I forward an article for your reading on the weekend. If you like it then please help 80-20 group. Have a nice weekend ————————– I forward an article for your reading on the weekend. If you like it then please help 80-20 group. Have a nice weekend Dear fellow Asian Americans, Martin Luther King, Jr. said “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” How true that is. Our nation’s prosperity and strength is undermined when any of her people is held back or obstructed from achieving their full potential. Asian Americans (AsAms) comprise one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in America, and represent over 5% of the US population. Yet in 2008, before President Obama took office, only 8 – a measly 0.93% of the 864 US federal judges – were Asian American (AsAm)! And not a single judge on the appellate (circuit) court is AsAm. All of the 8 Asian American judges served at the lowest federal district court level. Could such a pathetic under-representation reflect a lack of qualified AsAm candidates to be appointed for federal judgeships? Heck NO! Dept of Labor statistics shows AsAms have an above-average representation in the legal profession, at over 5.5%. Many distinguished AsAm legal scholars serve as law professors and even deans at renowned law schools. If AsAm were equitably represented in the federal judiciary, wed have around 45 federal judges instead of only 8! It was not until 2006, when 80-20 Initiative took on the challenge to reverse the gross underrepresentation of AsAms in the federal courts and in upper management of the American workplace, that the tide finally began to turn. In 2008, 80-20 secured the landmark written commitment (see http://www.80-20initiative.net/news/preselect2008_obama.jpg ) from then-Presidential candidate Obama to remedy the inequity faced by AsAms. Since President Obama took office, he has taken concrete steps to nominate more AsAm judges. If all of President Obamas AsAm nominees were confirmed by the Senate, wed have nearly doubled the number of AsAm judges to 15, with 2 at the appellate level. Judge Denny Chin of New York became the first Chinese American appellate court judge earlier this year. Viet-Am and Korean Am are among the judges and nominees. The inequity AsAms face is not limited to the federal judiciary. Dept of Labor statistics also confirm that compared to national average, we have only 25% to 45% chance of rising to management ranks in private industry and academia!! Yes, you read the horrendous numbers correctly! Did you ever think that the glass ceiling was THAT low and that the odds against us were THAT awful? We have a LONG ways to go before equal opportunity and justice is enjoyed by AsAm. Fed up? Outraged? Then do your part by becoming a dues- paying member of 80-20 Initiative TODAY. And get your fellow AsAm to do the same. Together, we can fight more effectively for equal opportunity. Isnt your future and that of your children worth much more $35 or $50/yr to insure? You cannot find cheaper or more effective equality insurance than the $35-individual $50-family annual membership fee. Please join now at http://www.80-20initiative.net I have been waiting for a long time to see more of my friends names on the 80-20 membership roster. You and I both know whether you are a dues paying member or not. I check that list regularly. Those of you who are dues-paying members, I salute and thank you. If you are not sure, check here: http://www.80-20initiative.net/about/membership.asp 80-20 dues paying members are a special breed who know it takes more than lip service and moral support to get the tough job done. They know that paying their dues is only the first step towards enabling the far more difficult task of getting the government to deliver on the promises. It is sad and a terrible shame that only about 2,000 AsAm out of 700,000 actually pay their dues that are essential to fund the challenging landmark progress that 80-20 is achieving on behalf of AsAms. Remember to feed your workhorse so it can keep working for you. Pay your dues NOW! Thank you for doing your part in our collective fight for equal opportunity and justice for all AsAm. Do it for yourself, your children and your country. Do it NOW. Thank you. Ed Dr. Edward Lin Director 80-20 Initiative (http://www.80-20initiative.net) Equal Opportunity and Justice for ALL Asian Americans e-mail: elin at ingenious dot com Encourage Inspire Empower “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi]]>