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The VVA Veteran March/april 2010
by Jerry Yamamoto, chair

The Minority Affairs Committee has eleven Convention Resolutions now in effect.

MA-1-95 Language-Translated DVA Benefits Materials: This resolution calls on the Department of Veterans Affairs to assess the need to produce its service literature in Spanish and other languages and to make this literature available to its clients. VVA continues its support for distribution by the VA of materials outlining benefits, programs, and adjudication guides in Spanish as well as in other appropriate languages.

Status: The MA Committee continues to monitor the literature sent to veterans and families by the VA.

MA-2-95 Minority Affairs Coverage In The VVA Veteran: Regular minority affairs features in The VVA Veteran should be continued. 

Status: Contact has been made with several Native American veterans’ organizations and veterans, which has resulted in publication of articles on Native American artwork in The VVA Veteran.

MA-3-95 Asian-American and Pacific Islander Veterans: In 1987, the delegates to the third National Convention called on the VA to create an Asian-American veterans working group within its Advisory Committee on Readjustment of Vietnam Veterans in order to ensure attention to the special needs of Asian-American and Pacific-Islander veterans. VVA continues its support for the creation of an Asian-American and Pacific-Islander working group within the VA.

Status: The MA Committee has been working closely with the staff of the VA Center for Minority Veterans and Asian-American and Pacific-Islander veterans’ groups. We recommend that this resolution be continued and combined with MA-8-97.

MA-4-95 Native Americans and Alaskan Natives: VVA recommended at its fourth National Convention the placement of a person qualified in Native-American law in the VA Office of General Counsel. Additionally, the delegates supported the development of personnel orientation and recruitment outreach to tribal reservations, as well as consideration for alternative models of health-care delivery on the reservations. The appointment of a qualified Native American to the position of assistant to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs was also supported.

Status: The MA Committee began outreach to Native-American and Alaskan-native organizations in 2007 and will continue doing so.

MA-5-95 Foreign National Vietnam Veterans Immigration: During the Vietnam War, foreign nationals volunteered and served in the U.S. military. An unknown number of these volunteers were wounded in action, killed, or listed as POW/MIA. Upon returning to the United States, many of these veterans elected to remain and become American citizens, while many others chose to return to their homes. Many of the men who volunteered did so in combat units.

VVA supports legislation to permit free entry into the United States of any foreign nationals who served in the U.S. armed forces and who are Vietnam veterans seeking medical care for service-related disabilities, regardless of length of service. This legislation should also give disabled foreign-national Vietnam veterans eligibility for naturalization irrespective of the 24-month period required in the current statutes (Title 8 and Title 9 U.S.C.) for naturalization status.

Status: The MA Committee supports this resolution and needs to work to have it accomplished.

MA-6-95 Involvement by Minority Veterans Welcomed in VVA: VVA always has promoted itself as an inclusive, rather than exclusive, organization. We always have prided ourselves on the fact that we are an organization whose strength lies in the diversity of its membership. Our mission is to help veterans who served during the Vietnam era without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, sexual preference, or national origin.

Status: The MA Committee conducts recruitment and information booths and input at community and national events of minority-veteran organizations and cothe minority ethnic caucus foundations. Membership outreach is made to community ethnic organizations.

MA-7-97 Puerto Rican Veterans and U.S. Virgin Islanders: Over the last five years, medical and mental health services in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands have become less than state of the art. These veterans are suffering at an alarming rate from the lack of these services. VVA renews its commitment for the continuum of health care and VA services to Puerto Rican are severely limited in comparison to those offered their comrades on the U.S. mainland. It is 3,500 miles to the nearest fully staffed VA Outpatient Clinic and over 7,000 miles to the nearest U.S. VA medical center.

Status: The MA Committee continues its support of this resolution. The Region 9 Director is planning a trip to meet with veterans in Guam this year. The committee recommends the merger of this resolution with MA-3-95 and has contacted veterans in the Philippines and Hawaii.

MA-9-97 Awareness and Sensitivity to Racial, Cultural, and Gender-Related Equity Issues: VVA will promote active Diversity Forums and Seminars training programs at all levels of VVA, especially during National Leadership Conferences and National Conventions.

Status: The MA Committee will continue to conduct seminars and have booths at VVA National Leadership Conferences and National Conventions to discuss minority veteran recruitment techniques and issues. The Committee introduced a resolutution at the 2009 National Convention regarding having VA staff available to speak to the family of a patient in that patient’s native language if the patient was incompetent to comprehend the diagnosis and prognosis of his or her injury and communicate it to the family.

MA-10-03 Self-Determination for Puerto Rico: There exists an ever-growing consensus among American veterans and leading veterans organizations, such as the American GI Forum, that the time has come to empower Puerto Rican men and women who have served in the armed forces of the United States (and their fellow Puerto Ricans) to make a decision regarding their island’s ultimate destiny.

Status: The MA Committee continues to support this resolution.

MA-11-03 U.S. Montagnard Veterans: A significant number of Hmong, Montagnards, and other indigenous peoples served faithfully with American forces in Vietnam. Many of those same people and their families now live in the United States and suffer from the same maladies as American veterans of Vietnam. However, these people receive no benefits or healthcare comparable to the benefits, services, and care accorded to American veterans. It is the duty of American Vietnam veterans to never again let any generation of American veterans abandon another. It is also our moral duty not to abandon those who fought at our side.

Status: VVA needs to encourage and pursue the comprehensive study of the number of the Montagnard veterans in the United States and how many are injured or ill from their service.

The Minority Affairs Committee: Jerry Yamamoto, Chair; Connie Steers, Vice Chair. Members: Tom Meinhardt, Dave Simmons, Paul E. Crowell, Jr., Norm Hawkins, Joe Jenkins, Joe Jennings, James Maddox, Jorge Pedroza, Pete Peterson, Max Nelson, Johnny Gipson, Ric Davidge, and Frank Ramirez. Advisor: Jack Devine. Staff Liaison: Joe Wynn.


COMMITTEE REPORT:
Improving Communication

BY JERRY YAMAMOTO, CHAIR

Thanks to the members of the Minority Affairs Committee for their hard work during the past two years. This year, with returning and new members on the committee for the next two-year term, we’re going to continue our work from the past term. The 2009-2010 committee members are Paul Crowell, Ric Davidge, Tommy Gipson, Norm Hawkins, Joe Jenkins, Joe Jennings, Tom Meinhart, Max Nelson, Jorge Pedroza, Pete Peterson, Dave Simmons, James Maddox, Frank Ramirez, and Joe Wynn, our Special Advisor. Thanks to John Rowan for re-appointing this chair.

The committee’s Resolution at the Louisville National Convention on the availability of VA staff who could communicate with families of service personnel in their native language when the member was not competent to comprehend his or her medical condition was not approved. The committee will be working to give members a better understanding of the intent of the Resolution, which is aimed at helping family members, not service members.

[ read full article ]


April 24, 2009 Committee Minutes
The National Minority Affairs Committee Meeting was held on Friday April 24, 2009 in the Blair Room at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Silver Spring, MD, starting at 11:30 AM.

Download The Meeting Minutes

Diversity Award
The Vietnam Veterans of America Minority Affairs Committee Diversity Award recognizes outstanding achievement by an individual, business or organization in the promotion of diversity within the veteran’s community.

All nominees must have made a significant contribution to the advancement of diversity and to the mission statement of the VVA. Considered contributions may include, but not limited to initiative and programs that advance harmony and respect, improve social justice, human rights and cultural awareness.

The award represents specific efforts and achievements that develop a culture and environment in which diversity is valued.

Download The Award Criteria Here
Download The Nominations Procedures Here

VVA Minority Affairs 2009 Business Plan:

The Minority Affairs Committee is established as a standing committee at the national level of Vietnam Veterans of America in accordance with the Constitution of the Vietnam Veterans of America, Article 1, Section 7, Paragraph B, and further defined in Appendix II. “The Minority Affairs Committee shall identify and develop programs of awareness of, and programs of interest to, minority veterans of the Vietnam Veterans of America, and shall seek to expand the membership of minorities in the Vietnam Veterans of America. The Committee shall coordinate its activities closely with the President, other Officers, and committee chairpersons.”

The mission of the Minority Affairs Committee is twofold. First, it is to ensure that the unique circumstances, needs and concerns of our diverse ethnic minority veterans are valued, respected and addressed. The second is to ensure that the inclusive organizational mission respects and values the unique circumstances of our diverse ethnic veterans. Our vision is a committee and veterans’ organization that promotes and values diversity within its organizational structure.

The Minority Affairs Committee will be working to ensure that the health care needs of our minority veterans and their dependents are identified, addressed and responsibly serviced by the Veterans Administration, its staff, facilities and programs. As a part of the national organization we are dedicated to ensuring that the VA is adequately, consistently and sufficiently funded in order to meet the needs of our veterans. The Committee Chair serves as a member of the Government Affairs Committee.

Recent Accomplishments in 2007:

  • Committee members worked in VVA Membership Booth during Memorial Day Weekend;
  • Presented Second National Diversity Award, in absentia, at the Springfield National Convention to Alfonso R. Batres, Ph.D.
  • Requested mailing of letter from National President to HBO Executive Director, regarding the documentary “The War”, letter requesting VA plans for funding and construction of new San Juan, Puerto Rico VA Hospital; letter to Commandant USMC and SecNav for award of Medal of Honor for Marine sergeant’s actions during Vietnam War;
  • Attended Public Forum and Brown Bag Lunch hosted in Los Angeles by California Congressmembers Jane Harman and Rob Filner and conferred with them;
  • Attended 39th Annual Native American POW WOW in Los Angeles;
  • Attended  National Native American POW WOW in DC;
  • Participated in Americans of Japanese Ancestry All Wars Reunion in Los Angeles;
  • Attended Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Conference in Washington, DC;
  • Attended Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Initiative in Washington, DC;
  • Visited VA Center For Minority Veterans to meet with Asian Pacific Islander Coordinator.     

Deliverables:

  • Identified three goals critical to the Minority Affairs Committee’s success in the next two years:
    • Outreach to Veterans;
    • Working Closely with the VA Center For Minority Veterans;
    • Development of our political agenda.
  • Prepare bimonthly articles for the Minority Affairs Committee column in the VVA Veteran.
  • Coordinate with National and regional minority veteran organizations and individuals to recruit minority members and create new VVA chapters.

Measurements:

  • Participate in VVA membership recruitment booths at national or regional conventions of minority organizations such as NAACP, National Hispanic Veterans Association, Native American POWWOWS or attend conferences of the Congressional Ethnic and Veterans Caucuses.
  • Represent minority veterans concerns at public hearings of VA, CARES Commission and other similar federal panels as well as local, regional, state and national governmental bodies.

Budget:

  • Minority Affairs Committee: $ for FY2009 (detailed report available on request).

Print your copy Minority Affairs Brochure

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