Join us for a historic trans-pacific call on CNMI federalization issues- 2/11

February 11, 2008

Please join the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF)
and Famoksaiyan for the first ever national educational teleconference
on the Northern Marianas Covenant Implementation Act (H.R. 3079/Title
7 of S. 2483).

When: Monday, February 11, 2008 at 3:00p.m. PST
          Call-in: 605-990-0550
Pass: 548473#
RSVP Tiffany, tiffany@trconsultingbayarea.com by Feb. 11 12p.m.
EST/9:00a.m. PST.

Who: Our speakers will be joining us from across the Pacific and
continental U.S.:

* Dr. Keith Camacho, Assistant Professor –UCLA Asian American Studies
Dept. (Los Angeles)
* Deanne Siemer & Howard Willens, CNMI Special Legal Counsel – Wilsie
Co. LLC (CNMI)
* Sabina Perez, Organizing Chair - Famoksaiyan (Guam)
* Sam Sablan, Organizer – Famoksaiyan (SF-Bay Area)
* Tiffany Rose Naputi Lacsado, Organizer – Famoksaiyan & NAPAWF Board
Member (SF-Bay Area)
* Priscilla Huang, Policy & Programs Director, NAPAWF (facilitator)


Why: 8,500 Miles away in the Western Pacific, the U.S. affiliated
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) eagerly awaits
Congress' decision on Omnibus bill S. 2483 Title 7.  This bill, if
enacted, will greatly impact CNMI's labor and immigration practices as
well as the indigenous and foreign worker community in the islands.
Foreign workers make up one-third of the island chains' population and
hail from Asian countries such as the Philippines, Bangladesh, China
and Indonesia. Many of them have been long time residents of CNMI. If
enacted, this bill could require all foreign workers regardless of
length of residency in the islands to return to their home countries
with no hope of accessing a pathway to citizenship.

What: Please join us as we aid a network of progressive Pacific and
U.S.-based organizers who are trailblazing the way to building
national awareness on this and other related issues impacting the U.S.
affiliated Micronesian region. S. 2483 Title 7 is a crosscutting issue
and we strongly encourage members and allies who are interested in the
complex intersections among labor, immigration, decolonization,
colonialism, human trafficking, militarism, immigrant and indigenous
rights issues, and who are also interested in building their own and
organization's awareness about U.S. affiliated Pacific Islands and
their communities to join us on this historic call.

To learn more, please review the attached documents:


Legal memo by Howard Willens highlighting some of the key deficiencies
in the bill
Statement by CNMI Governor Fitial on HR 3079