In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings, many got to thinking about immigrant assimilation into the mainstream.

Happily, earlier this year before the tragic incident, local Asian Americans have been coming together in Santa Barbara — for historical, socio-cultural and good citizenship goals.

Consider some statistics:

Asian Americans comprise 4.8 percent of the U.S. population.  They are sometimes characterized as a model minority because many of their cultures encourage a strong work ethic, a respect for elders, a high degree of professional and academic success, a high valuation of family education and religion. They have historically been the target of violence based on their race and ethnicity (Wikipedia).

Asian Americans are the highest-income, best-educated and fastest-growing racial group in the United States, with Asians now making up the largest share of recent immigrants (Pew Research).

In the Central Coast, however, one does not see very many Asians Americans, except in the school campuses of UCSB and SBCC, and as tourists in downtown Santa Barbara and other key cities of the area.

The California Central Coast Society of Asian Americans is now in its birthing process — “to celebrate our similar geographic origins with diverse cultures but strong ethnic ties with the vision for ourselves and our future Asian Americans to better appreciate our common cultures, ethnicity and geographic origins to be better, more tolerant and globally-oriented U.S. citizens.” It aims to make its constituents more productive, relevant and responsible members of the American society.

Thus, its call to residents of the Central Coast — in the Tri-Counties (Santa Barbara, Goleta, Montecito, Summerland, Carpinteria, Ventura, Oxnard plus Camarillo and Thousand Oaks); or in the North counties (Solvang, Santa Ynez, Buellton, Arroyo Grande, Gualadupe, Pismo Beach, Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo); who are of Asian descent including the Northeast (China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and Mongolia,); the Southeast (Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines and Christmas Island,); the South (India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Tamil); or the Pacific Islands (Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia).

In May, CCCSAA had a registry at Santa Barbara’s Mesa Spring Fest, then a celebration dinner of the Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

On July 13, it had the first of its series of charter membership meetings. The potluck lunch was held at EF International Language Centers (a big supporter of CCCSAA) on Chapala Street.

Keynote was by professor John Park, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Asian American Studies and the Center for New Racial Studies in UCSB who spoke on: What is the Asian American story? He is an author of three books on immigrants, including one co-authored by his brother Dr. Edward Park titled Probationary Americans: Contemporary Immigration Policies and the Shaping of Asian American Communities.

Dr. Park cited how the profile of immigrants from Asia has dramatically changed with the switch from the basic humanitarian concern and family unification to the 1990s policies that focused on professionals and the high tech- skilled. He described the new policies to be “much more calculating, more on the cost-benefit perspective” that basically exclude the poor.

The UCSB professor pointed out that Asian immigrants in the category then made up about 60 percent of the U.S. immigrants, and many of them “adjusted” their status, outnumbering those who came from foreign countries.

Dr. Park, who grew up in Los Angeles, also related how his single mother migrated from Korea, sponsored by their aunt. He was then just five years old. Today, both he and brother Ed (also chair of Asian American studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles) have doctorates and devote their work in the academe.

Carpinteria Councilman Wade Nomura spoke on Asian American leadership. He cited three basic characteristics that a good leader must possess: adaptability — able to change and not have preconceived opinions; discipline — not taking things personally and strong when times are most difficult; and respect — the willingness to listen to all viewpoints.

“Freedom of speech, our First Amendment right, is taken away if we do not listen to what is being said,” Nomura said. “Listening is practicing respect.”

He declared. “A public servant must serve the public, and not be self serving. Great leaders are those who unselfishly do things to benefit others — and protect the rights of others.”

Coming from one of the many Japanese American farmer families in Santa Barbara, Nomura etched his marks on his every field of endeavor  — with his world-renowned Nomura bike, his successful landscaping business, and his trendsetting work with the Rotary Club. He came to the CCSAA event with wife Roxanne, who is also a very active Rotarian.

Terease Chin, vice president and senior trust officer of Montecito Bank & Trust who is of Chinese descent, talked about  how CCCSAA can collaborate with the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation on its projects for the Asian American community.

There’s Jimmy’s Oriental Garden, which the SBTHP recently purchased to  help interpret the history of the Asian American community in the Presidio neighborhood. Sharing Our Common Ground has a three-part community lecture series discussing the Asian American history in the Presidio and greater Santa Barbara areas. Its fourth annual Asian American Film Series had 7 p.m. screenings at the Alhecama Theatre, 914 Santa Barbara St. (on July 12, Somewhere Between; July 19, I Am Bruce Lee; and another on July 26, The Cats of Mirikitani). Click here or call 805.965.0093.

Born in San Francisco and raised in Santa Barbara, Chinese/Filipino-Irish Shamus Murphy shared his experiences as a first generation Asian American, which as TV/film producer, he recorded in his documentary Anchor Baby. His vision for Shamus Entertainment is to one day “bring back the film industry to our town, in the spirit of the Flying A studio from the 1920s.” Shamus brought his children, whom CCCSAA encourage to participate in every function.

CCCSAA prime movers are Michael Cheng, Terease Chin, Amy Rhiger and Alice San Andres-Calleja.

The next charter membership meeting is scheduled for Oct. 15.

— Alice San Andres-Calleja is the publisher/editor of The Mesa Paper on Santa Barbara’s Mesa.