Limbo- the in-between...can't go here nor there

Mentally Ill and in Immigration Limbo: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/nyregion/04immigrant.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=mental%20illness&st=cse

Limbo...truly the word for this woman: Xiu Ping Jiang. She's in limbo. Married under age and then forcibly sterilized in China for having a second child, she desparately escaped to America for political asylum. Under the stress of surviving in the US, avoiding deportation, and failing to reunite with her two sons, she had developed a mental illness that has only worsened as she became detained. A judge has sentenced her to be deported. Her sisters are working to help her though.

"Ms. Jiang goes without eating for days, or vomits after meals for fear of poison; she mumbles to herself and tears up letters from her family, the petition says. While her risk of dying in detention seems to grow each day, her sisters say, they also fear that she will die if she were deported to China, since nobody there is able to take care of her."
If she stays, she dies. If she goes, she dies. It's as if there is so much beauracracy that there is nothing to be done for someone in her situation. What happens if a detainee has a mental illness? You stay in limbo forever?

It's hard to be revoked of your freedom to give birth. It's hard to be an immigrant and harder to be a refugee. It's hard to go to a completely new country where you don't even speak the language to start over. It's hard to be separated from your children and everyone you've known your whole life.

What is the immigration policy on this? If you're an undocumented immigrant, does there have

to be a specific reason to deport like a crime or can it just happen anytime?

Image Source: Patrick Andrade, The New York Times, "Mentally Ill and in Immigration Limbo"

some preliminary thoughts on faith and health

"What does it mean to be a feminist of faith?

Specifically, what does it mean to be a Catholic feminist? Is this a living contradiction? Can the two blend together in a search for truth, meaning, or even justice?

How can two radically different ideologies and practice possibly come together?" ~Excerpt from "Emerging, a Feminist Faith" by Lisa Factora-Borchers of the blog My Ecdysis [1]

Full disclosure: I am an atheist, from an atheist family. However, the questions on faith, specifically the contradictions between different (but interconnected) parts of one's identity, did resonate with me. More importantly, given the significance of faith in many communities, as well a the diversity of traditions around faith, I definitely wanted to get the conversation started on faith, spirituality and religion.

I grew up in a quiet little suburb outside of DC among many second generation Chinese-Americans. For a lot of my classmates, Christianity and God were a big deal; I would overhear many of my Chinese-American classmates talk about church or read their Xanga posts discussing their faith. (Asian-Nation has a breakdown of the religious affiliations of APIs.) As an angry pro-choice queer atheist, I didn't really understand the appeal or the necessity of these institutions and faith for a while, not until my mother explained to me that churches were often a way for new Chinese immigrants to quickly develop social ties to others from China.

In recent years, there have been several studies linking religion, spirituality, meditation and wellness. Some studies have found that religious involvement is associated with positive self-perceptions of health, life satisfaction, and pyschological wellness. [2] Additionally, many have concluded that religious service attendance often serves as a form of social tie:

"[T]hese various forms of spirituality and faith help Asian Americans to deal with the upheavals of immigration, adapting to a new country, and other difficult personal and social transformations by providing a safe and comfortable environment in which immigrants can socialize, share information, and assist each other. In this process, religious traditions can help in the process of forming Asian immigrant communities by giving specific Asian ethnic groups another source of solidarity, in addition to their common ethnicity, on which to build relationships and cooperation." [3, 4]

However, despite the significance of religion, little research has been done specifically on the second generation, or even on the role of faith in API health issues. [5] Some questions I've been thinking about include, how sensitive are providers to the religious needs of the groups within the API community in regards to health care? How can health and spirituality be integrated into the promotion of a healthy lifestyle? Some examples offered by Musgrave and her colleagues seriously excite me, such as a community needs assessment survey done by members of a congregation, or starting up a faith-based health education program for cancer survivors. [2]

I also think that the questions that Factora-Borchers poses should be seriously considered in our communities, including the relationship to culture, health and health care access. For some of my friends who are also queer APIs (or allies), reconciling faith and being queer is a huge deal in itself. Additionally, for many, there is also the fear of hostility from health care providers when it comes to dealing with queer and reproductive health issues. After all, in the U.S., there are several laws that protect pharmacists from dispensing emergency contraception or providers from performing abortions based solely on personal objections. I would also imagine that addressing issues such as sexual health and drug use with our own families can be really intense , as well.

Factora-Borchers ends her post with something that I know I'll be thinking a lot about:

"I am a womyn, a feminist of faith. And for all the questions, contradictions, and controversy that brings - well, it's better to face those things head on, with no pretense, than to submit to a writing life with no authentic tongue." [1]

Please let me know if you want to do a guest blog on this topic!

On the book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: it is a pretty well known book on the clash between Hmong culture and western medicine, but I would check out this review on WWW Hmong Homepage first.

Sources:
[1] "Emerging, a Feminist Faith" by Lisa Factora-Borchers, from the blog My Ecdysis.
[2] "Spirituality and Health for Women of Color" by Catherine F. Musgrave, DNSc, RN, Carol Easley Allen, PhD, RN and Gregory J. Allen, ThD
[3] "Religion and Health: Historical Perspectives, Current NIH Research, and Implications for Public Health" by Ellen Idler, PhD.
[4] "Spirituality, Religion and Faith" on Asian-Nation
[5] "What It Means to be Christian: The Role of Religion in the Construction of Ethnic Identity and Boundary among Second-Generation Korean-Americans" by Kelly H. Chong

API student activists in the national labor movement

Interested in API Issues?
Interested in social/economic justice?
Interested in changing the world?
Interested in going to Las Vegas?

The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) is hosting its 10th Biennial National Convention in Las Vegas, NV on July 9 - 12. We are looking for young, motivated API student activists who have been involved or want to get more involved with the national API labor movement.

No money? Scholarships are available! This is a great opportunity to connect with API activists both young and young-at-heart to learn about how we can strengthen the presence of API's in fight for progressive social change. You can find more details at http://www.apalanet.org/. Attached is the scholarship application form.

Health Policy Leadership Program

Health Policy Leadership Program that focuses on developing health and healthcare policies and programs in the San Joaquin Valley. They cover issues such as uninsured, health professional shortages, and environmental health. The focus is on students who want to practice withinthe region. There is a cost to participate.

Please review this site for more information about the program:http://www.csufresno.edu/ccchhs/institutes_programs/CVHPI/programs/leadership.shtml

CVHPI information can be found here:http://www.csufresno.edu/ccchhs/institutes_programs/CVHPI/index.shtml

You may contact Nancy Pacheco at npacheco@csufresno.edu and 559-228-2155 orMarlene Bengiamin at marleneb@csufresno.edu for more information.

Asian Heritage Month

Did you know there was an Asian Heritage Month? We hear so little about it. It's unfortunate. What can we do to really celebrate this month?

Anyway, Barack Obama proclaims that May is Asian Heritage Month: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Presidential-Proclamation-Asian-American-And-Pacific-Islander-Heritage-Month/

watch this: food, inc trailer

Like I've mentioned before, I became vegetarian three years ago because of my concerns for how meat was processed. I didn't want to support an industry that abuses workers, animals and the environment. In doing my own research on the food industry overall, sometimes I feel like I should just not eat anything, because a lot of stuff I like isn't processed in a way that I would consider ethical. Living in Berkeley, CA allow me to be in the very privileged position of being able to obtain at least some portion of my food in a relatively guilt-free way.

This trailer does mention health impacts. How most food is processed in the United States has a few important health consequences. Some interesting ones to research include:

• Ratio of omega-6 fats to omega-3 fats in corn fed beef compared to grass fed beef.
• Levels of sugar in food over the years
• Environmental impact of the meat industry
• Slaughterhouse working conditions

Another one is the "Obesity-Hunger Paradox." Basically, why is it that the poor, who are the least able to afford food, have high obesity rates? In a 1999 study, Christine Olson found that the average body mass index for women in a food-insecure household was 28.2 compared to women in a food-secure household, who had a mean BMI of 25.6. [1], [2]

The management of hunger is a complex task. As a person with extreme economic privilege, I definitely have the option to ask my parents for money when it comes to groceries. However, I don't, and often end up trying to figure out ways to buy a week's worth of groceries for $15. Or, sometimes, if I don't have money to buy a sandwich when I'm in a hurry, I'll get a cup of coffee instead, which usually suppresses my appetite for about 6-8 hours and a little bit over a dollar. Obviously, not very healthy. But as someone who does this occasionally, it's not the same thing as someone--or a family--who regularly faces food insecurity and has very few options. According to the Urban Institute, in 2000, 21.4% of nonelderly Asian-Americans faced food insecurity, compared to 18.2% of non-Hispanic whites. [3]

"Underdogs" by the Coup

"Big ol' spoons of peanut butter, big ass glass of water
Makes the hunger subside, save the real food for your daughter"

[1] "What is the Hunger-Obesity Paradox?" by Lee M. Scheier
[2] "Nutrition and Health Outcomes Associated with Food Insecurity" by Christine Olson
[3] Urban Institute, 2000.

The Return of Affirmative Action?

A long time ago (grin), as a former high school student at Torrance High School in Torrance, CA, I was conscientous of the fact that our high school graduates' "success rate" (a.k.a. how many students enroll into a four-year university post graduation) was relatively impressive. As a freshman, I learned that a total of approx. 40 Asian-American students out of the entire graduating class of that year were UCLA-bound alone.

As a freshman at UCLA, the experience of walking through the UCLA campus closely mirrored my experiences of walking through Koreatown in Los Angeles. Statistically, the percentage of Asian-American UCLA students has always been high, and my peers at UC Berkeley resounded the same sentiment. It almost felt strange to walk through the campus of an institution that assumes great pride on its efforts towards diversity. It seemed like Asian-Americans were the majority. There were many days within my four years where I really wished that there were less Asian-American students.

Over this past weekend, I read an article that a friend of mine (also a UCLA graduate) emailed to me:
New UC Admissions Policy Angers Asian-Americans
This past February, the UC Board of Regents unanimously approved a new admissions policy that, according to UC's own estimate, could result in the proportion of Asian admissions to drop as much as 7 percent, while admissions of whites could rise by up to 10 percent.

Directly quoted from Silicon Valley's MercuryNews.com:
"Since its adoption by the UC Regents in February, the policy has triggered Asian suspicions of the UC entry system not felt since the mid-1980s, when a change in admissions policy caused a decline in Asian undergraduate enrollment. In 1989, then-UC-Berkeley Chancellor Ira Michael Heyman apologized for the policy.

'I fear a general sense that there are too many Asians in the UC system," said Patrick Hayashi, former UC associate president.'"

My first, honest initial reaction to the SF Chronicle article was "Whew, thank goodness I'm done with college." But I could not allow myself to remain smug and shelter only a complacent stance on this issue. If I was applying to college or I was the parent of a child who was applying to UC schools, I'd be just as upset as everyone else.

As a women's studies major, this article immediately and naturally infuriated me. How does the UC system envision to implement this policy without making the lessening of Asian-American admissions conspicuous? Is this a reversal of affirmative action? Are people of other races infuriated by this policy as well? Will this policy truly not impact racial diversity, if the UC's claims ring true?

I took a careful look at the UC's website to read through the system's published policy:
UC Regents Adopt Changes to Freshman Eligibility
While there is no mention of "Asian" or "Asian-American" - in fact, any other race - this policy would inevitably sharply reduce Asian-American admissions.

Personally, I want to believe that the UC's intent behind this policy is not for the purpose of increasing diversity, but I do believe that that will be the result. Moreover, I do not believe it will be for the betterment of the UC institution altogether - with what I believe are lowered standards for admissions, the overall integrity and academic excellence of the schools will consequently drop as well. I am definitely a person that standardized tests do not truly reflect the promise and potential of a student, but how can the UC system claim that their admissions determinations are for the purpose of "fairness" to the face of a highly qualified applicant? Like one person commented on the SF Chronicle online article, I also agree that every race has very intelligent, capable men and women. As an Asian-American student, I am confident that my Asian-American peers have worked hard in the past to become the successful professionals and academicians they are now. To see that the hard work of only future Asian-American collegians will be negatively impacted by this policy greatly saddens me.

I would love to know what you think.

Status of Hepatitis B services in Alameda County for the API population

Hideto Saito, a public health graduate student, and his group will be giving a presentation on the status of hepatitis B services in Alameda County for the API population this Wednesday May 29 at 10:30 a.m. on the 4th floor of University Hall on the UC Berkeley campus.

APA for Progress- conference call

On May 31st, Asian Pacific Americans for Progress (apaforprogress.org), the national network of progressive Asian Americans and allies, is hosting a nation-wide conference call with Konrad Ng, the Chinese American brother-in-law of President Obama. It will be a great chance to hear from someone so close to the President and to learn how the President might approach our community.

All the details are on apaforprogress.org. Basically, it can just be a dozen friends or so, gathering for a potluck and then calling in and listening to Konrad. There'll also beanother guest or two. After the call, parties can all talk about the issues they think matter, not just on a national level, but also locally. APA for Progress will then record all these thoughts and share them with the Obama administration. It will be a chance to have our collective voice heard.

It would be great to have some health discussions concerning our community that we can submit to the Administration.

Asian Americans in politics

A national telephone survey went out, getting the demographics of Asian Americans who vote and don't vote including their varying levels of interest in politics, issues they deem important, what party they vote with, and what factors may make them more or less likely to vote. http://www.asianweek.com/2009/04/22/why-do-asian-americans-get-involved-in-politics-2008-naas-survey-highlights/

I always feel like if you don't use your right to vote (if you can legally vote), you don't have a right to complain.

"Everything's political."