BY SONAM MIRPURI
ARTESIA, CA - The South Asian Network hosted a Town Hall Meeting at the Little Dhaka Restaurant here on Jan 29 . The well attended meeting discussed the fallout of the policies of the new government and its impact on the South Asian community. Unfortunately due to technical difficulties the event started off late.
ARTESIA, CA - The South Asian Network hosted a Town Hall Meeting at the Little Dhaka Restaurant here on Jan 29 . The well attended meeting discussed the fallout of the policies of the new government and its impact on the South Asian community. Unfortunately due to technical difficulties the event started off late.
Snacks were served in the interim to keep the attendees occupied.
Executive Director of SAN, Shikha Bhatnagar, started off by speaking about the purpose of the meeting as well as giving the audience a brief background about the South Asian Network.
Bhatnagar spoke about SAN and the services they provide. SAN is a 26-year-old, non-profit organization, which gives individuals of South Asian origin a place to gather and discuss all issues affecting the community with aspirations of raising awareness, engagement, and advocacy amongst community members leading to an empowered and active community.
Bhatnagar continued by introducing the three panelists who were present to speak about the organizations they represented and the current issues at hand.
Asmaa Ahmed, Policy & Advocacy Coordinator, Council on American-Islamic Relations, L.A. Area Chapter; Katelyn Ogawa, Program Coordinator, Asian Americans Advancing Justice’s Health Access Project; and Adrienna Wong, Staff Attorney, American Civil Liberties of Southern California; were the three panelists who came to speak about the Executive Orders signed by President Donald Trump and how they are affecting Asian Americans.
“This past week has been unusual and not what the country was founded on,” said Ahmed referring to the Executive Orders that have been passed under the current administration. Agreeing with Ahmed and taking it one step further, Ogawa added that it is necessary to make your voice heard. “We would love to have you at legislative meetings to speak for yourselves rather than us speaking for you,” said Ogawa. In addition, Wong made an interesting point. “These policies are ill-conceived and we are not sure how they will be implemented,” said Wong. Then it was time for the Q& A session during which the panelists took time to answer all of the questions the audience had for about an hour and a half. In conclusion the panelists reiterated the fact that everyone needs to now more than ever educate themselves, be informed, and take care of themselves and others. The meeting came to a close with Bhatnagar thanking the speakers and the guests for attending.
Executive Director of SAN, Shikha Bhatnagar, started off by speaking about the purpose of the meeting as well as giving the audience a brief background about the South Asian Network.
Bhatnagar spoke about SAN and the services they provide. SAN is a 26-year-old, non-profit organization, which gives individuals of South Asian origin a place to gather and discuss all issues affecting the community with aspirations of raising awareness, engagement, and advocacy amongst community members leading to an empowered and active community.
Bhatnagar continued by introducing the three panelists who were present to speak about the organizations they represented and the current issues at hand.
Asmaa Ahmed, Policy & Advocacy Coordinator, Council on American-Islamic Relations, L.A. Area Chapter; Katelyn Ogawa, Program Coordinator, Asian Americans Advancing Justice’s Health Access Project; and Adrienna Wong, Staff Attorney, American Civil Liberties of Southern California; were the three panelists who came to speak about the Executive Orders signed by President Donald Trump and how they are affecting Asian Americans.
“This past week has been unusual and not what the country was founded on,” said Ahmed referring to the Executive Orders that have been passed under the current administration. Agreeing with Ahmed and taking it one step further, Ogawa added that it is necessary to make your voice heard. “We would love to have you at legislative meetings to speak for yourselves rather than us speaking for you,” said Ogawa. In addition, Wong made an interesting point. “These policies are ill-conceived and we are not sure how they will be implemented,” said Wong. Then it was time for the Q& A session during which the panelists took time to answer all of the questions the audience had for about an hour and a half. In conclusion the panelists reiterated the fact that everyone needs to now more than ever educate themselves, be informed, and take care of themselves and others. The meeting came to a close with Bhatnagar thanking the speakers and the guests for attending.
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