The Art of Zhen Shan Ren International Art Exhibition of Ancient Traditions Increasingly important in Turbulent Modern Times will be held May 2-4, 2012 at Coffman Memorial Union - Great Hall, 300 Washington Ave SE  Minneapolis, MN 55455.

The Art of Zhen, Shan, Ren, opens an intimate window into ancient and contemporary China. The works reveal the traditional Chinese culture based around mind and body cultivation (self-improvement) and living in harmony with nature. With moral improvement, a resilient inner beauty arises. The re-emergence of this tradition in China has come through in the recent popularity of Falun Gong over the past 2 decades.

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WASHINGTON — The Sikh Coalition, together with the national civil rights community, will unveil a mobile application that allows users to report instances of airport profiling in real time during a launch event at the offices of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights in Washington, DC on April 30.

The launch event will also be live-streamed at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/sikhcoalition.

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WASHINGTON (April 24, 2012) — Over 90 members of the United States Congress, led by New York Congressman Joseph Crowley, have issued a letter to the Justice Department, demanding that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) track hate crimes suffered by Sikh Americans.

The letter, spearheaded by the Sikh Coalition, represents the most extensive show of support ever for Sikhs in a letter from Congress. Although Sikhs continue to experience hate crimes because of their distinct religious identity, the FBI treats all bias crimes against Sikhs as anti-Muslim hate crimes. For these reasons, the federal government has no means of tracking hate crimes against Sikhs.

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SAN FRANCISCO (April 25, 2012) — The Center for Lao Studies has received a three-year grant of $200,000 from the Henry Luce Foundation for core program development and sustainability support for the years 2012-2014.

Founded in 2006, CLS is a San Francisco-based nonprofit with the mission to advance knowledge and engagement in the field of Lao Studies through research, education, and information sharing.

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SAN FRANCISCO — Laotian Americans from across the country will converge and celebrate the year 2555, year of the Naga or Dragon at the 4th Annual International Lao New Year Festival with a one day-long event on Saturday April 28.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the United Nations Plaza and an evening gala dinner, and entertainment from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. at One Ferry Plaza in San Francisco. Hosted by the Center for Lao Studies and the Laotian American National Alliance, the ILNYF is considered as one of the largest Southeast Asian cultural festivals and is expected to draw over 15,000 people worldwide.

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Left to right: Ralph Donais, Rep. Bruce Anderson, Rep. Bob Dettmer and members of the SGU Veterans and Families. (Photo by J. Lee)

By J. Lee

ST. PAUL (April 27, 2012) — Chief author Representative Bob Dettmer sponsored two bills to aid the Hmong and Lao veterans in obtaining burial rights guaranteed to other veterans.

House File 2260 is a Resolution to Congress, the President and the legislatures of other states to recognize the contributions of these veterans in fighting for American freedom and democracy and saving the lives of U.S. soldiers; and House File 2261 permits burial rights providing the veterans respect, dignity and honor.

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From left, Rep. Bruce Anderson, Chief Legislative Author with Khmer Freedom Fighters. (Photo by J. Lee)

By J. Lee
ST. PAUL (April 26, 2012) — The Minnesota legislature passed a Resolution honoring Cambodian veterans who fought in support of the United States in the War in Southeast Asia.

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AAP staff report

MINNEAPOLIS (April 25, 2012) — The Regional Tibetan Youth Congress Minnesota on Wednesday held a rally to raise awareness about the fate of the Panchen Lama.

The event was held at Peavey Plaza on Nicollet Mall Downtown Minneapolis and involved Minnesota Tibetans and Tibet community supporters. April 25 marked the 23rd Birthday of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, once considered the world’s youngest political prisoner.

“We demand that the Panchen Lama and all the other political prisoners inside Tibet be released immediately,” says Tenzing Jigme, President of the RTYC-MN chapter.

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Participants at KOM practice loading and unloading a bicycle onto a Metro Transit practice rack.(Photos by Matthew Witchell)

ST. PAUL — The Community Partners Bike Library, a program of the nonprofit community bike shop Cycles for Change in Saint Paul, will deliver bicycles for loan to clients of the Ronald M. Hubbs Center for Lifelong Learning on Friday, April 27.

The Hubbs Center is an Adult Basic Education program of the Saint Paul Public Schools’ Community Education Department serving adult learners including immigrants and refugees from Southeast Asia. The mission of Saint Paul Public Schools Adult Basic Education is to provide adults with educational opportunities to acquire and improve their literacy skills necessary to be self-sufficient and to participate effectively as productive workers, family members, and citizens.

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From left, Librarian Phuoc Thi-Minh Tran;  author Nguyen Thanh Hiep;  artist/author Ha Kieu Anh; artist Anh Ha; author/poet Cung Tram Tuong; and  Trong Nguyen.

RICHFIELD, Minn. — The story of Vietnamese refugee Trong Nguyen’s journey, as told in collaboration with author Connie Fortin in the biography “Born Into War,” spoke at the Augsburg Park Library in Richfield on April 21.

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