* Las Vegas Country Club is within walking distance from the Westgate Resort.  Directions are here.
** Friday bus pickup after dinner at 9:30PM will drop off at Bellagio or the Westgate Resort. If you get off at the Bellagio, you will be responsible for your return to the Westgate Resort.

* Las Vegas Country Club is within walking distance from the Westgate Resort.  Directions are here.
** Friday bus pickup after dinner at 9:30PM will drop off at Bellagio or the Westgate Resort. If you get off at the Bellagio, you will be responsible for your return to the Westgate Resort.

For over fifty years, New York native Corky Lee photographed his hometown's Chinatown and Asian American communitieis around the country. With a strong sense of social justice, he captured activists, celebrities, and everyday heroes with equal passion, taking over a hundred thousand photos.  Sadly, while documenting the latest rise of anti-Asian hate crimes, Corky fell to COVID. Through his own words and pictures, Dear Corky reveals the man behind the camera.

Come enjoy the 17 minute film and join in a discussion with the writer/director Curtis Chin on Corky's lifelong passions and endeavors, and how they relate to the work of C.A.C.A.
Screening: Thursday September 21 during lunch, Noon to 1:30 PM

From filmmaker and co-founder of the Asian American Writers' Workshop, Curtis Chin's memoir, Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant, about coming of age and coming out traces the author's journey through 1980s Detroit as he navigated rising xenophobia, the AIDS epidemic, and the Reagan Revolution to find his voice as a writer and activist - all set against the backdrop of his family's popular Chinese restaurant. The book, which features plenty of Chinese food, Motown vibes, and crack cocaine, will be published by Little, Brown in October 2023.

Join Curtis to uncover his journey and learn how to document your own stories.
Workshop schedule: Thursday September 21, 10:00 - 11:00 AM and 11:00 AM to noon

A co-founder of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop in New York City, Curtis Chin served as the non-profits’ first Executive Director. He went on to write for network and cable television before transitioning to social justice documentaries. Chin has screened his films at over 600 venues in sixteen countries. He has written for CNN, Bon Appetit and the Emancipator/Boston Globe. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Chin has received awards from ABC/Disney Television, New York Foundation for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and more. His memoir, "Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant" will be published by Little, Brown in Fall 2023. He can be found at CurtisfromDetroit.com

Sue Fawn Chung was born and raised in Los Angeles and attended many C.A.C.A. meetings and events with her father, Walter K. Chung.   She received her master's from Harvard and doctorate from UC Berkeley, then taught at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for almost forty years, serving as Director of International Programs, History Department Chair, and co-founder of Preserve Nevada. She has published numerous articles and several books on Chinese American history and recently worked on the nomination for National Historic Landmark status for the CACA Grand Lodge with Munson Kwok and Suellen Cheng.

Sue Fawn Chung is presenting on Friday September 22, 4:00 - 5:00 PM

Registering the Summit Tunnel site as an American National Landmark is an objective that addresses much more than preserving a historical place that is significant for Chinese Americans.  1882 Foundation's Executive Director Ted Gong discusses how the Summit Tunnel became a core objective for the Foundation.  He explains the steps and stragy undertaken over several years' effort and the current status of the Congressional registration process.  He discusses its place in educating and reinforcing pride in America and addressing Asian American hate, and he advocates for seeing beyond the Summit and understanding the essential need for historical preservation.

Workshop schedule: Thursday September 21, 11:00 AM - noon

Ted Gong retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in 2009 as a Senior Foreign Service Officer.  He worked on policies, laws and operations related to visas, border security, immigration, refugees, citizenship, and consular services.  He served in U.S. Embassies and Consulates in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Taipei, Manila, and Sydney and at the Departments of State and Homeland Security.  He is the Founder-Director of the 1882 Project Foundation and President of the DC chapter of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance.  Ted was educated at the University of California in History, University of Hawaii in Asian Studies, and U.S. Army War College in National Strategic Studies.  He received a Frederick Douglass FD200 Award in 2019. www.1882foundation.org

Membership Management is going online!  This session will overview the new application, EveryAction, and the C.A.C.A. implementation and a bit of history on how we got here.  We will discuss how each lodge will interact with the application to maintain their members’ personal data, membership related information, and interests.  If time permits, we can discuss other capabilities of the application that may be of interest to the lodges.

Workshop schedule: Thursday September 21, 10:00 - 11:00 AM and 11:00 AM - noon

GG is a second-generation US born Chinese.  Her family roots are from Taishan, Guangdong region.  She joined the Portland C.A.C.A. lodge in 2021 when registering to attend the Regional Chinese American WWII Veterans Event.  GG’s work career has been in Information Systems with a focus on software application implementations.  Her knowledge of computer applications has led her to volunteer on the Membership Management Project.  She is currently working part-time as a project manager and volunteering for non-profit organizations.  When not working or volunteering, GG enjoys traveling the world and spending time with her family and 2 dogs.

Columbia University’s School of Social Work, one of the world’s leading research universities, and Committee of 100, a non-profit membership organization of prominent Chinese Americans, undertook a year-long research project and survey that looked specifically at the health, economic, and sociopolitical conditions of today’s Chinese American population.

The first and largest of its kind project to gather wide-ranging data on Chinese Americans, the “State of Chinese Americans” survey gathered information from nearly 6,500 participants compiling data related to demographics, politics, cultural identity, health, economic security, and social engagement. The research effort was supported by over 100 Chinese American and allied organizations nationwide, who shared the survey with community members in English, traditional Chinese, and simplified Chinese.

Getting disaggregated, accurate and comprehensive data on Chinese Americans will help inform policymakers and the public of the diverse set of opinions, perceptions, and needs of Chinese Americans across the country and develop timely and responsive policies, programs, and services to address those needs.

Workshop schedule:  Thursday September 21, 9:00 - 10:00 AM

Dr. Qin Gao is Professor of Social Policy and Social Work and Associate Dean for Doctoral Education at the Columbia University School of Social Work and the Founding Director of the Columbia China Center for Social Policy. Dr. Gao studies poverty, inequality, social policy, migration, and child development in China and their international comparisons. She currently leads The State of Chinese Americans Survey and is a member of the New York City Longitudinal Survey of Wellbeing study research team. She is also on the faculty of the Committee on Global Thought and Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University and a Public Intellectual Fellow of the National Committee on United States-China Relations. Qin Gao’s book, Welfare, Work, and Poverty: Social Assistance in China (Oxford University Press, 2017) presents a systematic evaluation of the world’s largest social welfare program, Dibao. Her co-edited book, China Urbanizing: Impacts and Transitions (Penn Press, 2022), captures China’s urbanization in its historical and regional variations and explores its multifaceted impacts. Dr. Gao’s work has been supported by multiple national and international funding sources such as the Asian Development Bank, UNICEF, and the World Bank.

Sam Collitt is Committee of 100’s staff researcher.  He received a B.S. in Earth Science & Policy from Penn State University, and a PhD in political science from the University of California, Davis.  His research agenda is focused on U.S. public opinion and political behavior. He’s published several collaborative research papers in peer-reviewed journals on a variety of topics: the relationship between the opinions of partisan activists and those of the mass public, the electoral effects of vote-by-mail policies, and the electoral effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the past two years, AAPI hate has surged, underscoring the urgent need for AAPI communities to mobilize. C.A.C.A. adopted a resolution in 2021 to defend voting rights, our most fundamental tool for combating hate and creating change. In this session, APIAVote representatives will discuss concrete ways we can increase voter participation and education in the AAPI community. The presenters will provide an overview of AAPI voter trends, talk about the current state of voting rights, and highlight actionable steps individuals and groups can take.

The presentation will cover:

• Tangible actions to take to support voting rights and increase voter turnout
• Current voter engagement and education initiatives tailored for the AAPI community
• Upcoming voter turnout events and ways that local lodges can get involved

Workshop schedule:  Thursday September 21,10:00 - 11:00 AM and 11:00 AM - Noon

Sam Solemnidad (she/her/hers) is the Strategic Partnerships Manager at Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), the nation’s leading nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to promoting civic engagement in Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. In this role, she works to expand APIAVote’s partner network and operationalize growth and development strategies. Sam holds a B.A. in Political Science and Asian American Studies from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). Born and raised in Richmond, CA, Sam is the proud daughter of Filipino migrants.

Chloe Hsia is the Director of Outreach at the Asian Community Development Council, with a focus on corporate sponsorships, special events and communications. At the age of 13, she became the student ambassador for the Campaign for College Opportunity, a non-profit organization that encourages the youth of California to call on state legislators to prioritize higher education and give lower-income students the opportunity to attend college. She graduated from New York University with a degree in hospitality and tourism management, going on to work as a Sales Manager for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants in Los Angeles, CA and Vero Beach, FL. Later, she attended the International Chinese Language Program at National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan and worked for Bless Data & Strategy and ATAYAL - Indigenous Bridges, a non-profit organization committed to preserving indigenous cultures and empowering indigenous peoples by building bridges that connect indigenous communities
around the world.

Vida Lin has worked closely with the Las Vegas Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community for the past 28 years. She currently serves as the founder and president of the Asian Community Development Council (ACDC), a 501(c)3 non-profit community organization in Nevada established to educate, connect and empower the fastest growing demographic in the United States. 

Through the creation of ACDC, Ms. Lin has created a space for vital resources for the API community. She developed the first Asian food pantry in Nevada in response to the pandemic, providing culturally-appropriate food that meets the dietary needs of the community as part of the first steps to tackle food insecurity. She has created both COVID-19 and flu pop-up vaccination clinics with the goal of serving individuals with limited English proficiency. ACDC also assists with health insurance enrollment, free citizenship assistance, translation, and voter education. ACDC hosts College Readiness Bootcamp, GraduAsian, Asian Night Market, Run for Rice and Walk for Wellness 5k among others. ACDC opened the HAPI (Healthy Asians & Pacific Islanders) Medical Center on August 8, 2022 to serve the underinsured, uninsured and underserved community in Las Vegas. ACDC also opened a Reno location on September 9, 2022 to serve the Northern Nevada community. 

A 20+ year insurance broker who built an insurance agency committed to serving diverse minority communities, Ms. Lin is also one of the co-founders of OCA Las Vegas, an AAPI advocacy and civil rights group, and has served as President of the Asian Chamber of Commerce Las Vegas. Ms. Lin has been chosen as a guest speaker for various leadership and advocacy conferences, and has won numerous awards and recognitions. In 2022, she received the prestigious Bank of America “Neighborhood Builders: Racial Equality Award”, selected as one of five awardees in the United States making extraordinary contributions to break down racial barriers

This workshop will focus on management of basic financial records and operations of a non-profit.  Sherman will discuss how to comply with the Internal Revenue Services required information filing (Form 990 series).  He will also discuss how to apply for reinstatement of tax-exempt status if that status was automatically revoked because the required Form 990 series was not filed for three consecutive years.

Workshop schedule:  Thursday September 21, 9:00 - 10:00 AM

Sherman Tang currently serves as the Treasurer of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance National Board and of the San Francisco-Taipei Sister City Committee. Sherman is an experienced senior financial analyst and longtime community volunteer. He served as President of the San Francisco Bay Chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA), President of Chinese Community Cultural Association, former Presiding President of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, President of the Chinese Culture Foundation, and Assistant Treasurer for the Board of the Chinese Hospital.

Richard Chang, (张德胜) is a multi-hyphenate storyteller on stage and screen, and a veteran Reuters journalist. His works reflect his background as a Chinese-Malaysian performer in Asian and Western theater, dance and opera; puppetry, and improv comedy. His play about Wong Chin Foo, "Citizen Wong," had its off-Broadway world premiere in April 2022. His solo comedy, "Goy Vey!Adventures of a Dim Sun in Search of his Wanton Father," was declared the "Greatest Show in Festival's History" at the Leeds (UK) International Jewish Performing Arts Festival. Screen roles include New York, I Love You, "Windhorse," "Saving Face," "Never Forever," "Chasing America," "Return to Paradise"; and NBC-TV series “Kidnapped."

Richard Chang will be the Keynote Speaker at the Grand Ball, Saturday September 23.

The Seattle Lodge proudly nominated charter member Bettie Luke for the 2023 C.A.C.A. National Spirit of America Award to recognize and share her dedication in serving the Chinese American community and her work as a leader in promoting Chinese American culture and history, building bridges across all communities, and advocating for civil rights and social justice for all. "Auntie Bettie", as she is fondly called, is our light, spirit and inspiration.

Major General Robert G. F. Lee, U.S. Army (Retired), is a Hawaii native who began his military career in 1971 through the ROTC program at the University of Hawaii and was assigned to the 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry, US Army Reserve.
Throughout his career, General Lee served successively as platoon leader, company commander, various battalion staff assignments, and finally as battalion commander.

In 1991, General Lee served as assistant chief of staff for operations and training and then as chief of staff, 9th Army Reserve Command until he became Commanding General of the 9th Regional Support Command, taking responsibility for 3000 U.S. Army Reserve soldiers in Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, American Samoa, Saipan, Japan, and Korea. General Lee’s subsequent civilian career includes 27 years of service overhauling nuclear submarines at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard.

Most recently, General Lee tirelessly advocated for the successful passage of the Chinese American World War II Veterans Congressional Gold Medal. After the bill’s passage, General Lee traveled all over the country, presenting medals to both living veterans and families of veterans

A former recipient of Portland Lodge’s Annual Citizen’s Award, Simon Tam is recognized for his dedicated service and leadership as an activist, entrepreneur, musician and author.  Simon demonstrates a new generation of leadership, building highways, bridges, connectors and ramps for Asian Americans to travel towards a more just and equitable America.  

The Las Vegas International Airport is only 3.5 miles away and a short taxi, Uber or Lyft ride to the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino.  Information about transportation options can be found at the Westgate Resort website.

Try out the Las Vegas Monorail which is a 3.9 mile automated monorail mass transit system with a stop at the Westgate and connecting to the Las Vegas Strip. More information can be found at Las Vegas Monorail.  Note the Monorail does not connect to the airport.

Returning from the Bellagio: On Friday evening after dinner, if you choose to be dropped off at the Bellagio, you will be on your own to return to the Westgate. Monorail map can be found here.

Walk from Westgate to the Las Vegas Country Club: The Las Vegas Country Club is within walking distance from the Westage Resort.  Directions are available here.

Discount hotel rates have been extended until September 9, 2023.
Click here to visit the Westgate group website make a reservation. Or you can call Westgate directly at 1-800-635-7711. 

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner for September 21 - 23, and Brunch on September 24 are included in your registration fee for all delegates and non-delegates. 

Thursday workshops will be held in Conference D/E; and Conference rooms 11 & 12.
Plenary Sessions will be held in the main Conference room.

We are going paperless!
It is highly recommended that you bring your own laptop.

Wifi is available at all guest rooms, lobby and casino areas.
Wifi will NOT be available in the conference rooms. 

We are excited to bring you hosted activities in lieu of the helicopter ride or Las Vegas Show.  The hosted and guided tours will showcase both highlights on the strip and off the strip, including hidden gems unknown to most visitors.