The National Association of Asian American Professionals (Seattle chapter) is providing $1,500 scholarships to two Asian Pacific American High School seniors entering college in the fall.  Read the full story

Through Operation Christmas Child (OCC), families can make a difference for a child in need by keeping the boxes from new school shoes and filling them with small gifts. Read the full story

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will not accept cash payment at domestic offices and U.S. territories, including U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam starting Oct. 1. Read the full story

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has approved 10,000 petitions for U nonimmigrant status (also referred to as the “U visa”) in 2010, an important milestone that marks the first time the USCIS has reached the statutory maximum of 10,000 U visas per fiscal year since it began issuing them in 2008. This means that the USCIS has helped the maximum number of immigrants that need help this year. Read the full story

The National Asian Pacific Center on Aging has issued a second publication focusing on the stories of AAPI elders served through the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP). Read the full story

Artisans from China visited the International District when they weren’t busy completing the structure at Seattle Chinese Garden. (Photo by Rebecca Ip/NWAW)

In order to transform the concrete shell of the Seattle Chinese Garden into a gathering place, a team of 21 artisans arrived in Seattle from China on Aug. 6 and 7. To complete the project, artisans used centuries-old methods and shipped materials from Chongqing, Seattle’s sister city. The gathering place will be known as Knowing the Spring Courtyard.

On Aug. 22, there will be a community welcome party for the artisans. This free community event will feature a lion dance, entertainment, and family activities. ♦

For more information, visit www.seattlechinesegarden.org or call 206-363-0501. The Seattle Chinese Garden is located at 6000 16th Ave. SW, Seattle.

Bangkok Broadcasting & Television Company, Thailand’s foremost broadcasting corporation, has been awarded $8.3 million in damages for willful copyright and trademark infringement by IPTV Corporation, BKT Group, and its management. All defendants were found liable for illegal copying, selling, and rebroadcasting of BBTV’s copyrighted programs.

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A new legislation aims to eliminate the use of profiling by federal, state, and local law enforcements based on race, religion, ethnicity, and national origin. This proposed act was introduced on July 15.

The End Racial Profiling Act of 2010 (ERPA) by House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, Jr. and Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties Chairman Jerrold Nadler will allow the victims of profiling to file lawsuits against law enforcement agencies that violate their rights. It also provides law enforcement officials with the tools to refrain from using racial profiling tactics.

“The debate over racial profiling has become a central element in a much larger history of adversarial relationships between the police and communities of color,” Conyers said in a press release.

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Norman Mineta (Photo provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A portrait of the first Asian Pacific American to hold a presidential cabinet post is being installed in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.

The portrait of former U.S. Transportation and Commerce Secretary Norman Mineta was installed last Monday, becoming part of the museum’s permanent collection.

President Bill Clinton appointed Mineta as commerce secretary in 2000, and President George W. Bush appointed him as transportation secretary in 2001. Previously, Mineta served in Congress for 20 years, representing California.

During World War II, Mineta and his parents, who were Japanese immigrants, were detained in an internment camp. In 1971, Mineta was elected mayor of San Jose, making him the first Asian American mayor of a major U.S. city. ♦

Daphne Kwok (Photo from www.apidisabilities.org)

On July 26, President Barack Obama appointed Daphne Kwok of San Francisco as chair of his advisory commission on Asian American and Pacific Islanders. The commission was re-established last year by the president as part of a White House initiative to improve the lives of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) as communities that are underserved by federal resources.

White House Initiative on Asian American and Pacific Islanders Executive Director Kiran Ahuja said Kwok’s more than two decades of experience as a community leader at both the national and state levels make her an invaluable asset to the commission.  Read the full story

Mikey and Hota Ferschke are featured in an upcoming episode of "In Their Boots," a documentary series about America's service members. The Ferschkes lost a husband and father, who was killed in Iraq while Hota was pregnant with Mikey. Hota faces deportation from the United States because she isn't a citizen.

“In Their Boots,” a 10-part documentary series about Americans who have been touched by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, has premiered in Seattle and Tacoma on KCTS 9, with a new episode set to air each Friday through August. Read the full story

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Latino civil rights group has sued 24 Hour Fitness, claiming employees suffered racial and gender discrimination at its gyms around California. Read the full story