Press Statement
For Immediate Release:
May 2, 2014
Contacts:
Emily Kessel, NAKASEC, eakessel@nakasec.org
Dae Joong Yoon, NAKASEC, djyoon@nakasec.org
NAKASEC Leader Meets with President Obama and Senior White House Staff
WASHINGTON DC– On Friday, May 2, 2014, a faith leader in the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community and NAKASEC board member Reverend Eunsang Lee from First United Methodist Church in Salt Lake City, Utah met with President Obama and Senior White House staff to address the importance of passing immigration reform to end the moral crisis of family separation. Other members of the AAPI community also participated in the meeting.
A list of participants from today’s meeting follows:
- Congresswoman Judy Chu, Chair, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
- Congressman Mike Honda, Chair Emeritus, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
- Billy Dec, CEO and Founder, Rockit Ranch Productions
- Toa Do, President, Business Development Assistance Group
- Hyepin Im, President and CEO, Korean Churches for Community Development
- Rev. Abhi Janamanchi, Senior Minister, Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church
- Daphne Kwok, Chair, President’s Advisory Commission on AAPIs
- Rev. Eun-sang Lee, Pastor, First United Methodist Church and NAKASEC
- Shekar Narasimhan, Managing Partner, Beekman Advisors
- Rebecca Yemin Shi, Executive Director, Illinois Business Immigration Coalition
- Rich Stolz, Executive Director, OneAmerica
- Sach Takayasu, President and CEO, Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship
Reverend Lee explained, “Ending the suffering of Asian American and other immigrant families is also a concern of persons of faith. I pray that our country’s leadership will open its hearts to the stories of Korean American, Asian American, and all immigrants alike, recognizing that family is what sustains us all and separating loved ones goes against the moral grounds of what it means to be an American.”
NAKASEC’s Board Chair Wan-Mo Kang said: “Community members are being torn apart and the number of deportations have reached an all-time high in recent years. These are children, young adults, parents, and hardworking members of our society that are asking for a chance to live the American dream. We urge the President to take every possible measure to stop the separation of families and urge Congress to move forward on immigration reform this year.”
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The National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC) was founded in 1994 by local community centers to project a progressive voice and promote the full participation of Korean Americans on major social justice issues. NAKASEC maintains offices in Annandale, Virginia and Los Angeles, California. NAKASEC has affiliates in Chicago (Korean American Resource & Cultural Center) and Los Angeles (Korean Resource Center).
