Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Asian American to serve in that post, will be the keynote speaker for a virtual unity summit for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Wednesday.
Harris, 56, will headline the virtual event hosted by the AAPI Victory Fund, a political action committee which aims to mobilize voters in the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, alongside a slate of other high-profile political figures and celebrities.
"The AAPI Victory Alliance couldn't be more thrilled that our favorite daughter, Vice President Kamala Harris, will deliver the keynote address for our first-ever unity summit," AAPI Victory Alliance Executive Director Varun Nikore said in a statement. "Vice President Harris is an inspiration for all of our AAPI children who now know the sky's the limit and you can be anything in this country that they strive for."
Harris' participation at the summit is her latest outreach to the AAPI community that is facing a wave of racially motivated crimes during the pandemic and is growing as a voting bloc.
In addition to Harris, former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton will speak at Wednesday's event, which is co-hosted by the AAPI Victory Alliance, and the AAPI Victory Fund. Several Democratic U.S. senators of color, including Cory Booker of New Jersey, Hawaii's Mazie Hirono and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, are also expected to appear.
The event is an attempt to harness the influence of the AAPI electorate, which proved to be influential in some key races, most notably helping President Biden win Georgia, which historically voted Republican. AAPI voters came out in huge numbers in favor of the Democrats, which also won the two U.S. Senate seats, which were held by GOP incumbents.
“It’s time we call our communities together to discuss strategies for engaging and mobilizing in the future,” said Nikore.
"AAPIs are rising. As the fastest growing group in the country, we witnessed a 46% increase in turnout from 2016 to 2020 despite a rise of hate and violence against our communities," Nikore said. "This isn't just a conference, it is a recognition of all that we have worked hard for and achieved. We are here, we are rising, and we are proud to be AAPI Americans."
The virtual summit will be 6 p.m. ET or 3 p.m. PT. Wednesday, May 19. Sign up here to receive an invitation to this exclusive event.
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