First Asian/American speaker addresses GOP convention delegates

Sen. Kimberly Yee

ARIZONA State Sen. Kimberly Yee was the first Asian/American to speak at the GOP National Convention.

The 5th generation Chinese/American lawmaker,  the first Asian/American elected to the Arizona state legislature, was able to tell the story of her family: how her great=great grandfather immigrated to the U.S. in the early part of the 20th anniversary, founded a laundry business and established a family that led to Yee's election to the state legislature.

"My parents taught me that I could achieve anything I wanted in this great country," she told the convention delegates, repeating a theme many of the first day's speakers used, including Donald Trump's wife, Melania, when she gave her speech last night. 

RELATED: Diary of a GOP delegate

She said she will teach those values to her children, again, a message repeated by Melania Trump.

“It is time for us to get back to our conservative, Republican values that made our nation great,” said Yee, of Phoenix. “We cannot endure the next four years like we’ve had for the past eight. And it is because of these principles that I support Donald J. Trump for president.”

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Another Asian/Amreican, Dr.  Lisa Shin, who founded Korean Americans for Trump and is a New Mexico delegate to the convention, is slated to speak Thursday.

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GOP Convention: Diary of A Trump Delegate, Day 2

Arizona State Sen. Kimberly Yee spoke to the Republican delegates on the first day.

By Lisa Shin
Reprinted from AsAm News

ANOTHER GREAT DAY! It was amazing to walk into the Convention Center for the first time. I had seen it many times on television, but it was something else to be there live. Media were swarming the place and I had my first interview with a Korean newspaper. Koreans have taken a keen interest in my political involvement.

Kimberly Yee, an Arizona State Senator, was a speaker for the afternoon session. The evening session included a great panel of speakers.

My favorite was Rudy Guiliani, who said that “majority of Americans today do not feel safe. They fear for their children and they fear for themselves.” The theme of safety was timely, given the terrible shootings in Baton Rouge and Dallas.

Is this becoming the new norm? I hope not. I would really like to see a strong bipartisan effort to address the growing violence in our communities.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Shin is a delegate from New Mexico. She is scheduled to speak before the entire convention on Thursday. She will be providing her thoughts and photos throughout the convention for AsAmNews.)