Iowa Department of Human Rights Division of Community Advocacy and Services (DCAS)

2. Iowa Department of Human Rights Division of Community Advocacy and Services (DCAS) Commission on the Status of Iowans of Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage (CAPI) Established in 2004 www.iowacapi.org www.humanrights.iowa.gov

3. CAPI Vision: All Asian and Pacific Islander Iowans live up to their potential, regardless of ethnicity, station in life, and religionMission: To ensure Iowa’s Asians and Pacific Islanders have opportunities equal to other Iowans in education, employment, health care, housing, and safety and to publicize the accomplishments and contributions of the Asian and Pacific Islanders to the state.

4. Who are APIs? The “Asian” is defined as: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, Vietnam, and etc. The “Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander” is defined as: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. Source: U.S. Bureau of Census

5. Asian Americans in the U.S.

6. Demographics Source: * U.S. Census Bureau; ** Woods and Poole Economics, Inc

8. API Population Change in Iowa

10. Refugees to Iowa • July 1975:Governor Robert Ray created the Task Force for Indochinese Resettlement • November 1975:Taidam refugees • April 1979:Vietnamese "boat people“ and Cambodian refugees • June 1980:Laotian • February 1987:Czech, Hungarian, Polish and Romanian • February 1993:Bosnian • September 1993:Burmese • June 1995:Sudanese • August 1998:Liberian • May 1999:Kosovar • June 2008:Bhutanese

11. Immigrants and the Economy Contribution of Immigrant Workers to the Country’s 25 Largest Metropolitan Areas

12. President Executive Order 2009-10-14 The White House Asian American and Pacific Islander Initiative www.aapi.gov The Initiative works to improve the quality of life and opportunities for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders by facilitating increased access to and participation in federal programs where they remain underserved.

13. The myth of the "model minority" Overlook the challenges that certain AAPI communities are facing: • Language barriers – particularly new Americans and refugees • Lack of accurate data – lump all AAPI data into one category • Health disparities – higher rates of diabetes, cancer, and Hepatitis B • Educational disparities – high dropout rates, low college enrollment rates in some communities • Economic disparities – higher rates of poverty in some communities, and barriers to employment and workplace advancement in others

14. CAPI • Town hall meetings • Smithsonian traveling exhibit “Exit Saigon, Enter Little Saigon” • Refugee Adjustment of Status Clinics • Annual API Capitol Showcase and Awards • Storm Lake School District ELL Policy change • Interpreter Bill - Develop a mechanism to ensure the qualifications of interpreters for Asian and Pacific Islander persons • Youth programs: Refugee Family Apartment Set-up to welcome newly arrived refugees, Annual “Support Local Talent” Fundraiser event, E-Mentoring Program, Vagina Monologues – API Youth style, Youth Leadership Summit, Refugee Youth Empowerment Program, etc.

15. CAPI

16. Swati Dandekar Marion, IA • The first Indian-born, first Asian Pacific American to be elected State Representative (2002-2008), then Senator (2008-present) • Born in Nagpur, India

17. Questions?