoulders to the wheel to push for equal opportunity. We also want the thank many who gave generously &/or paid membership dues.
$1,000 to 80-20 PAC: C. S. Yang; Paul Chan and Partners
$1,000 to 80-20 Educational Foundation: Lily Wang; Alex Weiming New; Wilbert Y. Wo
We also thank all who joined 80-20 as members. To join:
http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership.html (easy to use) or
http://www.80-20initiative.net/paypal.html(Paypal)

PERSONAL checks are payable to "80-20 PAC", mailed to:
Jing-Li Yu 80-20 special Assistant
P.O. Box 527340 Flushing, NY 11352-7340 .
Write down your E-MAIL address & PHONE no. on the BACK of the check.Basic membership is $35; Family (2 voters) is $50, Life Membership is $1,000. Student membership is $15.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

From Lobsters to the Declaration of Independence

Subject: From Lobsters to the Declaration of Independence
By Amy Wong Mok, Board Member, 80-20 Initiative

It happened a few weeks ago. My Dragon Boat Race coach and I were celebrating the success of our 8th Annual event in a Chinese restaurant in Austin, Texas. We are both Asian women (she is from Singapore and I am from Hong Kong) who love seafood and on that occasion we decided to have a lobster feast. We ordered two dishes,clams with black bean sauce and lobsters with ginger & scallion sauce. The dishes were quite big and filled up a table that was big enough for four.

We were enjoying the delicious flavor of the crustaceans while reflecting on the excitement of the event and the team spirit that brought out our Austin community and we were enthusiastically planning to organize an international competition next year. All of a sudden, a middle-age Anglo man walked past our table and made a remark that was too loud to be missed:"It is a lot of food." I truly believe that he had no ill intent but nevertheless, he took the liberty to express his observation to our face.At that moment, I had to think very quickly to respond and not to react. I replied simply with a smile, "Do we look like we cannot handle it?" He responded with embarrassment, "Oh, it is I who could not handle it." In response, I offered to explain, "There is not only meat but a lot of shells in these dishes." He nodded and walked away.

A few days later, I sat down with my sister/confidante, an Anglo American from whom I have learnt a lot about activism in the woman's movement. I told her the incident at the Chinese restaurant and I asked her, "I felt a sense of intrusion when that man came to our space and made that uninvited comment to us. Did I overreact?" She gave me a pensive smile and asked me, "Amy, would you go up to two white men, in a French restaurant and tell them your observation about their unusual culinary habit to their face even though it is an honest observation?"

Her answer was a reassurance to me. My Anglo sister affirmed my awareness of condescending mistreatment, no matter how subtle. She taught me that it is the insidiousness of racism and class that fosters an environment where abuse and mistreatment are taken to be normal, even if unthinkingly by the offender. She validated my feelings, taught me to trust it and defend it. It is my grounding to fight for and protect equality and justice for all, including us Asian Americans.

There have been a lot of wrongs done to Asian Americans, as far back as the Chinese Exclusion Act, the internment of the Japanese American during the Second World War and as recent as the gross mistreatment of Wen-Ho Lee, the Los Alamos scientist who received an apology for his mistreatment from a conservative judge and James Yee, a Chinese American Muslim Chaplain at Guantanamo Bay who was accused of treason but got his charges dropped when the government could not substantiate the case. My own enlightenment of the ugliness of racism was the Vincent Chin case. In 1982,Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Charles Kaufman sentenced Ron Ebens, a supervisor at Chrysler Motors and his stepson, Mike Nitz to a three-year probation and a fine of $3,000 for the crime of bludgeoning Vincent Chin to death with a baseball bat, after Ebens and Nitz mistook Chin for a Japanese American whom they blamed for the loss of auto industry jobs in the US! At the sentencing, Judge Charles Kaufman was quoted as saying, "These weren't the kind of men you send to jail ... You don't make the punishment fit the crime; you make the punishment fit the criminal."

As Americans, we have inherited a great tradition. As we celebrated July 4th recently, I reread the Declaration of Independence and it struck me again when I read,

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

These are simple words that define the heart and soul of our great nation. Yet, our nation is a work in progress. Every generation of Americans, including you and me must strive to perfect and safeguard the attainment of the noble goal expressed in those simple words.

We must ACT to ensure and protect equality for all. In February this year, the Board of 80-20 passed two resolutions:

  1. Increase the number of Asian American federal justice appointments. To represent adequately the Asian American population in our country, we should have 39 federal court justices. We have only 6, a big gap to narrow down.

  2. Increase the number of Asian American executives in public and private establishments. Executive Order 11246 was signed by President Johnson in 1965 to ensure the number of minority and women in executive positions in colleges/universities, government agencies and private businesses. Asian Americans are left out in the enforcement of EO11246.

We must step up to the plate and do our parts for ourselves and for future generations. We will not always be there to protect the rights and assure the safety of our children or grandchildren. We can start today to creating a more just and fair society for them by holding our government accountable. It is time to walk the walk. We need you more than ever to press on with our fight. Your commitment of $10, $100, $500 or $1,000 is an affirmation to the hard work and many voluntary hours of service of the board and the volunteers.

Please visit our website at www.80-20initiative.net to view the facts about the mistreatment of Asian Americans and join us
in our fight for justice for all. Act now.

Join 80-20. Don't let us fight alone. Using a credit card, visit

PERSONAL checks are
payable to "80-20 PAC", mailed to:
Jing-Li Yu Director of Projects
P.O. Box 527340 Flushing, NY 11352-7340 .
Write down your E-MAIL address & PHONE no. on the BACK of the check. Life membership is $1,000; Family (2 voters) is $50; Basic Membership is $35;Student membership is $15.

Sunday, July 02, 2006

Wall St. Journal on 80-20 & Lt. Col. Yee

6/30 Wall Street Journal (WSJ) shines lights on 80-20 and
Lt. Col. Garret Yee of Fremont, CA, a member.

In a full page and half article with 6 pictures, WSJ reports "Torn on the Fourth of July." It sensibly accounts how immigrants from Asia, Europe, South America, and Africa relate to 4th of July.

It also talks about 80-20's 700,000 email list, the meaning of its namesake, its "Flag Project," its bloc vote, and its effort to "erase Asians' image as 'perpetual foreigner.'"

The real spot-light is on Lt. Col. Garret Yee, who will head to Iraq next month. To see a picture of Lt. Col. Yee and a touching account of his family members, who are described as "the American melting-pot in microcosm," go https://online.wsj.com/article/SB115162269791494761.html?mod=todays_us_nonsub_weekendjournal , if you subscribe to WSJ. or http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06181/702440-84.stm , but unfortunately is without a picture of Lt. Col. Yee and his family.

Who are 80-20 members?

80-20 is a grassroots organization. Its members come from every walk of life, including very prominent members. It has national academicians, company CEOs, university presidents, and many members of the "Committee of 100." Many 80-20 Life Members are also C-100 members.

What do 80-20 members do?

Prominent or not, we all strive to serve the AsAm community. That is why our members are often in the news. Besides Lt. Col Yee, another example is Dr, Kuang Teh Jeang. He was featured in the Scientist Magazine recently for his effort to break the management glass ceiling for AsAm scientists. http://www.80-20initiative.net/glassceilingscientists.html He was later awarded NIH Asian American Scientist of the Year, 2005.

Our members act to make a difference! This is what distinguishes 80-20. Lt. Col Yee helps push 80-20's Flag Project in Fremont, CA. Dr. Jeang propagates 80-20's attempt to break the glass ceiling at NIH. Their actions are featured in prominent mainstream media! Consequently, the noble goals of 80-20 are achieved while BENEFITING YOU.

Announcement:
  1. Hoist a flag on July 4th.
  2. 80-20 is looking for a full-time Special Assistant. We invite the best and the brightest to apply. If you identify with the Asian American community and want to serve it, this is the perfect job for you. For a job description, visit http://www.80-20initiative.net/job.html
Join 80-20. Using a credit card, visit

PERSONAL checks are payable to "80-20 PAC", mailed to:
Jing-Li Yu Director of Projects
P.O. Box 527340 Flushing, NY 11352-7340 .
Write down your E-MAIL address & PHONE no. on the BACK of the
check. Life membership is $1,000; Family (2 voters) is $50; Basic
Membership is $35; Student membership is $15.

    Tuesday, June 27, 2006

    Help is here, if discriminated at work

    Been discriminated at work? Justice denied? 31% of AsAm workers surveyed by EEOC earlier this year said YES! Help is here for the 31%.

    A Supreme Court Decision made it easier for workers to show they were victims of retaliation after they've accused their employers of discrimination. See http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/23/washington/23scotus.html.

    Why is the Supreme court decision so important to AsAms?

    Answer: AsAms have the highest % in perceived discrimination at work according to the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) survey but the lowest % in filing complaints with EEOC. The reasons for this shocking contradiction are probably
    a) owing to cultural reasons AsAms don't want to get involved in lawsuits. That is, they don't think they can win, and
    b) as new immigrants they feel powerless to protect themselves against employer retaliation. That is, they think things could only get worse if they complain.

    With the recent Supreme Court decision, discriminated AsAm workers get helped in two ways
    1. Employers will be less likely to retaliate, and
    2. If they still do, it is easier for you to win the lawsuit against "retaliation by your employer" regardless of whether you win the original discrimination lawsuit.

    It's time to overcome our cultural inhibition and fear. Justice denied? File a complaint with the EEOC against your employer.

    80-20 has worked hard to increase EEOC's sensitivity towards complaints filed by Asian American workers. 80-20 can help. But YOU must make your voice heard!.

      Join 80-20. Don't let us fight alone. Using a credit card, visit
      http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership.html(easy to use) or
      http://www.80-20initiative.net/paypal.html
    PERSONAL checks are payable to "80-20 PAC", mailed to:
           Jing-Li Yu   Director of Projects
          P.O. Box 527340   Flushing, NY 11352-7340 .
    Write down your E-MAIL address & PHONE no. on the BACK of the
    check. Life membership is $1,000; Family (2 voters) is $50; Basic
    Membership is $35; Student membership is $15.

    ****************************************************************************
    80-20 looking for a full-time Special Assistant:
    Want to work for a unique APA political organization? ONLY THE BEST, THE BRIGHTEST AND THE MOST DEDICATED NEED APPLY. Unless you really want to serve the Asian American community, you will not like this job. It'll be too demanding a job for you. For a job description, visit http://www.80-20initiative.net/job.html. Everything else being equal, 80-20 members are preferred according to the seniority of the membership.

    Thursday, June 22, 2006

    Hoist a Flag on 4th/ Hiring a Staff/ 2006 Intern

    ###### ANNOUNCEMENTS:

    1. 80-20 looking for a full-time Special Assistant
    Want to work for a unique APA political organization?
    ONLY THE BEST, THE BRIGHTEST AND THE MOST DEDICATED NEED APPLY. Unless you really want to serve the Asian American community, you will not like this job. It'll be too demanding a job for you. For a job description, visit http://www.80-20initiative.net/job.html. Everything else being equal, 80- 20 members are preferred according to the seniority of the membership.

    2. Lydia Yu, a junior at Dartmouth University, was appointed a full-time Chancellor Chang-Lin Tien Summer Intern.

    ###############

    July 4th is only two weeks away. Let's all hoist a flag to celebrate. Why? THE BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY that we enjoy as American citizens are magnificent. To name a few:
    • We can practice any religion we want, including being a Buddhist or a muslim or an atheist.
    • We can take any political position including criticizing Pres. Bush WITHOUT repercussion. For example, 80-20 has criticized Pres. Bush often for his non-enforcement of Executive Order 11246 for AsAms.
    • You can make money any way you want, and spend it any way you want, providing that both are legal.
    • You can choose to stay in or leave the USA anytime you want.
    There are also pragmatic reasons to celebrate July 4th. A large % of our compatriots believe that we are more loyal to our old countries than our chosen country. That is, we have an image problem which makes the winning of equal opportunity and justice very difficult. It takes images to fix an image problem. Hence, if you live in Little Saigon, or Chinatown, or Little Tokyo or Little Calcutta, organize "Seas of Flags" to celebrate and do us and your children a favor.

    For benefits to our community brought by 80-20's flags project, see positive publicity from the mainstream media and more: http://www.80-20initiative.net/flagproject.html.

    The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) is planning a big write-up about how new immigrants celebrate July 4th. 80-20 is one of organizations it has contacted. So if you are doing something big, let me know. A WSJ reporter may come on the scene.

    Join 80-20. It works on projects that individuals cannot work on and other AsAm orgs are not paying attention to. Any US citizen or P.R. may join. Using a credit card, visit
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership.html(easy to use) or
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/paypal.html
    PERSONAL checks are payable to "80-20 PAC", mailed to:
    Jing-Li Yu Director of Projects
    P.O. Box 527340 Flushing, NY 11352-7340 .
    Write down your E-MAIL address & PHONE no. on the BACK of the check. Life membership is $1,000; Family (2 voters) is $50; Basic Membership is $35; Student membership is $15.

    Tuesday, May 23, 2006

    80-20 Shall Endorse in CA Election to Empower AsAms

    On June 6, Asian Americans registered in California as Democrats or
    Declines (Independents) will be the kingmakers in deciding who will
    win in the gubernatorial Democratic primary election. This will greatly
    politically empower those AsAms residing in CA.

    That race is very tight. Hence 80-20 has decided to seize the
    opportunity and do an endorsement of either Mr. Angelides or Mr.
    Westly. The candidate with the best program to provide AsAms with
    equal opportunity in the state government and state-supported
    enterprises will win the endorsement. The endorsed candidate will
    most likely win the June 6 (Tuesday) election. 80-20 has a track record
    of having delivered bloc votes in the last two consecutive presidential
    elections. See http://www.80-20initiative.net under "Evidence of Bloc
    Votes."

    Elections are the best times for voters to seek relief for their grievances!

    80-20 will contact the two candidates for their issue positions
    regarding equal opportunity in workplaces. Info. will be posted on 80-
    20's website. 80-20 members residing in CA will vote
    electronically to decide which candidate to endorse around May 28.
    [NOTE: To be eligible to vote in that electronic convention, you must
    join before May 25 and live in CA. To join, see the end of this
    email.]

    Once the endorsed candidate is known, 80-20 shall provide the
    resources to drive out the votes. Of course YOU can help. You have a
    lot to vote for -- politically empowering yourselves. The endorsement is
    valid for the primary election only.

    Much more information will be provided to AsAm voters in the next
    14 days through emails and media ads. Some info, such as who may
    vote; how to obtain absentee ballot (since there is still time); how to
    find out your polling places, .., etc. are already available on 80-20's
    website. http://www.80-20initiative.net/cademprimary.html .

    In CA, about 75% of Asian Americans are registered as Democrats
    and Declines or Independents. Hence, in this primary where both
    Democrats and Declines can vote, Asian Americans will be 10 to
    12% of the voters, if not larger, given 80-20's ability to drive out the
    votes.

    PASS THE WORD: Ask your friends and relatives not to cast their
    absentee ballots yet. 80-20 will announce whom to endorse around
    May 28 (Sunday).

    #############
    80-20 has decided to endorse after polling 1050 current and past
    members and donors. Primaries are normally decided by activists.
    Hence we poll the activists. The support was unexpectedly strong.
    93% of the respondents will either vote for 80-20's endorsed candidate
    or give "very serious consideration" to him. To know more about the
    poll: http://www.80-20initiative.net/cademprimary.html .
    ##############

    To join: Using a credit card, visit
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership.html (easy to use) or
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/paypal.html
    PERSONAL checks are payable to "80-20 PAC", mailed to:
    Jing-Li Yu Director of Projects
    P.O. Box 527340 Flushing, NY 11352-7340 .
    Write down your E-MAIL address & PHONE no. on the BACK of the
    check. Life membership is $1,000; Family (2 voters) is $50; Basic
    Membership is $35; Student membership is $15.


    Monday, May 01, 2006

    Powerful Info. In Favor of AsAms

    Every Asian Am. who wants equal opportunity at work must visit http://www.80-20initiative.net/chartfaq.html. It contains powerful answers to doubts of reasonable individuals about whether AsAms have been discriminated against in the workplace. The FAQ page has 8 questions. Estimated reading time for Q&A: 8 minutes.

    1. Could the lack of seniority in the AsAm workforce be the cause of the apparent discrimination?

    2. The "Average AsAm Income" is higher than that of all races & groups except for Whites. Is that a strong counter proof?

    3. The average AsAm HOUSHOLD income is indeed the highest of the nation. So is that a strong counter proof?

    4. Asian Americans are praised as the "Model Minority." Why would anyone want to discriminate against us?

    5. How about the cultural gap apparent in so many AsAms? AsAms may just not have sufficient managerial ambition and/or ability, language skills, sense of humor, ..., etc.

    6. OK, studies have shown that we are being discriminated against at work. Are there recent empirical data that will back them up?

    7. Surely the next generation will not face the same problem as we do! So why not just be patient and wait?

    8. Still, why do American institutions ever want to be in cahoots with our government to discriminate against us?

    The FAQ page also highlights these shocking facts:



    Note that AsAms have the highest average educational attainment
    but lowest chance to be promoted to managers.

    At this rate of improvement, we'll reach equal opportunity in about 3 generations!

    Join 80-20. 80-20 is leading a struggle that requires massive community
    support and a lot of money. Seize the moment. Please do your share.

    Using a credit card, visit
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership.html (easy to use) or
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/paypal.html (Paypal)

    PERSONAL checks are payable to "80-20 PAC", mailed to:
    Jing-Li Yu Director of Operations
    P.O. Box 527340 Flushing, NY 11352-7340 .
    Write down your E-MAIL address & PHONE no. on the BACK of the
    check. Student membership is $15, Basic membership is $35, Family
    (2 voters for 2 names) is $50, and Life Membership is $1,000.

    Monday, April 17, 2006

    Great News that Makes You Sad

    "Irrefutable evidence," said 80-20 of the chart below. Is it true? Yes. EEOC, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, in a series of meetings and communications with 80-20 EF between 12/13/05 and 4/12/06 has just verified its validity. This chart can now be presented as evidence before Congressional hearings and in court proceedings, by 80-20 or by any AsAm individual filing a discrimination suit.

    Getting that verification is a giant step forward in winning equal opportunity at work for AsAms. Hence, GREAT NEWS! EEOC reports directly to the President.

    The chart shows that AsAms face the WORST glass ceiling to enter the managerial class in "private industries," "universities " and "Federal government," where 2.1 million of us work !

    In that sense, it is also such SAD NEWS! What has caused it?

    Is it because some of us are timid, or are uncaring about our children's future or have a "slave mentality" that we sat backand did nothing?

    NO! It's only because we didn't have hard facts to act upon. Now that 80-20 has gotten such powerful facts verified, let's unite and ACT TO WIN our equal opportunity.

    Please do your share.

    1) Forward this email to as many AsAms as possible. We must create a community-wide awareness first, and then unite, and
    2) Join 80-20 and recruit others to join 80-20. 80-20 needs money to fight the next few battles to win it for you. Does $35 or $50 mean that much to you? If yes, then just do step 1).

    Take another look at the chart above. See how other groups'"Group Political Clout" makes a difference. 80-20 is your only hope to establish AsAm political clout. If you need further explanation or detail about the chart, see:
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/attachmentA.html.

    Any US citizen or permanent resident can be a member TODAY, using a credit card, visit
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership.html (easy to use) or
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/paypal.html

    PERSONAL checks are payable to "80-20 PAC", mailed to:
    Jing-Li Yu Director of Projects
    P.O. Box 527340 Flushing, NY 11352-7340 .
    Write down your E-MAIL address & PHONE no. on the BACK of the
    check. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

    Friday, April 07, 2006

    Two Kinds of Tears


    TWO KINDS OF TEARS

    Author: Amy Wong Mok, 80-20 Board Member; Founder & CEO of the Asian American Cultural Center in Austin, Texas.

    A few days ago, one of my staff, Mr. Chan (not his real name) went to a car dealer intending to buy a car for his wife. My staff is an Asian immigrant and is not fluent in English. The salesman persuaded him to put down $2,500 as the down payment for the car and asked him to sign the papers for the transaction. Mr. Chan looked at the bottom of the paper and saw 16.95% interest rate when he signed the paper. The salesman asked him to come back the next day to pick up the car after the loan was processed. He came back to the office and talked to me about the interest rate.

    Like others, we at the Asian American Cultural Center have received advertisements in the past from different banks and credit unions regarding their loans at different interest rates. I have never heard of a 16.95% interest rate for a car loan and I was very skeptical, and so I advised Mr. Chan to withdraw his loan application and to look somewhere else for a car. My intuition told me that this just did not feel like an honest deal. On behalf of Mr. Chan, I called the salesman and questioned him about the high interest rate, and I informed him that Mr. Chan was on his way to pick up his down payment check. The salesman did not protest.

    Mr. Chan came back from picking up his check with such a grave look On his face. I asked him if they had given him back his check. What he was about to tell me has shocked me to the core of my entire being. Mr. Chan said that when he asked for his check back, the salesman looked at him, crumbled something and threw it on the floor. Mr. Chan thought that what the salesman had thrown on the floor was trash and did not pick it up. The salesman waited a while, picked up the crumbled check and handed it over to Mr. Chan. It was only until Mr. Chan opened up the crumbled piece of paper when he realized that it was his check that was crumbled and thrown to the ground. The humiliation was so overwhelming that Mr. Chan was choked up with tears and he had to run out of the salesman's office. I could only imagine the indignation that he felt at that moment. I was choked up and filled with anger, and so were all my staff at the Center. We all understood. Mr. Chan was targeted for such gross mistreatment simply because he looked and spoke like an immigrant from Asia.

    I called up the car dealer and asked to speak to their general manager, a Mr. Smith (not his real name). I told Mr. Smith about the incident. He sounded shocked. I continued to ask for his company policy in regard to mistreatment of customer. He told me he would talk to that particular salesman. I asked him if he had made his expectations clear to his sales staff in regard to customer service and I asked him how he trained his sales staff. What he told me was, I must say, equally unexpected. To his credit, Mr. Smith said, "It is my responsibility and have failed my staff. I did not train them well. I will talk to them. Please apologize to Mr. Chan for me". It was my turn to be choked up.

    I was touched by the integrity of this gentleman. His straightforward answer had me choked up with tears. He took the responsibility and he took the blame. I trusted that he would correct the wrong that was done to Mr. Chan.

    I share this story with you because I truly believe that when we do not speak up and question any mistreatment, we give permission for injustice to continue and it could happen to someone we love. To bring to the attention of the policy makers mistreatment and inequity is our way to right a wrong and to fulfill our responsibility to create a better world or our future generation, our children. To take action is to make a difference. Please speak up for those who could not speak for themselves. We invite you to join us to work towards a just and fair society for all Asian Americans. Please visit our website at
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership.html

    A Noteworthy Comment from Y.C. Larry Ho, Harvard Chaired Professor; one of the six 80-20 Founders

    "Great article, Amy. Almost half century ago, I had a similar experience at work. I consulted a mentor and he advised me to speak up. The result was also a happy outcome from a responsible boss. It was a great lesson I learned early on."



    Friday, March 31, 2006

    27 Senators responded to AsAm Needs

    Remember 80-20's "Call to Action"? Hundreds of you responded.
    "TOGETHER, we shall overcome" is not a slogan. It works! As we
    each do our own share, we'll ALL make progress.

    Twenty-seven Senators (25 Ds and 2 Rs) responded in
    opposing Dept. of Labor's proposed "rule change to eliminate the
    Equal Opportunity Survey." Data from such survey may be the
    evidence of discrimination again Asian Americans and other
    minorities. We need the survey and the data.

    US Senator Tom Carper of Delaware, who cares about Asian
    Americans enjoying equal opportunity, helped greatly. His good
    office to Senator Edward Kennedy was most helpful. Sen. Kennedy's
    office drafted a letter and circulated it for Democratic senators to sign
    on. Want to to see the signatures of Senators like Hillary Clinton,
    Edward Kennedy, John Kerry, Barak Obama, Olympia Snowe

    and many others? Visit:
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/SenEOletter.html.

    The first two paragraphs of the letter, which mentions Exec Order
    11246 explicitly, are shown below

    "We are writing to express our concerns over the proposal
    by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to
    eliminate the Equal Opportunity Survey. The elimination of
    the Survey would undermine the enforcement of the
    nation's civil rights law and jeopardize the Department's
    effort to make equal pay a reality for all workers. We
    strongly urge the Department to retain the Survey....

    Our nation's commitment to civil rights requires strong
    laws, and also strong leadership by the federal government....
    Executive Order 11246 demonstrates this commitment
    by prohibiting discrimination by federal contractors and
    requiring all contractors to take affirmative steps to
    guarantee equal opportunity in their employment
    practices."

    We urge the Republican Party to be more supportive of Asian
    Americans' needs to win equal opportunity at work.

    AsianAms. Progress is being made. To speed the progress,
    80-20 needs YOUR commitment of support. Please join 80-20
    and become a member TODAY! Using a credit card, visit

    http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership.html (easy to use) or
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/paypal.html
    PERSONAL checks are payable to "80-20 PAC", mailed to:
    Jing-Li Yu Director of Projects
    P.O. Box 527340 Flushing, NY 11352-7340 .
    Write down your E-MAIL address & PHONE no. on the BACK of the
    check. Life membership is $1,000; Family (2 voters) is $50; Basic
    Membership is $35; Student membership is $15.
    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

    Many supporters are helping soooo greatly. Since Jan 25, 2006
    the following generous contributions have come in:

    FAMILY LIFE MEMBERS ($1500):
    1)Albert and Yung Shen Huang
    2)Chau-Chyun and Li-Li Chen &
    3) Maxwell Yung and Connie Wong

    Professional Family ($150):
    1) Darrell Davis and Lily Chien-Davis
    2) William Eng, 3) Peter and Sunny Hsu and
    4) Christopher and Delia Tam, 5) Cecilia Yu

    PROFESSIONALS: ($75):
    1) Ademan T. Angeles 2) Virginia K. Sung
    3) Jasper Wu 4) Delia Tam and 5) Jackson Chia

    OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS:
    1) Yueh-Ting and Fang Wei Lee ($400)
    2) Alec Y. Chang ($250),
    3) Ying Yang and Haibo Huang ($200)
    4) Wen-Hsuan and Ernestine Chang ($100)
    5) Mark T. and Elizabeth Y. Chen ($100)
    6) Dan E. and Kazue Matsumoto ($100)
    7) David and Ann Chen ($100)
    8) Yung Hsiang and Lichau Huang ($100)
    9) Sam Gao ($100)
    10) Fu-Pen Chiang ($100)


    Tuesday, March 28, 2006

    Are We Too Timid To Speak Up?

    Only the timid, would be silent when discriminated against.

    Only the short-sighted, would give their children a first rate
    education but not fight for their equal chance to achieve their full
    potential in the workplace.

    Only those with the "slave mentality," would say that "I am
    living comfortably and I am content to be a second class citizen."

    We know that YOU ARE NOT among them.

    That is why we want you to be aware of the facts, show you that
    they are accurate, and trust YOU will join us to ACT. Unite!

    [A] Here Are The Facts:

    (see the chart)

    This chart shows that AsAms have respectively 55%, 41% and
    30% chance to be promoted to the manager level in private industries,
    universities and the Federal government.

    [B] Answers To Frequently Asked Questions:

    1) Where do the numbers for the above chart come from?

    All the raw figures come from the Federal government. They are
    easily accessible on the WEB:
    http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0334.pdf ,
    http://www.eeoc.gov/stats/jobpat/2002/us.html,
    http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d03/tables/dt227.asp , and
    http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d03/tables/dt228.asp .

    2) How reliable is your chart?

    Very! We've shown these data to DOL Sec. Elaine Chao since
    May 2005 and EEOC Chairwoman Cari Dominguez since Dec. 2005.
    We made explicit requests for them to check on the accuracy of our
    data. To date, no one has told us that we were wrong.

    3) How many Asian Ams. are employed in the above 3 areas
    where there are such evidence of discrimination against us?


    2.1 million.

    4) Is there correlating evidence that Asian Americans are
    the most discriminated in the workplace?

    Yes. A Gallup poll sponsored by EEOC reported 3 months ago that
    Asian Americans workers have the highest % of people who perceived
    discrimination at work. See EEOC press release:
    http://www.eeoc.gov/press/12-8-05.html .

    5) May I see in detail how 80-20 got those numbers?

    Yes. 80-20 has the highest respect for individuals like YOU, who
    care but want to be certain of the facts. Go
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/attachmentA.html .

    NOW THAT YOU KNOW THE FACTS, UNITE, SPEAK OUT
    and ACT OUT to stop discrimination against us!

    Join 80-20. 80-20 will soon place full-page ads in ethnic
    and non-ethnic papers
    and lead a nationwide movement to
    stop such discrimination against us. Any US citizen or permanent
    resident can be a member, using a credit card, visit

    http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership.html (easy to use) or
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/paypal.html

    PERSONAL checks are payable to "80-20 PAC", mailed to:
    Jing-Li Yu Director of Projects
    P.O. Box 527340 Flushing, NY 11352-7340 .
    Write down your E-MAIL address & PHONE no. on the BACK of the
    check. Basic membership is $35; Family (2 voters) is $50, Life
    Membership is $1,000. Student membership is $15.

    Sunday, March 19, 2006

    SECOND CALL TO ACTION!

    Second Call To Action!

    Independent and irrefutable data show that WE are more
    discriminated against at work than any other minorities and women.
    See below:

    (chart attached)
    For sources of information and how the calculations are done, visit:
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/attachmentA.jpg .

    These data have been shown to Labor Secretary Elaine Chao
    and EEOC Chairwoman Cari Dominguez. To date, neither has
    disputed their accuracy. These data cover about one in every
    three AsAms
    who work in the mainstream society.

    Is it humiliating to know the above facts? NO! It is only
    humiliating if we don't fight
    to stop such discrimination against
    us now that we know. This is why you must respond to this
    CALL TO ACTION.

    The DOL is proposing to stop collecting data on: applicants,
    hires, promotions, terminations and full-time workers by race, sex,
    and ethnicity and compensation by minority or non-minority and
    by women or men. The public is given till 3/21 to comment on the
    proposed "rule change." 80-20 views the proposal with alarm.

    We deem such data as necessary to fight discrimination against
    us and to get the DOL to be more aware of its accountability to
    enforce Exec. Order 11246. Please copy in

    jingliyu@earthlink.net. When DOL sees a lot of emails from you,
    they'll know that 80-20 has AsAms' support.

    Please voice opposition to the rule change and get DOL to be
    aware of its accountability to enforce EO 11246 on behalf of
    AsAms as well.

    Whether you use email or Fax, you must have RIN number
    1215-
    AB53 in the subject line. E-mail address:
    OFCCP-Public@dol.gov
    Fax no.: (202) 693-1304

    Please use you own words. Here is the main idea:

    "I am opposed to your proposed rule change,
    eliminating the EO survey.
    Such data are useful in
    guarding me to decide whether I've been
    discriminated against at work. I also hope OFCCP
    will do an Asian specific analysis of the collected data
    to understand the strongly perceived and statistically
    proven discrimination against Asian American at work,
    especially at the glass ceiling.
    Enforce EO 11246 for
    Asian Americans!

    Thank you.

    Name:
    Title:
    Home Address:"

    SEND your message now. We are great in sending our kids to
    good schools. We must be equally great in fighting KNOWN
    discrimination against our kids in the workplaces after they get
    their degrees.

    Join 80-20. Using a credit card, visit
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership.html (easy to use)
    or
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/paypal.html

    PERSONAL checks are payable to "80-20 PAC", mailed to:
    Jing-Li Yu 80-20 special Assistant
    P.O. Box 527340 Flushing, NY 11352-7340 .

    Write down your E-MAIL address & PHONE no. on the
    BACK of the check. Basic membership is $35; Family
    (2 voters) is $50, Life Membership is $1,000. Student
    membership is $15.

    Thursday, March 16, 2006

    CALL TO ACTION!

    CALL TO ACTION!

    Call To Action!

    Independent and irrefutable data show that WE are more
    discriminated against at work than any other minorities and women.
    See below:

    (The chart is attached)

    These data have been shown to Labor Secretary Elaine Chao
    and EEOC Chairwoman Cari Dominguez. To date, neither has
    disputed their accuracy. These data cover about one in every
    three AsAms
    who work in the mainstream society.

    Is it humiliating to know the above facts? NO! It is only
    humiliating if we don't fight
    to stop such discrimination against
    us now that we know. This is why you must respond to this
    CALL TO ACTION.

    The DOL is proposing to stop collecting data on: applicants,
    hires, promotions, terminations and full-time workers by race, sex,
    and ethnicity and compensation by minority or non-minority and
    by women or men. The public is given till 3/21 to comment on the
    proposed "rule change." 80-20 views the proposal with alarm.

    We deem such data as necessary to fight discrimination against
    us and to get the DOL to be more aware of its accountability to
    enforce Exec. Order 11246. Please copy in

    jingliyu@earthlink.net. When DOL sees a lot of emails from you,
    they'll know that 80-20 has AsAms' support.

    Please voice opposition to the rule change and get DOL to be
    aware of its accountability to enforce EO 11246 on behalf of
    AsAms as well.

    Whether you use email or Fax, you must have RIN number
    1215-
    AB53 in the subject line. E-mail address:
    OFCCP-Public@dol.gov
    Fax no.: (202) 693-1304

    Please use you own words. Here is the main idea:

    "I am opposed to your proposed rule change,
    eliminating the EO survey.
    Such data are useful in
    guarding me to decide whether I've been
    discriminated against at work. I also hope OFCCP
    will do an Asian specific analysis of the collected data
    to understand the strongly perceived and statistically
    proven discrimination against Asian American at work,
    especially at the glass ceiling.
    Enforce EO 11246 for
    Asian Americans!

    Thank you.

    Name:
    Title:
    Home Address:"

    SEND your message now. We are great in sending our kids to
    good schools. We must be equally great in fighting KNOWN
    discrimination against our kids in the workplaces after they get
    their degrees.

    Join 80-20. Using a credit card, visit
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership.html (easy to use)
    or http://www.80-20initiative.net/paypal.html

    PERSONAL checks are payable to "80-20 PAC", mailed to:
    Jing-Li Yu 80-20 special Assistant
    P.O. Box 527340 Flushing, NY 11352-7340 .

    Write down your E-MAIL address & PHONE no. on the
    BACK of the check. Basic membership is $35; Family
    (2 voters) is $50, Life Membership is $1,000. Student
    membership is $15





    Monday, March 06, 2006

    How to Fight Effectively in Politics

    When compared with other Americans in same positions, Asian
    American have only 17% of the chance to be appointed a federal
    judge; 55% or less of the chance to be promoted to the management
    level in industries, universities and the federal government.

    How must we fight to become equal citizens in America?

    (A) Change our reward system regarding politicians

    Do NOT reward politicians for their ethnicity. AsAm politicians
    don't necessarily care more for AsAms. Some have exploited us
    instead.

    Do NOT reward politicians for their big titles. What good is a big
    title, if the politician is not doing anything for you?

    Do NOT give money or vote for politicians because they are likely to
    win. What good is an elected official if he/she doesn't share your
    concerns or only verbally share your concerns but never do DEEDS
    for us?

    Do NOT help politicians to get personal advantage. Place your
    offspring's ability to enjoy equal opportunity first.

    Reward politicians who share our community's concerns
    and do DEEDS for us. Apply such a REWARD system for a few
    years, soon ALL politicians, regardless of their party affiliation &/or
    ethnicity, will perform DEEDS for our rightful concerns.

    (B) Have the guts to fight our own battles. That is, establish
    OUR OWN GROUP political clout!

    Don't expect the others to fight for us. The others are not that dumb.

    GROUP political clout means unity. Unity is power. Power is
    required in politics.

    The leaders of our OWN GROUP political clout are responsible to us.
    If they don't serve our interest, they can be easily voted out since all
    voters are AsAms. Can we do that with our congressman, senators,
    and the president? Not likely.

    Politics needs leverage. Applying the right leverage is not easy. As
    individuals we cannot win equal citizenship. As a GROUP, voting and
    giving money as a bloc, and with the right leaders we can. We need
    our own political leaders with power and skill but who are responsible
    to us. That is why we need our own GROUP political clout.

    Don't tolerate second class citizenship. Our kids will know, whether
    they say it or not, if we are persons of courage who have done our
    share to win equal opportunity and justice for them. Use your own
    method to fight for our GROUP interest if you have a better way. If
    not, join 80-20. We need NEW members. Using a credit card, visit

    http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership.html (easy to use) or
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/paypal.html
    PERSONAL checks are payable to "80-20 PAC", mailed to:
    Jing-Li Yu Director of Projects
    P.O. Box 527340 Flushing, NY 11352-7340 .
    Write down your E-MAIL address & PHONE no. on the BACK of the
    check. Life membership is $1,000; Family (2 voters) is $50; Basic
    Membership is $35; Student membership is $15.

    - - - - - - - - - - - - -

    ### SALUTE to California Assemblymen Ted Lieu ###

    California Assemblyman Ted Lieu, working with AsAm orgs and
    individuals, got CBS to apologize regarding talk show host Adam
    Carolla's racist comments. Ted wrote a thoughtful letter to CBS
    Radio CEO & got his colleagues in the Legislature to sign it showing
    bi-partisan support including all nine of the Asian Pacific
    Islander Caucus members. Within 15 days, CBS Radio's CEO
    apologized & replied to Ted and copied it to all members of the
    Caucus. That was an effective exercise in politics. 80-20 salutes
    Ted Lieu.

    Sunday, February 19, 2006

    80-20 “MAD AS HELL” but wrong?

    When 80-20 said, "When compared with other
    Americans in the legal profession, an AsAm has 1/6 the chance to
    be appointed a Federal judge," even some 80-20 supporters
    couldn't believe it!

    "A 6 to 1 disparity? I don't believe it ," some reacted. Here are
    two such emails. They questioned:

    "But is that because we are being unfairly treated
    or because Asians do not choose the legal profession as
    much as other professions such as engineering and medicine?"
    W. Cheng

    "I find this very curious … How do Asian Americans compare to
    other Americans and other races when equalizing for law school
    graduates or for lower court judges? ... " xxx Kagawa

    The truth is that AsAms are treated even worse, when the above
    mentioned factors are taken into consideration.

    Here are the detailed accounts of these statistics,
    and their sources. The info. was provided by Federal
    District Judge Denny Chin of New York:

    "Mr. Woo: I wanted to share some information with you. You may
    know most of this, but you probably don't have the details.

    There currently are only six active Asian-American Article III
    federal judges in the country. All are trial judges, and there are
    no active Asian-American judges in the federal appellate courts.
    (Judge Tashima in the Ninth Circuit is on senior status.) Unless
    there are new appointments, when Judge Ron Lew takes senior status
    later this year, we will be down to five Asian-American Article III
    judges. When I was appointed in 1994, I was the only Asian-American
    Article III judge outside the Ninth Circuit. Today, eleven years
    later, I am still the only one outside the Ninth Circuit.

    Other minority groups fair much better. The most recent available
    statistics show that, as of September 30, 2004, for Article III
    federal judges, 0.7% were Asian (6), 10.7% were African-American
    (88), and 6.5% were Hispanic (54). These numbers are for active
    judges and do not include judges on senior status. (See Adm. Office
    of U.S. Courts, Judiciary Fair Employment Practices, Annual Report
    10/1/03-9/30/04, at 35).

    Hence there are some 15 times as many African-American federal
    judges and almost 10 times as many Hispanic federal judges as there
    are Asian-American federal judges.

    In contrast, there are more Asian-American "legal professionals" at
    law firms of 100 or more employees, as of 2002, than there are
    African-American or Hispanic professionals. This is drawn from a
    2003 EEOC report :
    http://www.eeoc.gov/stats/reports/diversitylaw/index.html. The
    numbers are: 5.3% Asian-American, 4.4% African American, and 2.9%
    Hispanic. In this context, "legal professionals" are predominantly
    lawyers but include other professional employees, such as non-
    lawyer accountants.

    In addition, the 2000 Census shows that for lawyers, 2.3% were
    Asians, 3.9% were African-American, and 3.3% were Hispanic. See
    http://www.abanet.org/minorities/links/2000census.html .
    Of course, these numbers are now five years old, and I would guess
    that there are even more Asian lawyers today, on a percentage
    basis.

    The numbers are appalling -- there are a grossly disproportion-
    ately low number of Asian-American Article III federal judges.

    So the efforts of you and your group in this respect are most
    welcome.

    DC (DC stands for Denny Chin)"

    Are you mad as hell? Are you convinced that AsAms
    must build our own GROUP political clout?

    Join 80-80. Using a credit card,

    http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership.html (easy to use) or
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/paypal.html
    PERSONAL checks are payable to "80-20 PAC", mailed to:
    Jing-Li Yu Director of Projects
    P.O. Box 527340 Flushing, NY 11352-7340 .
    Write down your E-MAIL address & PHONE no. on the BACK of the
    check. Life membership is $1,000; Family (2 voters) is $50; Basic
    Membership is $35; Student membership is $15.

    Friday, February 17, 2006

    Exciting/Maddening/Fighting News

    (A) Good & Maddening News:

    4 of the only 6 Asian Am. Federal Judges in the nation attended
    80-20's "Gathering of AsAm Legal Eagles" Luncheon in Los
    Angeles. See a great photo of the jurists, each holding an eagle
    plaque via http://www.80-20initiative.net/legaleagles.html .

    The remaining two Federal judges wrote to express strong support
    of 80-20's effort to increase AsAm representation at all levels of
    the Federal courts, including the Supreme Court. Anthony Ching*
    and Dale Minami** respectively attended and wrote to show strong
    support for 80-20's effort.

    Maddening News: There are about 260 million Americans for which
    there are 875 Federal judges i.e. 3 federal judges for every million
    Americans. For the AsAms? 6 judges for 13 million AsAms or half
    a judge for every 1 million.

    In other words, when compared with other Americans in the legal
    profession, an AsAm has 1/6 the chance to be appointed a Federal
    judge. We are mad as hell. Are you?

    Why send your child to great law schools, if they don't have the
    same chance to serve in the Federal judicial system, unless you also
    join 80-20 to FIGHT for their equal opportunity?

    (B) Ready To Fight News:

    80-20's Board met and made the following fighting decisions.

    (1) 80-20 will, for the first time, endorse candidates in
    congressional races in 2006 in order to help the party that cares
    most about Asian Ams win the leadership position in the House &
    Senate. 80-20 will spend resources to organize bloc votes where
    there are a lot of Asam voters or where there is a tight race. We
    want equal opportunity in Federal judicial appointments & in
    other workplaces.

    (2) Beginning this year, 80-20 will spend resources to take strong
    actions to press for the enforcement of Exec. Order 11246.

    A very detailed and bold battle plan has been drawn.

    80-20 can't fight without resources. In addition, 80-20 is only as
    strong as you are. Join 80-20. Does $50 or even $1,000 mean that
    much to some of you? Any US citizen or permanent resident can
    be a member TODAY using a credit card, visit
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership.html (easy to use) or
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/paypal.html
    PERSONAL checks are payable to "80-20 PAC", mailed to:
    Jing-Li Yu Director of Projects
    P.O. Box 527340 Flushing, NY 11352-7340 .
    Write down your E-MAIL address & PHONE no. on the BACK of the
    check. Life membership is $1,000; Family (2 voters) is $50; Basic
    Membership is $35; Student membership is $15.

    - - - - - - - - - - - -
    *Ching is the first ever Solicitor General of AZ who argued & won two
    cases before the Supreme Court.
    **Minami is the famous civil right lawyer who led the successful
    effort to overturn Fred Korematsu's conviction for
    resisting internment.

    Thursday, February 02, 2006

    Three AsAm Legal Eagles Spoke Out

    Three of the 11 invited Asian American Legal Eagles wanted to come
    to 80-20's "The Gathering of AsAm Legal Eagles" Luncheon but
    could not. So they expressed their support:

    1. Dale Minami, who led the successful effort to overturn Fred
    Korematsu's conviction for resisting internment, and fought in many
    other civil rights cases:

    "I'm sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. I have been
    desperately trying to change a commitment I have on that day so I
    could attend the luncheon but have been unsuccessful and therefore
    must respectfully decline your kind invitation. I very much
    appreciate what you are doing to influence the selection of Federal
    Judges as we are terribly underrepresented and your efforts are
    really critical
    to educating both our own community and the larger
    American community about this disparity.

    I was most honored by my inclusion on your list and although I
    Cannot attend your event, please let people know that I am very
    supportive of your efforts to diversify the courts!! Best of luck to
    you and Happy New Year!! "

    2. Federal District Judge George King, Central District of California

    "I am sorry I was out for most of last week, and am just respond-
    ing to your emails. First, this is my correct email address, & you can
    feel free to contact me at this address. Second, thank you very much
    for inviting me to the lunch on February 11, 2006. Unfortunately, I
    will not be able to attend because I have already committed to
    attending another event on that date. However, I want to let you know
    how important I think the work of 80-20 is and that it is wonderful
    that dedicated individuals like you are moving ahead to ensure fair
    representation by Asian Americans in all segments of our government.
    I hope you will stay in touch. "

    3. Federal District Judge Denny Chin, Southern District of New
    York. We deeply appreciate Judge Chin's providing us with some eye-
    opening information
    , shown below

    "I do want to thank you for your initiative on Asian-American
    judges. I wanted to share some information with you. You may know
    most of this, but you probably don't have the details.

    There currently are only six active Asian-American Article III
    federal judges in the country. All are trial judges, and there are no
    active Asian-Am judges in the federal appellate courts. (Judge Tashima
    in the Ninth Circuit is on senior status.) Unless there are new
    appointments, when Judge Ron Lew takes senior status later this year,
    we will be down to five Asian-American Article III judges. When I was
    appointed in 1994, I was the only Asian-American Article III judge
    outside the Ninth Circuit. Today, eleven years later, I am still the
    only one outside the Ninth Circuit.

    Other minority groups fare much better. The most recent available
    statistics show that, as of Sept. 30, 2004, for Article III federal
    judges, 0.7% were Asian (6), 10.7% were African-American (88),
    and 6.5% were Hispanic (54). These numbers are for active judges and
    do not include judges on senior status. (See Adm. Office of U.S.
    Courts, Judiciary Fair Employment Practices, Annual Report
    10/1/03-9/30/04, at 35).

    Hence there are some 15 times as many African-American federal
    judges and almost 10 times as many Hispanic federal judges as there
    are Asian-Am federal judges.

    In contrast, there are more Asian-American "legal professionals"
    at law firms of 100 or more employees, as of 2002, than there are
    African-Am. or Hispanic professionals. This is drawn from a 2003 EEOC
    report http://www.eeoc.gov/stats/reports/diversitylaw/index.html ."

    Please forward this email to your friends and relatives. Tell them
    about 80-20's effort to fight for all AsAms. Here is the information
    on our "Gathering Of Asian American Legal Eagle" event, where
    5 of the remaining AsAm legal eagles will speak in person.

    Date & Time: Feb. 11, Saturday. From noon to 2 p.m.
    Place: Catalina Room, Four Points Sheraton LAX Hotel, 9750
    Airport Blvd. LA, California.

    Wednesday, January 25, 2006

    Kindly CONSIDER Joining 80-20

    #### If already a member, ignore this email. If NOT,
    kindly please give us 1 minute to read. ####

    Here is why you may want to join!

    The following TERRIBLE conditions apply to YOU today:

    1) An Asian Am. has LESS THAN HALF the chance of an average
    American in the same work position to be promoted a
    manager. That is true whether YOU work in private industries,
    universities or the Federal government.

    "Not a Chinaman's chance" still applies to all of us!

    2) There are more AsAms in legal professions than either African
    Ams or Hispanics. However, when it come to the number of
    Federal Judges, AsAms have less than 1/15 and 1/10 of those
    who are African Ams and Hispanics respectively. See how much
    GROUP political clout makes a difference?

    Our population is 4.4%. However, we have only 0.7% of the
    active Federal judges.

    What is the use of YOUR kids going to Ivy Leagues schools, if they
    don't have equal chance to live to the maximum of their ability
    and ambition? Does it hurt to know that you may be apparently
    comfortable or even rich, but only a second class citizen?

    ### Do you know of another organization FIGHTING FOR YOU &
    YOUR CHILDREN on these BIG issues? ###

    JOIN 80-20. The dues you pay are returned to you many times
    more worthwhile.

    Using a credit card, visit
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership.html (easy to use) or
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/paypal.html
    PERSONAL checks are payable to "80-20 PAC", mailed to:
    Jing-Li Yu Director of Projects
    P.O. Box 527340 Flushing, NY 11352-7340 .
    Write down your E-MAIL address & PHONE no. on the BACK of the
    check. Life membership is $1,000; Family (2 voters) is $50; Basic
    Membership is $35; Student membership is $15. THANK YOU.

    Respectfully yours,

    S. B. Woo
    President for the LAST TIME (ending 12/31/06), 80-20 PAC

    ###########

    We welcome
    Family Life Members ($1,500): Christine Mei and Paul Tung,
    William and Bernadette Shih.
    Life Members ($1,000): Benjamin Han, Amy Wong Mok,
    Soo Tang Tan, David Wang, Po-Zen Wong
    Professional Family ($150): James and Constance Chen,
    Larry Z. Shen & Sally L. Wu, Diyang Wang & Zhengtian Lu,
      H. Vernon Wong,Pai-Ling & Chih-An Yin,
    Professional ($75): Fel Anthony Amistad, William C. Hsiao,
    Steven C. Lee

    We Gratefully Acknowledge Contributions From:
    James Y. M. Wu, $1,000;
    Jack Qian, $285; David and Audrey Chai, $200;
    Yi-Hsin Chen and Daniel Brand, $100; Heng Lao, $100;
    William L. and Marion W. Pak, $100; Linda Yu, $100.

    THANK YOU. THANK YOU.




    Tuesday, January 17, 2006

    What Can You Do about So Few AsAm Judges?

    According to government data, as of September 30,
    2004, Asian Americans (AsAms) are only 0.7% of all active Federal
    judges (technically they are referred to as the Title III judges),
    while they are 5.3% of all legal professionals. By contrast, African
    Americans are 10.7% and Hispanics are 6.5% of all Federal judges,
    while they are 4.4% and 2.9% of all legal professionals, respectively.*

    In short, while there are more AsAms in legal professionals
    than either African Ams or Hispanics, AsAms have less than 1/15
    those of African Am Federal judges and 1/10 those of Hispanic
    judges. See how much GROUP political clout makes a difference?

    What can you do? what can 80-20 do about it?

    80-20 aims to greatly increase Asian Am.
    representation at all levels of Federal Courts, including the
    Supreme Court. How? Here is the first step.

    80-20 is holding a historic event, the "Gathering of
    AsAm Legal Eagles,"
    in Los Angeles where the
    Board of 80-20 will meet over the same weekend.

    Four of the ONLY six active AsAm Federal District Court
    judges and a legal pioneer Anthony Ching will be there. It is
    also a gathering of the "FIRSTS."

    Anthony Ching, the FIRST ever Solicitor General of Arizona,
    having argued 2 cases before the Supreme Court;

    Federal District Court Judge Susan Oki Mollway, the FIRST Asian
    Am. woman District judge,

    Federal District Judge Ronald S. W. Lew, the FIRST Chinese Am.
    District judge in the Continental U.S., and

    Federal District Judge Dana Sabraw, the FIRST Asian Am.
    judge in the Southern District of CA,

    Federal District Court Judge Anthony W. Ishii, the FIRST Asian
    Am. District judge in the Eastern District of CA,

    Each of the honored guests will tell the audience
    something about themselves, and how they think the Asian Am.
    community could work to increase Asian Am. representation at all
    levels of Federal courts, including the Supreme Court.

    In addition, 80-20 will announce during the luncheon,
    where the press will be present, a very aggressive program
    through the Congressional election of 2006 and the presidential
    election to induce the appointment of more AsAm judges.

    Aren't you outraged by the statistics cited in the first
    two paragraphs?
    We trust that you are!

    Please convert you outrage to positive action. Join 80-20. 80-20
    is the ONLY AsAm organization that advocates the creation and growth
    of AsAm political clout. That is the ONLY SOLUTION. To join
    using a credit card, visit

    http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership.html (easy to use) or
    http://www.80-20initiative.net/paypal.html
    PERSONAL checks are payable to "80-20 PAC", mailed to:
    Jing-Li Yu Director of Projects
    P.O. Box 527340 Flushing, NY 11352-7340 .
    Write down your E-MAIL address & PHONE no. on the BACK of the
    check. Life membership is $1,000; Family (2 voters) is $50; Basic
    Membership is $35; Student membership is $15. Thank you.

    - - - - - - - - - - -
    * Sent to us by a Federal District Court Judge,
    who unfortunately has a schedule conflict and couldn't attend the
    "Gathering of Legal Eagles. "