Thanksgiving Email
Thanksgiving is a special time each year when we come together as family and friends to create cherished memories.
Our community has experienced a lot in the past year. Despite the struggles combating racism, we have seen above-average vaccination rates, kids being back to school full time and a number of Asian Americans elected to important political positions, including Aftab Pureval as Cincinnati Mayor, Bruce Harrell as Seattle Mayor, and Michelle Wu as Boston Mayor.
In Ohio, Chinese American scientist Sherry Chen’s quest for justice has entered into its 8th year. Earlier this month, the prominent civil rights organization ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) and the renowned international law firm Cooley LLP joined Sherry Chen in her civil lawsuit against the federal government in challenging its discriminatory investigation and malicious prosecution. Hope this will help bring the government to accountability sooner for Sherry Chen and for the American people.
Professor Anming Hu of The University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UTK), a world-renowned nanotechnology expert, was acquitted of all charges the Department of Justice pursued in the first trial under its controversial "China Initiative", and UTK offered to reinstate Professor Hu shortly afterwards.
Nationwide, almost 2000 faculty and staff members from 223 educational institutions from all 50 U.S. states, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to end the Department of Justice’s controversial “China Initiative” program, raising concerns of racial profiling and academic freedom. APA Justice maintains an “End the China Initiative” page with the latest status and videos to help academics in coping with potential targeting under the “China Initiative”. APA Justice will keep the sign-on form at https://bit.ly/EndorseStanfordLetter open and continue to urge all qualified endorsers to sign on until the "China Initiative" has ended.
Hope you enjoy your family, friends and community this holiday season, and envision ways that your leadership and dedication can be amplified in serving our community and building a better world.
I'm thankful for your partnership and support, and wish you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving holiday.
Best,
Vincent Wang
Co-organizer, APA Justice
Chair, Ohio Chinese American Association
Chief Information Officer, Sherry Chen Legal Defense Fund