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Our voice is BUILDing

The Washington Immigrant Network (WIN) invites Washington State workers to celebrate Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month.

5/20/2021

 
In 1977, U.S. Representatives Norman Mineta and Frank Horton introduced legislation to designate 10 days in May as Pacific/Asian American Heritage Week. U.S. Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga proposed supporting legislation in the Senate. The lawmakers chose May to mark two historical events. On May 7, 1843, the first Japanese immigrant arrived in the United States. More than two decades later, on May 10, 1869, the golden spike was driven into the First Transcontinental Railroad, which was completed using Chinese labor.

President Jimmy Carter signed a joint resolution for the celebration on October 5, 1978.  In 1990, George H.W. Bush signed a bill passed by Congress to extend Asian-American Heritage Week to a month, and May was officially designated as Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month two years later.
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In 2000, the Washington State Legislature followed suit and declared the month of May as AANHPI Heritage Month.  From that point on, the Governor’s Office issues a proclamation each May on Heritage Month, recognizing and celebrating the diverse cultures of Washington’s Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders communities hailing from 42 plus nations.

​Many organizations, in Washington and other states, are holding cultural and education events to celebrate AANHPI Heritage Month.  We encourage you to check them out. The Commission on Asian Pacific Americans Affairs, link below, provide a list of some of these events.
  • AANHPI Heritage Month – Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs
  • Racial Choices: Justice or “Just Us”? | OiYan Poon | TEDxCSU (18:04):

Other API Related Events

APIC-SPS Presents: Roots & Belonging Events
Join Tracy Lai, Erics S. Chung, and Nam Nguyen  for a talk about Washington API's Past, Now, and Future. Let's take some time to learn what APIs have experienced in the past, how we are doing, and what the community  can do in the future!

Friday,  May 21 from 12-1pm Click here to Join  Meeting ID: 915 726 4248  ​
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Let It Not Happen Again: Lessons of the Japanese American Exclusion
The DES Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Council, in partnership with Humanities Washington, has developed a new DEI speaker series. “Let It Not Happen Again: Lessons of the Japanese American Exclusion," 
​

Thursday, May 27 12-1pm Click to Register
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Message from Dept. of Corrections Workforce Diversity & Talent Advisor- Kyle ManglonaHafa Adai (hello!):
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Together, this May, we celebrate “Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month”. I’d like to take this opportunity to elevate and share a little about a small but historically rich island in both American and Pacific history: Guahan (Guam). The indigenous people of Guam are properly called Chamorros (not Guamanians). Chamorros were the original inhabitants of the Northern Mariana Islands, including Guam, Saipan, Rota, and Tinian. 
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Chamorro culture shares similarities with many Pacific island cultural traditions, but is unique in that it has derived many adaptations from centuries of colonization. Our heritage is uniquely Spanish – as Spanish missionaries codified and influenced the shape of our language and familial customs. It is also uniquely Japanese, as the Empire of Japan occupied Guam for half a decade during the Second World War (my grandmother’s generation all speak fluent Japanese). Of course, modern Chamorro culture is distinctly American, as the United States has played a large role in the current state of affairs.

Some fun facts:
  • The largest diaspora of Chamorros is in the West Coast of the United States, particularly in Washington, California, and Nevada. Many who are from the West Coast have probably met Chamorros (besides me). Common Chamorro last names: Perez, Cruz, Santos, San Nicolas, Duenas, Pangelinan, Manibusan, Crisostomo, Manglona. 
  • Per capita, the American Pacific (including Guam and American Samoa) sends more women and men into uniformed armed service than any other place in America.  If you have served in the military, I almost guarantee that you have met a Chamorro!
  • Per capita, along with Hawaii, Guam consumes the most SPAM. SPAM, along with wheat flour, arrived with American GIs during the Second World War.
  • Located on the international dateline and 14 hours ahead of the US East Coast, Guam is, in fact, “Where America’s Day Begins” (official motto).
  • Guam no longer has native birds. The brown tree snake, brought from US Air Force planes in the 1940s, has eaten them all! Literally, there are no birds. Lucky snakes.

During AAPI Month, we give kudos to the rich traditions we have inherited from Asian and Pacific Island Americans!

Si Yu’us Ma’ase (literally “may God have mercy,” colloquially “thank you”),
Kyle

Immigrant Heritage Celebration
Immigrants’ Stories are the American History

DATE:  Tuesday, June 8, 2021

TIME:  12:00 – 3:00pm

The Washington Immigrant Network invites you to the 2021 Immigrant Heritage Month celebration.

Event highlights include:

Keynote speech by Washington State Governor Jay Inslee. Guest Speaker Ron Chew-An American consultant, author and the community organizer about his immigrant story
Unveiling and showcasing our Cultural Diversity Cookbook

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Register today
(space is limited) 

Please state that if you any one needs reasonable accommodations to contact us at win@ofm.wa.gov. We will be ready to provide ASL or CART upon request. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about how to join the event.

For more information, please visit our website:
www.washingtonimmigrantnetwork.org

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We would like to give high praise to all those who submitted their recipes to be included in WIN's Cultural Diversity Cookbook. The purpose of the cookbook is to celebrate diversity and to engage and connect with Washington State employees and allies by sharing food recipes from all over the world, traditions, and cultures. 
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We did receive a few recipes that were already published from other sources and unfortunately, we are not allowed to issue recipes that have been already been published. Regardless, we thank all of you who took the time to share recipes and stories that hold deep meaning for them and their culture. Thank you!- WIN Leadership Committee

Welcome Michael Nepomuceno- WIN's First Intern!
Washington Immigrant Network is excited and thrilled to have our first intern, Michael Nepomuceno. Michael will be trailblazing the first internship role for the business resource group and help pioneer in developing advocacy and inclusive climate for our immigrant communities.
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Please read about Michael:
Michael Nepomuceno is a Captain in the United States Army and has served the past four years at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. His internship here at WIN is hosted by the WorkEx Program, a strategic partnership between the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce and the PacMtn Workforce Group.

Michael graduated from UC Berkeley in 2016 and has served as a Field Artillery officer for the past four years focusing on Project Analysis and Management. He has had successful leadership experiences in leading diverse, small and large teams across multiple organizations, both civilian and military. His skills also include a proficiency in event planning, risk management, and relationship development – practices he has developed since his involvement in leadership roles since 2013.

Please feel free to reach out to him and offer any resources or insight as he hopes to continue his service to the greater community through his transition from military to state government service.

​Michael can be reached at: Michael.Nepomuceno@oah.wa.gov

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Find us on Youtube.com! 
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Meet the Washington Immigrant Network Leadership Team and  some of our wonderful members and volunteers.

WHO WE ARE:
  1. Support the professional development of immigrant state employees.
  2. Recommend strategies to advance recruitment, retention, career progression and leadership development.
  3. Educate state agencies on the experience, skills and knowledge of immigrants and the value of a diverse workforce.
WHAT WE DO:
  1. Provide a support structure, educational resources and leadership assistance for immigrant state employees.
  2. Encourage immigrants to consider the state as an employer of choice through inter-agency and external outreach activities.
  3. Serve as a resource for the Office of Financial Management, State Human Resources division and state agencies in creating and sustaining a diverse and inclusive workforce.
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Do you want to learn more about the Washington Immigrant Network (WIN) Business Resource Group? Please visit our website or contact us at WIN@ofm.wa.gov. We also encourage you to follow us on our social media links provided below. 

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