Warren issues her 'working agenda' for AAPI and Native Hawaiians

Roger Lau, left, is Elizabeth Warren's campaign manager.

With the voting done in two of the whitest states in the US, presidential candidates turn to more diverse states like Nevada and California where the AAPI vote is significant. On Thursday (Feb. 13,) Elizabeth Warren released a document entitled, “Working Agenda for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders,” outlining what her administration would do that would benefit this group of ethnic communities.
It is a comprehensive document covering a wide range of issues from immigration and climate change to college debt and small business assistance, LGBTQ rights to housing.

First off, from the document, is clear that the Massachusetts senator recognizes the economic and cultural complexity of the diverse communities that fall under the all-encompassing banner of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

She calls for disaggregated data collection.

"The AAPI community includes nearly 50 diverse racial and ethnic groups, but the data we gather today doesn’t capture the richness of the communities—or significant differences on key economic and social outcomes," reads the document.

"Everywhere you look, aggregated data hides Asian American families that are hanging on by their fingernails. Income inequality in Asian American communities nearly doubled from 1970 to 2016—Burmese, Nepalese, Hmong, and Bangladeshi Americans make, on average, less than half what people in some other AAPI groups make."

Then she pays homage to some AAPI historical figures and current day heroes, demonstrating that she has done her homework. Warren writes:

’ll listen to and learn from the AAPI leaders who have been at the forefront of the fight for data equity, language access, and racial and economic justice. From civil rights leader Fred Korematsu and labor leaders Larry Itliong and Phillip Vera Cruz to anti-racist organizers like Grace Lee Boggs, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have helped lead the fight for justice. And today, AAPI organizers are continuing that fight, as survivors of the Japanese internment camps oppose Donald Trump’s racist immigration policies, Native Hawaiians protect sacred land on Mauna Kea, and AAPI women like Saru Jayaraman and Ai-Jen Poo led the fight for fair wages and safer working conditions." 

Under immigration, one of the key concerns of the AAPI communities, a Warren administration will:

• Increase legal immmigration and recognize immigrants’ important contributions in creating jobs and business

• Make it easier for eligible green card holders to naturalize,

• Expand family reunification by reducing the backlog of visa applications,

• Reverse the Muslim Ban on day one of Elizabeth Warren’s presidency,

• Decriminalize migration and create accountability for the abuses perpetrated during the Trump era, and

• Immediately reinstate DACA protections for our Dreamers and shield their families from deportation.

• Create a fair and achievable pathway to citizenship for the estimated 1.45 million Asian Americans who are undocumented.

Even though she didn't "win" in Iowa or New Hampshire, Warren is undeterred. Nationally, she polls third behind Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden. The next few states, Nevada and South Carolina are much more diverse that the first two states. Then on March 3, will be Super Tuesday when giant delegate-rich states like Texas and California will hold their primaries.

In conclusion, she writes:

"If we’re going to reshape our countr"y and our economy, restore our government, and save our democracy, we need to be willing to fight for bold, structural solutions to the problems we face as a nation. That means tackling generations of racial injustice and systemic discrimination head on and building a government that works for everyone.

"In our country, you ought to be able to take care of yourself and the people you love and build a better future for your children. That should be the fundamental promise of America.

"This is my commitment to AAPI communities. When I’m President, I will continue to fight and work with the communities to put real economic and political power in the hands of working people."