The Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) recently unveiled a video and workbook that representatives of the organization bill as a comprehensive guide to the U.S. citizenship process, with copies in English and six other languages available for free via the Internet or through the mail with a $10 shipping fee.
The video is called "Citizenship 101: Your Guide to Citizenship," with versions available in Cantonese, Hindi, Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog and Vietnamese.
APALC representatives estimate that there are more than 2.3 million immigrants now eligible for citizenship in California alone, with an estimated 800,000 from Asia. They add that "becoming a U.S. citizen is often a complicated and confusing process for immigrants" and the video contains information to help immigrants seeking to proceed with the naturalization process.
APALC Executive Director Stewart Kwoh led a June 17 press conference to debut the video at the organization's offices in the Westlake district west of Downtown. Joining Kwoh were Dae Jung Yoon, who serves as executive director of the Korean Resource Center; Mark Yoshida, the supervising attorney for the APALC's Immigration & Citizenship Project; and Luis Sahagun, director of media and public relations for Farmers Insurance.
Farmers Insurance is a co-sponsor of the video, a role that Sahagun said is "a natural fit" for the company. He noted that his parents, who came to the U.S. from Mexico, recently completed the naturalization process and became U.S. citizens.
"It's very important to our democracy to bring this to the forefront and invite immigrants to become full participants" in the civic life of the U.S., he said.
Other sponsorships of the video came from Anheuser-Busch Inc., AT&T, the Evelyn & Walter Hass, Jr. Fund, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
The Citizenship 101 video and workbook set is available for free on the Internet. The video can be streamed instantly, and the workbook can be downloaded for viewing or printing from www.apalc.org/citizenship. A DVD of the video and hardcopy workbook can be obtained by sending an order form and $10 shipping/handling fee to APALC. Call the APALC at (213) 241-0297 for more information.
Photos by L.A. Garment & Citizen.
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