Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

Las Vegas—Because of her focus on Asian American issues in this state, Nevada Rep. Dina Titus the Asian American Democratic Caucus (AADC) wants her to be the group’s spokesperson in Congress.

"Congresswoman Dina Titus is attentive to the Asian American population in her constituency," AADC said. "She will be our spokeswoman in Congress on issues such as immigration, housing, education and healthcare," it added.

"Through our caucus, we have always done our best to provide (Titus) with the opportunity of meeting the Asian Americans and to understand (our) culture, way of life and (our) problems," the AADC said in its statement.

The AADC had supported Titus run for the House of Representatives last November. She was honored by the group last May 30, during the closing of the Asian American Heritage month celebration.

The AADC is a Las Vegas group whose main objective is to identify issues affecting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in Southern Nevada. Issues identified are brought to the local, state and federal governments for action and possible resolution.

The group also focuses on developing potential AAPI leaders and will help build up these leaders to run for office. The group endorses candidates who they deem will best represent the interests of the AAPI community. It had recently supported the candidacy of Rep Dina Titus to the US House of Representatives.

Last November, Titus defeated Republican Jon Porter to become the first Democrat to represent the Nevada 3rd Congressional District. The district is composed of the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson.

Titus, who was in the Nevada Senate as minority leader since 1993, is expected to be an advocate of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders on issues such as immigration, housing, education and healthcare, AADC noted.

During the May 30 event, the AADC honored three Las Vegas residents for their outstanding Asian culture contributions to the city. At the same time, three high school student were given college scholarships to pave the way "for future Asian leadership" in Las Vegas.

"We highlight the contribution of three outstanding Asians for their contribution to the field of culture in Las Vegas ," AADC chair Sanje Sedera said.

Filipino-American Rozita Lee, Thailand-born Supatra Chemprachum, and India-native Neeru Piplani received the

Lee is national vice chair of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) a national affiliation of more than five hundred Filipino-American institutions and umbrella organizations, whose core mission is to empower Filipinos in the United States.

Both Lee and NaFFAA were given recognition at Las Vegas City Hall during the opening of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in this city last month.

Aside from her role in NaFFAA, Lee is also a member of the National Asian Pacific American Media Coalition that grades media networks on diversity issues.

Through the television programs that she produced in Las Vegas, Lee created awareness of the cultures of Asian and Pacific American in the mainstream media.

Chemprachum, meanwhile, is the founding chair of the Watpa Buddhya Nandharam Buddhist Thai Temple. She organized events displaying Thai culture through the Clark County school district, Lied Discovery Museum, and the Nevada State Council of Arts. She is the author of Seven Years of Thai Culture" published in 2000 and "Fifteen Years of Thai Culture, which was printed in 2008.

India-native Piplani organized Las Vegas events like Rangoli, Dushhahra, Diwali and Lohri at the Hindu and Jain Temple of Las Vegas. These events are now held annually at the said temple. Piplani is the incoming cultural secretary of the Friends of India cultural organization.

Meanwhile, Angello Vealentino Flores, Kristel Alviola Javier, and Nicole Schwartz all received college scholarships from AADC. The scholarships were "launched for the future Asian leadership in the community," AADC’s Sedera said.

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( Published on June 11, 2009 in Asian Journal Las Vegas p. A1 )