On May 8, 2010 a group of APAS volunteers headed down to Plaquemines Parish to talk to local fishermen impacted by the BP oil spill and distribute food items collected by APAS. In total, the group was able to assist 65 Vietnamese and Cambodian families, many of whom were just beginning to stabilize post-Katrina. APAS was able to raise over $1,500 to purchase food items for the fishermen and their families. Each family received two boxes of Mama Noodles, two bags of rice, a can of sardines along with various other items donated by community partners. The needs of these families are noted by the appreciation shown for the items received and stories heard.
APAS was accompanied by Vietnamese, Cambodian and Lao interpreters to educate the communities about BP’s non-binding BP contract. At the time, BP solicited help from the fishermen to assist with the clean up. The contract stated that the fishermen who helped with the clean up lost their rights to sue BP and that BP was not liable for any damage incurred during the clean up. APAS was also accompanied by a representative from the Small Business Administration and board members.
There is still much to be done for the Asian families impacted by the spill. Much of the media surrounding the human impact of the disaster has overlooked the strong Southeast Asian population in the Parish. Many of these families are at risk for losing their entire livelihoods—not for the first or even second time— but for many the third or fourth time. Please use our donation form to make a contribution or send a check to:
APAS
3500 N. Causeway Blvd. STE 1548
Metairie, LA 70002
Please indicate “BP Oil Spill” on the envelope and check.
APAS is accepting donations for aid to the families in the Vietnamese, Cambodian and Lao communities is Southern Louisiana whose lives and livelihoods are being heavily impacted by the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. All donations will help cover food and living expenses for these families ... so please give generously.
To donate online, please provide us with you contact information so we can attribute your donation:
If you prefer to donate by mail please send your check or money order made out to APAS and with "Oil Spill" on the memo line to:
APAS
3500 N. Causeway Blvd. Suite 1548
Metairie, LA 70002
In signing up fishermen and volunteers to assist in the oil leak cleanup, BP was issuing contracts that required the full indemnity of BP, that BP be listed on the volunteers' insurance policies, and complete confidentiality. On May 2, 2010, Judge Ginger Berrigan struck several such provisions in the BP contract.
However, despite the federal-court decision, BP representatives continued to tell would-be cleanup mariners that they had to absolve the oil giant of any liability if they wanted to get the lucrative work. The contracts handed out at the John A. Alario Center on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish included language that was supposed to have been struck after the ruling by Judge Ginger Berrigan Sunday.
About 150 people attended a closed-door training session offered by BP, which certifies them to work with hazardous waste. Those leaving the event said many inside were Vietnamese, and not all spoke English, but there were no translators on the BP staff. APAS has prepared the attached notices below in Vietnamese and English about the Court’s ruling and what it means to the mariners and volunteers.
Download the press release (English)
Download the press release (Vietnamese)
Download the press release (Lao)
Download the press release (Khmer)
April 16, 2010: Go team!!! Kewe de APAS won the Gold cup for Division D. We weren't the last and had a blast! All are inspired to participate again next year. We hope you can join us! Thank you to all the team members for their hard work and dedication. A cheer for next year..... When I say "A" you say "PAS"....A.....PAS.....A...PAS When I say "Paddle" you say "FAST"......Paddle.....FAST!...Paddle...FAST! Cheer copyrighted by Jasmine Fournier Pictures are by Conrad Pramono and Armand "Sheik" Penumbra
Our theme is: Music From Asia!!!
$100 prize for the winner!
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Date: Sat, December 12, 2009, 1- 4 P.M
Location: Loyola University Danna Student Center, St. Charles Room
(Get a Loyola Map)
Cost: FREE!
Dragon Dance, Martial Arts, Face painting, Dress and Photo, Origami, Chinese Calligraphy, Classical Indian Dance, and so much more!
RSVP at 504-831-1148 or apasnola@gmail.com
Thursday, November 5, 2009 6:00 p.m.
The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim - author reading & booksigning
Location: Octavia Books, 513 Octavia St., New Orleans , LA 70115
Phone: 504-899-READ (7323) Reception follows.
www.thecalligraphersdaughter.com
Korean author Eugenia Kim (pictured, left) has been receiving raving reviews on her first book,
The Calligrapher's Daughter.
Please join us as Eugenia Kim presents and reads from her debut novel, The Calligrapher's Daughter. Eugenia Kim is a sister of Sun Kim. Sun Kim sends you a special invitation to the event.
New Orleans' Chinatown made an appearance in the Blake Pontchartrain column of New Orleans' Gambit Weekly, reprinted below with permission:
Did you know there used to be a Chinatown in New Orleans?
Blake Pontchartrain
Hey Blake,
Did you know there used to be a Chinatown in New Orleans?
Chi Tao Foo
Dear Chi,
Once the epicenter of New Orleans' Chinatown, the Chinese market that once occupied the 1100 block of Tulane Avenue gave way to the type of buildings seen throughout the Central Business District. Most on this block have been shuttered since Hurricane Katrina.
Yes, of course. While most people think of Chinatowns in New York City or San Francisco, others remember when New Orleans was the only Southern city with a population of Chinese immigrants large enough to develop a Chinatown.
The Chinese came to America in large numbers starting in 1848 with the California Gold Rush. More arrived in 1870, when the Central Pacific Railroad needed cheap labor to build a section of the Transcontinental Railroad. Immigration continued until anti-Chinese sentiment brought about the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
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