Governor Owens forms Advisory Council on Asian Pacific American Affairs
By John Chin
March 17, 2000

On Wednesday, March 8, 2000, Governor Bill Owens hosted a breakfast meeting at the Governor's Residence with local Asian Pacific American leaders. The invitation read "Please join Governor Bill Owens for a roundtable discussion on issues facing the Asian community." The Office of the Governor worked closely with Daniel Oh, Korean Chamber of Commerce of Colorado, in organizing the breakfast. This was the second meeting of the Governor with local Asian American leaders. The first was a reception held in the fall of 1999 at the Palace Chinese Restaurant. Participants at the breakfast included:

In addition to the Governor, executive branch representatives included Shawn Connor, Deputy Chief of Staff, David Solin and Mike Salaz, Office of Economic Development and International Trade, Brigadier General James Hall (retired), Department of Military Affairs, and others.

Oh opened the breakfast session with introductions of the group and opening remarks thanking the Governor for the opportunity to share ideas and concerns. Governor Owens spoke briefly about the emerging importance of Asian markets for Colorado's economy. Additionally, he expressed his admiration for the accomplishments of Asian Americans. Owens believes that Asian immigrants with their strong work ethic, family values and rich cultural heritage have enriched and revitalized American society.

George Kuwamura, Asian Roundtable of Colorado, followed with a request for a proclamation by the Governor, establishing May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. In 1977, Frank Horton and Norman Y. Mineta of the House of Representatives and Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga of the Senate led the effort to proclaim the first 10 days of May as Pacific/Asian Heritage Week. President Bush signed legislation into law to designate May of each year as "Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in October of 1992. Governor Owens readily agreed and asked for assistance in preparing appropriate language for the proclamation.

John Chin, Organization of Chinese Americans, Denver Chapter, summarized the diverse and complex educational issues facing Asian American communities. Chin discussed a number of concerns including role models in education, greater parental involvement, English as a Second Language and other educational services for Asian immigrants, advanced study programs for gifted students, and the need for cultural awareness. He encouraged the Governor to participate with Colorado's Asian Communities in identifying key issues and developing solutions. Owens reiterated his commitment to improving education in the state and cited examples of his administration policy efforts.

In planning and organizing the breakfast with Oh, the Governor's staff indicated that they expect to hold several working sessions with the group over the year. Oh advanced the idea of formalizing the group as an ad hoc advisory council. At the breakfast, the group presented the Governor with a mission statement that read, "The mission of the Governor's Advisory Council on Asian Pacific American Affairs is to advise the Governor's Office on the business and socio-economic issues of the Asian Pacific American communities." The Governor's staff will be working on providing administrative support to the advisory council in its work.

Owens was also presented with a proposal to conduct a state-sponsored Asian Pacific American Issues Summit. This summit would be a broad-based forum for Asian community leaders, state and local officials, and others to discuss existing and emerging socio-economic issues, establish priorities, and seek potential solutions. Such issues would include community development, business assistance, education, youth, elderly, intergeneration issues, hate crime, immigration, health, and civic participation. The Governor directed his staff to work with the group to plan the summit.

In a subsequent lively question and answer period, Owens addressed several questions from the audience. The breakfast ended with the Governor posing with the group and individuals for pictures.

John Chin is President of the Organization of Chinese Americans, Denver chapter. OCA is dedicated to "embracing the hopes and aspirations of Chinese and Asian Pacific Americans in the United States." Founded in 1973, OCA has 77 chapters and affiliates. It maintains its headquarters in Washington, D.C. The next OCA event will be honoring Chinese Americans who were veterans of World War II. The event will be Friday, April 29th at 7 PM. Please contact John Chin for more information.