CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY RECOGNIZES MAY 2017 AS ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
SACRAMENTO – Today, members of the California State Assembly and the Asian Pacific Islander (API) Legislative Caucus joined Assemblymember Ed Chau (D-Monterey Park) in co-authoring Assembly Concurrent Resolution (ACR) 81, which declares May 2017 as Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) Heritage Month.
“APIAs have and continue to play an important role in forging and enriching the history of California and the United States,” said Assemblymember Chau. “APIA Heritage Month serves as a time to honor this history and to recognize past and present APIAs for their dedication and accomplishments. It also promotes the diversity within the APIA community.”
The California API Legislative Caucus celebrated the accomplishments of nine outstanding Asian Pacific Islander Americans in their respective professions. The 2017 honorees are as follows:
- Jordan Clarkson, is a Filipino-American NBA player for the Los Angeles Lakers, since 2014, that was honored for excellence in Sports. In his first year of being drafted, Jordan was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
- Yu Brothers, Charles and Kelvin Yu, are highly successful editors, writers and actors, and were honored for excellence in Entertainment. Charles is an Editor for Westworld on HBO and has written three books, including How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe, which has been translated into eleven languages and published in over a dozen countries. Kelvin is an actor, writer, and producer whose television and film credits include Gilmore Girls, Felicity, ER, The Shield, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Grandma’s Boy, Cloverfield, and J.J. Abrams’ reboot of Star Trek.
- Vic Lee, is an Anchor for ABC 7 News, and was honored for excellence in Journalism. Vic’s reporting has received both local and national recognition. For example, his investigative series on the hidden health hazards in Silicon Valley’s semiconductor industry earned him the George Polk Award of Journalism for best local TV reporting. He has also won numerous Emmys and awards from the Associated Press, Radio Television Digital News Association (RTNDA), Society of Professional Journalists and the Asian-American Journalists Association.
- Putu Blanco, is the Chief Financial Officer and Co-Owner of Paul Blanco’s Good Car Company, and was honored for excellence in Corporate Business. Putu and her husband founded the company in 2008 as partners. Since then, it has expanded into seven California cities and Reno, Nevada. She handles the day-to-day operations, reconciles finances, and directs and motivates management to achieve maximum performance, and cultivate great employee relationships. She serves as a member on the Board of the Sacramento Asian Chamber of Commerce.
- Minh Nguyen, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of CD Video Manufacturing, Inc., and was honored for excellence in Small Business. Minh and his two brothers started their own company MTS, which would later become CD Video Manufacturing, Inc. Thanks to his entrepreneurship and vision, CD Video Manufacturing Inc. has 98 full-time employees, and a single day production capacity of 95,000 CDs, 160,000 DVDs and 18,000 Blu-Ray Discs. Minh is also a committed member of the community, and sponsors various community events and projects throughout the year.
- Marilyn Chin, is an English Professor and Activist, and was honored for excellence in Education. Marilyn’s books have become Asian-American classics and are taught in classrooms internationally. She has also won numerous awards, including the United Artist Foundation Fellowship, the Radcliffe Institute Fellowship at Harvard, and the Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship at Bellagio, to name a few. Her new book of poems Hard Love Province won the prestigious Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in 2015, an award that honors important contributions that address the issues of racism and diversity.
- Julie Su, is the Labor Commissioner for the State of California, and was honored for excellence in Advocacy. Julie is the first Asian-American to serve as California Labor Commissioner and is a nationally recognized expert on workers’ rights and civil rights who has dedicated her distinguished legal career to advancing justice on behalf of poor and disenfranchised communities. In her 17 years as a civil rights lawyer, Julie brought landmark lawsuits resulting in millions of dollars for low-wage workers and policy changes in California and the United States protecting immigrant victims of crime and human trafficking.
- Richard Konda, is the Executive Director of Asian Law Alliance (ALA), and was honored for excellence in Law. Richard is one of the founding members of ALA and during his tenure as an attorney, he has conducted hundreds of workshops and presentations on legal rights and responsibilities in the areas of housing law, immigration law and consumer issues.
ACR 81 passed with 68 co-authors.