CONTACT: Dr. Joy Bruce

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FLORIDA ASIAN  LEADERSHIP HOLDS SUMMIT IN ORLANDO

Miami, FL – January 30, 2009

            An Asian Summit in Orlando marked the beginning of 2010 and promises to be a historic event for the widely diverse Asian-American communities in the State of Florida.

            On January 16-17, 2010, Asian American community leaders across the State met at Orlando Marriott Downtown to finalize their strategic plans for outreaching the hard-to-count Asian population in Florida in preparation for the upcoming Census.

“We needed to ensure that Asian Americans get their fair share of resources by achieving a full count in Census 2010”, said Dr. Joy Bruce, President of the Asian American Federation of South Florida,  a national organization made up of more than 70 Filipino, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Indian, Cambodian, Thai, Bangladesh and Burmese community-based organizations, businesses and media. “At the Summit, we all joined hands in true partnership to discuss ways of empowering their community by achieving an accurate and complete Census count of Asian Americans throughout the State of Florida.”

Census data is used to plan for the needs of the community; which includes the planning and funding for health care facilities, poverty assistance programs, transportation projects, housing programs, public safety strategies, and much more. Over 170 federal programs use census population data to determine the range and level of funding available to local governments. 

The Census 2010 questionnaire is the shortest form in US census history which dates back to 1790, according to Winnie Tang, US Census Partnership Specialist. “With just 10 questions, the form should only take 10 minutes to complete., but it will make a difference in decision making at all levels of government for the next ten years.” 

The completed Census questionnaire is confidential and protected by law.  Census employees cannot share Census information with anyone including the President or other government agencies, and they are subject to a $250,000 fine and up to five years in prison for disclosing personal information. 

As part of the two-day 2010 Asian Summit, Bank of America and Florida Prosperity Partnership also gave a “Train the Trainer” workshop so that Asian American communities in Florida may attain financial stability, promote prosperity and develop asset building strategies. The VITA program was introduced to help the Asian community prepare their income tax returns and avail of Earned Income Credits. In addition, the ethnically diverse Asian American leadership also discussed common issues that affect their communities, including immigration, health care reform and labor discrimination.

The sleeping giant is finally waking up.

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