'A Cup of Joe: Missed opportunity,' Nov. 4
As one of the organizers of the meeting I want to thank you for your comments and also your willingness to share your thoughts with Congressman Honda, former Senator Matsunaka and the rest of us. We were all impressed with your ability to express your thoughts and appreciate your willingness to be put in the hot seat of "representing the voice of the younger generation."

I remain hopeful that others will be able to attend future gatherings. Unfortunately Congressman Honda's time is very limited and this was therefore a real missed opportunity to meet one of the key leaders in the country who works on behalf of Asian American/Pacific Islander communities.

I have had numerous discussions with those who work at the national level and they are still very excited to work with us. The upcoming Democratic Convention in August 2008 is a golden opportunity to learn from some of the top AAPI organizers in the country, to become engaged in the political process, regardless of political affiliation, and find ways to become involved with our communities at the local level. There are even possibilities for internships in Washington D.C. for those who are interested.

I will be working closely with Congressman Honda's Office, with former Senator Matsunaka, APIA Vote and others to develop an Emerging Leaders program. This, however, cannot be done without you. Joe did an excellent job of providing a critical perspective but it takes more than one or even four individuals to make this successful.

I look forward to meeting with more of you and learning about strategies to get involved and issues of concern.

– D.J. Ida

It’s unfortunate that no one showed up really, but I have an issue with the Friday meeting.

I was there Friday at 4 p.m. exactly and went from the temple to the JAS office per e-mail, waited 15 minutes and left. People didn’t leave a note on the door or anything regarding the meeting.

I only had George Kuwamura’s e-mail as guide. The organizing for these two events was terrible, and if it weren’t for George’s list, I wouldn’t have even known about these meetings.

– Eric Sung

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