AAPI Contribution: Sara Sadhwani
With March being Women's History Month and with the upcoming June and November elections around the corner, it's the perfect time to highlight an Asian American woman in Los Angeles County making great strides in this area. We'd like you to meet Professor Sara Sadhwani of La Canada --- a LA County resident, Assistant Professor of Politics at Pomona College specializing in American politics and race and ethnic politics, and most recently, a commissioner on the 2020 Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC) for the State.
Filipino-American History Month
The first Filipinos arrived in the U.S. in 1587 in Morro Bay, California. Filipino-Americans have since grown into a population of over 4 million and have made significant contributions to society, science, and arts and culture. In 2009, Congress passed a resolution recognizing October as Filipino-American History Month. In this article, LACAAEA is extending its celebration by highlighting some notable Filipino-Americans and their outstanding achievements.
AAPI Contributions: Meet Lily Lee Chen
Lily Lee Chen's story reads like a timeline of Chinese, American and Chinese American history. Lily was born in China and brought up in Taiwan. She came to the U.S. in early 1960's, lived throughout the Kennedy years, Johnson's Great Society and the Civil Rights Era. She balanced her work and raising her two children. With a master degree in social work, Lily began her public service as a front line medical case worker for the County of Los Angeles. In 1983, Lily became the first Chinese American woman to win the mayorship of an American city. As Mayor of Monterey Park, California, Lily was the force behind a great number of civic improvements and achievements in this city. In 1984, Lily was instrumental in bringing the Olympics to Monterey Park. in 1985, she was selected by USA Today as a recipient of the "All-America City Award". Lily has dedicated her life and continues to contribute, educate and inspire global citizens by blending the eastern and western cultures. It is her dream to build a world of beauty and peace.
AAPI Contributions: Meet Yuri Kochiyama
“Malcolm X and Yuri Kochiyama are both American civil rights icons,” according to writer Sushmita Arora. “But while you probably learned about Malcolm X’s lasting legacy in school, Kochiyama remains one of American history’s unsung heroes.”
“The daughter of immigrants, Kochiyama experienced the hardships of a World War II internment camp after public hysteria surrounding Japanese Americans erupted in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack,” according to journalist Elaine Woo. Before the war, she “was a model of assimilation,” according to the Washington Post.
“She wrote a sports column for the San Pedro News-Pilot and was a Sunday school teacher at the local Presbyterian church.” However, after she and her family were sent to an internment camp and her father died shortly after being taken into custody, she began to have a different view of the world after the war.
Distinguished Speaker: Bill Fujioka
On March 30, 2021, former Chief Executive Officer of LA County, Bill Fujioka shared his life experiences growing up in LA County, how he became involved in local government and management, memorable stories from his time as the Chief Executive Officer, his tips and insights for employees seeking promotions in government, and his thoughts and insights on how to address the rise of anti-Asian sentiments, attacks and hate crimes in this country. Click here to watch the recorded event.