Local, state and national organizations sponsored the first North Carolina Asian Pacific American (APA) Community Leadership Forum in Chapel Hill, to discuss issues affecting the state's more than 144,000 APA residents. In Orange County, APAs make up 5 percent of the population, but they do not receive the same kinds of services available to the Hispanic community, said Milan Pham, president of Advocacy for North Carolina Asian Pacific Americans.
Professor Andrew Chin, of the University of North Carolina School of Law, said the struggles and history of the community is often overlooked by many Americans who love the food and pageantry of the culture. (Source: AsianWeek, Jun 3, 2005).