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 A Message from |
Welcome to the new website for the North Carolina Venture of the National
Association of
Asian-American Professionals! I highly encourage you to join our association and to participate actively in its activities and programs in professional skills and leadership development, multicultural appreciation, and community service. At the very least you will get the opportunity to meet a lot of very interesting and outstanding achievers, to join a community that continues to play an ever more visible and more active role in a growing network of thousands of Asian-Americans, all encouraging and empowering each other as rising professionals and as responsible, charitable members of a diverse society facing the challenges of our times. Public commentators have long stated that Asia and America are well-positioned to lead the advancement of a modern globalized civilization leading into the so-called Pacific Century. But as recent history has shown since the 1997 Asian Crisis, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the dot-com recession, the near-decimation of key American industries particularly in North Carolina, and the toxic divisiveness of the wartime 2004 election campaign, the globalized, Internet-empowered future is not in any way a smooth, utopian road. Yet the future remains hopeful, filled with much tantalizing potential. No one who still remembers the Cold War, the race-hate murder of Vincent Chin, and the violent turmoil suffered by Asia and the American South in the mid-to-late 20th century can deny that much painful but breath-taking progress has been made through the years; so despite the "interesting times" we think we now live in, history's momentum has been and remains on our side. NAAAP itself has grown from a small pan-Asian band of disco-era New Yorkers to a continent-wide, tech-savvy network of diverse thousands; we have rising potential for even more growth as Asian-America continues to add more spice to the American melting pot. Indeed, as our world grows smaller, East and West cannot help but meet and mix, and we, as Asian-Americans, are positioned right in the very center of history's cross-currents. This is indeed an exciting time to stand up, to learn, and to lead. So, in the spirit of the 4th of July, let me leave you now with the words of one of my kababayan, the late celebrated Filipino-American author Carlos Bulosan: America is not a land of one race or one class of men. We are all Americans that have toiled and suffered and known oppression and defeat, from the first Indian that offered peace in Manhattan to the last Filipino pea pickers. America is not bound by geographical latitudes. America is not merely a land or an institution. America is in the hearts of men that died for freedom; it is also in the eyes of men that are building a new world. America is a prophecy of a new society of men: of a system that knows no sorrow or strife or suffering. America is a warning to those who would try to falsify the ideas of free men. America is also the nameless foreigner, the homeless refugee, the hungry boy begging for a job and the black body dangling from a tree. America is the illiterate immigrant who is ashamed that the world of books and intellectual opportunities is closed to him. We are that nameless foreigner, that homeless refugee, that hungry boy, that illiterate immigrant and that lynched black body. All of us, from the first Adams to the last Filipino, native born or alien, educated or illiterate -- We are America! A Happy Freedom Day to you all! AMDG,Hector R. Javier, PMP President, 2004-2005 NAAAP-NC |
 A Message from |
A year ago, I could not have foreseen all
the people I would meet, nor events NAAAP-NC would sponsor during my term
of office. It has been a very full year, with new friends and
acquaintances as well as many rewarding experiences. I am excited about
the continued growth of NAAAP-NC over the past year, and the direction
this venture is taking toward full chapter status and a greater leadership
role in NAAAP National.
Many thanks are in order. First, I would like to acknowledge my fellow officers: John Chen, Judy Tseng, and King Chung; they have all been very supportive and made my job as President a lot easier. Second, I thank the board, both past and current members, who have also been instrumental in the planning and execution of events. In addition, I appreciate Ellen Sung for serving as the newsletter editor and for the excellent job she has done in this position. Finally, I would like to thank all those who have participated in NAAAP-NC events over the past year. I hope that some of those who have joined during this time will consider taking leadership roles within NAAAP-NC in the months and years to come In closing, I have been privileged to have worked with a great team, and I am sure that the new President, Hector Javier, will also enjoy the same kind of support. As I prepare to leave the Triangle, I will look forward to hearing about NAAAP-NC and expect to hear great things about this venture/chapter both locally and nationally in the future. Respectfully, |