Georgia legislature launches the state's first AAPI Legislative Caucus

Rep. Bee Nguyen and other members of Georgia's Legislative AAPI Caucus.

Who would have thought that the Georgia state legislature had the most members in its AAPI Caucus? Not California, not Hawaii, not Washington, or other states with more Asians, but Georgia!

Members of the Georgia General Assembly announced earlier this week that they had created the first formal Georgia Legislative Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Caucus. Starting in 2023, Georgia will have the most AAPI legislators of any state legislature in the nation, according to a press release from Georgia state officials.

“As the first Asian American Democrat elected to the Georgia State Legislature, I am so proud to see our diverse AAPI communities continue to grow and exercise their right to vote to determine our shared future,” said State Representative Sam Park (D-Lawrenceville). “I look forward to serving in the largest AAPI legislative caucus in the nation. My colleagues and I will continue to do all we can to ensure our AAPI communities have a seat at the table and a government that serves their best interest.”

On Nov. 8, Georgia elected six first-time candidates of AAPI descent, more than doubling the number of current AAPI legislators. 

The bipartisan Georgia Legislative Asian American Pacific Islander Caucus will be comprised of AAPI members of the Georgia House and Senate. The caucus includes 12 founding members and will have 11 voting members for the 2023 legislative session. 

The caucus is founded by the following members: State Representatives Charlice Byrd (R-Woodstock), Bee Nguyen (D-Atlanta), Sam Park (D-Lawrenceville), Marvin Lim (D-Norcross), Representatives-elect Saira Draper (D-Atlanta), Soo Hong (R-Lawrenceville), Farooq Mughal (D-Buford), Ruwa Romman (D-Peachtree Corners), Long Tran (D-Dunwoody), State Senators Michelle Au (D-Johns Creek), Sheikh Rahman (D-Lawrenceville) and Senator-elect Nabilah Islam (D-Lawrenceville). Former State Representative BJay Pak and former State Senator Zahra Karinshak will serve as emeritus members of the caucus.

“I look forward to the opportunity to discuss issues affecting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Georgia with our state senators and representatives,” said Rep.-elect Mughal. “The AAPI community in Georgia is an asset that significantly contributes to the state’s economic growth and prosperity through paying taxes, creating jobs and launching small businesses.”

RELATED: AAPI lawmakers emerge after Nov. 8 elections

The goals of the new caucus will be to increase AAPI representation at all levels of government and to ensure that the concerns and issues important to multicultural, multilingual communities will have a strong voice at the state Capitol. The Georgia Legislative AAPI Caucus will formally convene when the 2023 Legislative Session begins on January 9, 2023.

According to Nikore, this caucus will help increase representation within the government as well as have an indirect impact on voter turnout.

“This caucus can focus on doing several things that I think are going to be very favorable for the community moving forward,” said Varun Nikore, AAPI Victory Alliance executive director.

“I think when these legislators present the united front, obviously in their campaigns as well as what they do in their official capacities,” he said. “Yes, this could have an indirect effect.”

According to the 2020 US Census, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are Georgia’s fastest growing ethnic group and comprise nearly five percent of Georgia’s population. Nationally, this community is projected to be the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group with a record 22 million Asian Americans tracing their roots to more than 20 countries in East and Southeast Asia, along with the Indian subcontinent.

Similarly, the AAPI population in Georgia jumped from about 300,000 in 2010 to 435,000  in 2020, according to the US Census, making them the fastest growing demographic in the state. About 75% of the AAPI people can be found around the suburbs of Atlanta, which as a region, went heavily Democratic

The four most numerous groups in Georgia are from India, Vietnam, China and Korea according to William Frey, the chief demographer of the Brooking Institute.

In Georgia, AAPI voters are credited with providing the margin of victory in 2020 when the state elected two Democratic Senators to Washington, giving the Democrats control of the upper chamber.

"One thing we've heard from many Asian Americans," said Sen. Au, "is a dismaying sense of invisibility. That our communities, our concerns, the issues we care about most, are often not seen, not heard, and not addressed.

"But times are changing, as is the face of Georgia, and this is represented in the historic representation we now see of AAPI lawmakers at the state Capitol. And as a caucus, we look forward not just to representing the AAPI community, but to help build larger coalitions to ensure that the voices and issues at the Capitol fully represent our diverse electorate."

The Georgia Legislative Asian Pacific Islander Caucus will formally convent when the 2023 Legislative session begins on Jan. 9, 2023.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Vietnamese American in runoff for Georgia Secretary of State

TWITTER / BEE NGUYEN

Bee Nguyen, candidate for Georgia Secretary of State, thanks her supporters on election night.

An Asian American rising star in Georgia politics won a runoff position after winning 44% of the primary vote last May 24.

Bee Nguyen won less than the 50% needed for an outright victory, but she garnered the most votes among Democrats running for Secretary of State. She will run off against the second-runner up, former state Rep. Dee Dawkins-Haigler who won 19% of the Democrats' votes.

The winner of the Democrats' run-off on June 21 will face Republican incumbent Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Libertarian Ted Metz in the November general election.

A day after the primary, Nguyen garnered a key endorsement that pretty much wraps up the  support  of the Democratic mainstream.

“When Bee was elected to my former House seat, I knew my constituents would be well represented. Now, her record of advocacy and public service for Georgia voters speaks for itself,” said Stacey Abrams, who won her own primary election for governor. She will face off against incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.

Nguyen,40, is the daughter of Vietnamese refugees. She grew up in Augusta, Georgia and graduated from a Georgia public high school.

After she moved to Atlanta to attend Georgia State University, she started a local nonprofit to educate and empower young women. She spent a decade in Georgia public high schools, where she learned how to organize with her community and demand change for her students.

Nguyen made history when she was elected as the first Asian American Democratic woman to the Georgia General Assembly in House District 89, the seat formerly held by Abrams. At the Georgia State Capitol, Nguyen  is a leading advocate for voting rights, public education, and criminal justice reform.

Nguyen's victory for Abram's seat in a runoff made her the first Asian American woman in the Georgia General Assembly. But Nguyen grabbed the national spotlight in December 2020 when a video of her methodical and public takedown of election fraud claims by Trump allies went viral.

In its endorsement of Nguen, the AAPI Victory Fund stated:

"At a time when democracy itself is under attack, there can be no more important priority than to ensure that every vote counts and that the people in charge of counting the votes do so with integrity. In this year’s midterm elections, our focus must be on critical Secretary of State races, especially in Georgia where a Republican governor has made clear his intention to limit access to the ballot as part of a craven attempt to win his own re-election.

“Representative Nguyen gained invaluable mentorship experience through a local non-profit she founded to educate and empower young women and, over the decade she spent in the Georgia public school system, knows firsthand the best practices to organize and spark change for her community. Throughout her career, Representative Nguyen has been a leading advocate for voting rights, public education and criminal justice reform. By the end of her first term on the Georgia General Assembly, Representative Nguyen successfully overturned the “exact match” voter registration law, which subsequently restored the right to vote for over 53,000 voters impacted by the restrictive voting policy. Georgia deserves a champion for democracy and ... will position the state of Georgia as a leader in our country for voting rights."

As Secretary of State, the winner will oversee Georgia's elections in the 2024 Presidential race. Georgia's votes were embroiled in controversy as Donald Trump tried to get Raffensperger to overturn the state's votes, which went to eventual winner Joe Biden, the first time the state voted for a Democrat in 30 years.

In the aftermath of Democratic victory, the Republican-controlled legislature passed sweeping changes to voting rules — actions that Nguyen and other critics say are aimed at dampening the record turnout from 2020 that helped turn Georgia blue.

"This race is about defending the freedom to vote," Nguyen said during a campaign stop. "It is about protecting the future of our democracy."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Star-studded AAPI Inaugural Ball celebrates Kamala Harris' history-making inauguration

On the eve of the Inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as President and Vice President, a host of Asian American and Pacific Islanders held the AAPI Inaugural Ball online.

The virtual event was organized by IMPACT and Run AAPI in coordination with the Presidential Inaugural Committee. It honored and recognized Biden and Harris, the first woman, first Indian American and first African American ever to be elected Vice President of the U.S.

Near the end of the virtual event Harris appeared and told her now-familiar story of being raised by a single mother, who immigrated to the U.S. from India.

Kamala Harris celebrated with the AAPI community the night before her inauguration Wednesday.

“My mother Shyamala Gopalan arrived in the United States from India,” Harris said. “She raised my sister Maya and me to know that though we may be the first, we should not be the last. And I have carried that lesson with me throughout my career.”

The hour-long Zoom celebration featured remarks from a wide array of AAPI political leaders, organizers and artists including OMB Director-designate Neera Tanden; Reps. Ami Bera, Pramila Jayapal, Andy Kim, and Raja Krishnamoorthi; former Olympian Michelle Kwan; actors Kal Penn, John Cho, Kumail Nanjiani, and Chloe Bennet; and performances by Japanese Breakfast, Ari Afsar, and Raja Kumari. 

The celebration should be viewed on Youtube which allows the viewer to see the live reactions of those who tuned into the event. Link Here.

The virtual AAPI Inaugural Ball on Youtube includes responses from scores of viewers, right.

City vows change in voting so Asian Americans can be represented on city council

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Cambodian Americans celebrate the Lunar New Year in Lowell, Massachusetts.

ASAM NEWS

A coalition of Latino and Asian American voters has reached a settlement with the city of Lowell, Massachusetts that, if approved by the judge, would require the city to change its electoral system by the year 2021, reports Sampan News. 

“Today’s agreement is a great victory for Lowell’s communities of color, and for all of Lowell’s residents,” said Oren M. Sellstrom, Litigation Director with Lawyers for Civil Rights, representing the plaintiffs.

While nearly half of Lowell’s population are people of color, its city council and school committee are overwhelmingly White. 

Lowell is home to the second largest community of Cambodian Americans living in the United States. About a third of the city’s population is of Southeast Asian descent;

Latino and Asian American voters responded by forming a coalition to bring the lawsuit in 2017, contending that they were not being fairly represented. This was the first time that Latino and Asian Americans have teamed up in a voting rights lawsuit, according to WGBH News.

The settlement states that starting in 2021, municipal elections in Lowell will be barred from using its current at-large electoral system. There are six possible alternatives that Lowell may adopt, including a purely district-based system, several hybrid options that combine district and at-large seats, and at-large ranked-choice voting. 

The city will hold a series of public meetings about the six options. Two will be chosen this November by the current city council to be on a ballot for a non-binding vote, and the city council will make the final choice in December. 

While the city gets the final say, both sides say all of the options are fair and more equitable than the current system.

In an interview with WGBH News, Sellstrom said that this is unique for voting rights lawsuits like this, which are often negotiated behind closed doors. “I think there are going to be many jurisdictions that are going to be looking to Lowell and the resolution of this lawsuit as a model and as a blueprint for how other resolutions can occur.”

“Lowell’s communities of color and their allies banded together to seek a more fair electoral system,” Denisse Collazo, one of the Latino plaintiffs, said to Sampan. An Asian American plaintiff also spoke with the newspaper.

“One of Lowell’s great strengths is its diversity,” said Tooch Van, one of the Asian American plaintiffs. “Today’s agreement will help ensure that this diversity is reflected in our elected bodies as well. That will make our City stronger.”

The resolution of this lawsuit is subject to the approval of Magistrate Judge Donald L. Cabell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. If approved, the public meetings to educate residents of the law can get underway.

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Sunday Read: Asian American candidates eye a second run for political office

TWITTER / ANITA MALIK

Anita Malik, left, and Hiral Tipirmeni will be political rivals for the Democratic nomination in Arizona's District 6

They may have lost in their first bids for office, but that isn't deterring six Asian American candidates from jumping into the political fray again.

Andrew Janz, Anita Malik, Hiral Tipirmeni, Srinivas Rao Preston Kulkarni, and Gina Ortiz Jones are reportedly not letting their defeats in 2018 dampen their belief in public service in 2020.


Six months after her loss on Nov. 6, 2018, Hiral Tipirneni, a Democrat who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Congress from Arizona’s District 8, is running again, this time from Arizona’s District 6.

District 8 is a deeply conservative district with a big Republican majority and yet, Tipirmeni, a physician and cancer researcher, had a strong showing against GOP incumbent Debbie Lesko.

By switching to District 6 -- residency is not required -- Tipirmeni will have to win the primary against fellow Democrat and Indian American Anita Malik, who also ran unsuccessfully in 2018.


Malik, a sel-employed businesswoman, announced her intention to run Wednesday (April 17), said that Tipirmeni had called her to let her know of her intention to run in District 6. "In a lot of ways, it's very disappointing," Malik said. "We were never besties. We're friendly. I have great respect for her. ... Not being from the district, it does concern me."

"Our ear has been at the ground of this district for a long time. I'm embedded in this district. This is my home. We know what people are looking for," Malik said in a dig against Tipirmeni. "The idea of 'chosen one' politics, that's not part of our democracy. ... We know what they're looking for. We have the momentum."

District 6 is also GOP-majority but incumbent Rep. David  Schweikert is mired in an ongoing investigation by the U.S. House Ethics Committee, which is examining possible misspending by his office and campaign.

Over in Texas, Kulkarni, a former Foreign Service officer, declared that he would challenge the incumbent for 22nd District seat for the U.S. Congres.

“When I saw partisan tension tearing our country apart, I knew the most patriotic thing to do, and the best way to serve my country, was to run for office,” he tweeted on April 4.

Kulkarni lost his bid in the midterm election to long-time Republican incumbent Pete Olson, by less than 5 percentage points.

The Houston Chronicle reports that Kulkarni will target registering about 70,000 voters he had identified, noting that the Indian American lost by some 14,000 votes in 2018.

On the western part of the state, the 23rd District, Texas' largest district, will see a replay of the last election pitting incumbent Rep. Will Hurd against challenger Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones.

Although Ortiz Jones, a Filipina American Air Force veteran and former White House employee, hasn't formally declared her intention to run, she said right after the Nov. 6 elections that she is "very likely" to run again and has never really stopped campaigning against Hurd, trolling the Republican on social media every chance she could, attacking his professed opposition to a border wall, but reminding everyone that when it came down to it, Hurd voted for funding the Trump wall three times.

Ortiz Jones also tries to debunk Hurd’s reputation for accessibility, tweeting out periodic reminders of how much time has elapsed since the congressman’s most recent in-person town hall.

Having lost by only 926 votes in 2018, the general consensus among Democrats is that the presidential election will  attract more Democratic voters, enough to topple Hurd.

The Democratic National Committee has announced that it will target California's District 22 to turn blue in 2020. But it appears they will have to find a candidate to opposed incumbent Devin Nunes because 2018 challenger Andrew Janz still hasn't announced his plans for 2020.

Janz, who was able to raise over $9 million without the support of the Democratic Party, gave Nunes his first serious challenge for the Central Valley district. Janz strong showing forced Nunes to spend his campaign chest on his own race rather than helping fellow Republican candidates, as he has done in the past, thus helping the Democrats to turn seven Republican districts to blue.

Despite his strong showing, Janz said he will most likely not run for Congress again.
The Thai American candidate's loss to Nunes didn't turn Janz off to politics. Rather, it made him consider another run for office -- the mayor of Fresno. He has been meeting with supporters and family and will make an announcement soon.

“The general consensus in these meetings is there’s no leadership at City Hall,” said Janz, who has returned to his job as a Deputy District Attorney. “And for that reason, I am strongly considering running for mayor.”

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ore here: https://www.fresnobee.com/news/politics-government/article228403084.html#storylink=cpy

Andrew Yang candidacy gains steam; qualifies for Democratic debate

Presidential candidate Andrew Yang energizing his 'Yang Gang.'

Is it time to stop calling presidential candidate Andrew Yang a "long-shot" and change the modifier to "upstart?"

According to recent polling data, the nonpolitician has moved from obscurity to the national stage. Yang's polling at 3% in the latest Emerson poll released Monday. He has earned enough donations to qualify for the first national debate of the Democratic nominees this June.

Entrepreneur and founder of a community nonprofit, Yang, 44,  has catapulted in the polls. The "fairly normal guy," as he describes himself, has surpassed better-known and more politically experienced senators and governors. Through his online campaign and the support of his Yang Gang, he managed to already surpass the minimum 65,000 donors needed to secure a spot on the Democratic National Committee's primary debate stage, while other prominent Democrats are lagging.

His $2.4 million is way behind Sen. Bernie Sanders, who raised  $18. million in the year's first quarter and second-place fundraiser Sen. Kamala Harris, who raised $12 milllion.

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“Thank you @jack for the support! I use at least one of your products every day,” Yang said in a tweet Tuesday, referring to the donation fromTwitter founder and CEO Jack Dorsey.

“I think Nicolas Cage may have donated to my campaign. It is done,” Yang tweeted out. 

Yang’s list of supporters include the Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, Weezer lead vocalist Rivers Cuomo, tech entrepreneur Sam Altman, and Netflix and Disney Channel star Noah Centineo, along with the before-mentioned Dorsey and Cage.

According to most recent reports, Yang's campaign was boosted by individual donations averaging about $17 per individual donations. He has spent a little over half and still has $1.2 million left. 

That might not seem like a lot and it wouln't sustain a national campaign that would have to operate at least up to first primaries in Feb. 2020. However, it is better than some of the politicians who have thrown their hat in the ring with better name recognition, including Hawaii's Tulsi Gabbard, who has raised $1.9 million, Julian Castro, $1.3 million and the two popular governors, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee with $2.3 millioin and Colorado's former Gov. John Hickenlooper, $2 million.

Among the other two AAPI candidates, Sen. Kamala Harris has thus far made the strongest showing in terms of fundraising and public approval. 

The $12 million raised by Harris is a strong start and regularly hitting third place in most national polls, trailing Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden, who hasn't even officially entered the race. Harris performed strongly with small donors, notching $4.4 million in contributions under $200.

Harris' campaign previously stated that her average contribution was around $55. She also transferred in $1.2 million from her Senate committee. The campaign spent almost $4.3 million during the first quarter.

Another campaign still looking for a publicity breakthrough is that of Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii). Her campaign raised $1.9 million in the first quarter. Almost $1.1 million of what she took in came from small donors. Gabbard also transferred in $2.5 million from her congressional committee.

Most of what Gabbard raised went back out again as her campaign spent $1.7 million.

Both Harris and Gabbard will take part in the Democrats' debate this summer.

The Democratic National Committee announced in February that to qualify for the first national debate, candidates must draw the support of 1 percent or more of those surveyed in at least three polls or receive donations from at least 65,000 individual donors and from a minimum of 200 individual donors per state in at least 20 states. 

Yang’s campaign manager, Zach Graumann, in a statement praised the “Yang Gang” — an affectionate nickname for the candidate’s loyal supporters.

“An outsider candidate raising nearly $2 million in two months in entirely small contributions is unheard of,” Graumann said. “Andrew Yang has proven he can build an online fundraising army from scratch — the Yang Gang effect is real.”

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Yang already has the vote for comedian Ronny Cheng. Laugh, but Yang scores some serious points. Enjoy!

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AAPI groups take the initiative and give new California governor their recommendations

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom was sworn in by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye while his family looks on.

WASTING NO TIME, over 40 Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) organizations delivered a series of policy recommendations to California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office Monday (Dec. 7), his inauguration day. 

The recommendations urge the Governor to address the needs of low-income, limited-English proficient and immigrant communities of color in California.

Newsom, the former Lt. Gov. and former San Francisco Mayor, issued a long list of pledges in his first speech as the state's chief executive. He made it clear that he will defend California against the egregious policies of Donald Trump, saying his administration will  "offer an alternative to the corruption and incompetence in the White House."

“People’s lives, freedom, security, the water we drink, the air we breathe — they all hang in the balance,” Newsom, 51, declared to a crowd of several hundred packed into a tent outside the Capitol in Sacramento.

The letter from the AANHPI communities put Newsom on notice that they will be a political force to reckon with and will no longer be satisfied being bystanders.

AANHPI communities are the fastest growing racial groups in California. There are over 6.6 million Asian Americans living in California, making up nearly 17% of the state's population. Despite the growth of the AANHPI population and electorate and their social and economic diversity, policies focused on and engagement with AANHPI communities have not kept pace.

"Historically, the needs of AANHPI communities have been overlooked while their impact on the state has grown by leaps and bounds over recent decades." said Anthony Ng, Immigrant Rights Policy Manager at Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles. 

"The AANHPI community is critical to California's shared future and should be considered and prioritized by the incoming Governor. We recommend policies that will uplift our most marginalized communities, and as a result will lift us as a whole."

A major component of the policy recommendations brought forward by the organizations is to disaggregate data across state programs, departments, and services. The state currently lacks disaggregated data for AANHPI sub-groups such as the Bangladeshi, Cambodian, and Samoan population, which has contributed to the wide education and health disparities that exist across the spectrum of AANHPI ethnic groups.

Other policies outlined in the recommendations include:

• Expand restorative justice strategies, strengthen requirements around school bullying, and institute student programs focused on intercommunity relations
• Grant mass pardons to immigrants and refugees facing deportation who have demonstrated that they have rehabilitated
• Support the California Department of Justice and Attorney General in their ongoing litigation challenging the proposed citizenship question on the 2020 Census
• Protect and advance the rights of low-wage immigrant workers against labor exploitation, with an emphasis on combating wage theft, immigration status-related retaliation, discrimination, and labor trafficking
• Increase development of affordable housing, and address homelessness
• Support universal coverage and health for all regardless of immigrant status, and increase cultural and linguistic competency of our healthcare system
• Reduce barriers to voting for limited-English proficient voters

"We call on Governor Newsom to enact these recommendations from Asian and Pacific Islander civil rights organizations to create a more inclusive, prosperous California for all of its communities," said Angela Chan, Policy Director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus. "The needs of low-income AANHPI communities are urgent and deserve action by the new administration."

Underscoring the rising influence of the AANHPI communities, Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakaue, a Filipino American, swore in the new governor.

She also swore in Controller Betty Yee and Treasurer Fiona Ma, the highest ranked AAPI  elected state officials.

On Saturday, Newsom also named Julie Su as secretary of labor and workforce development. Su, a 2001 winner of a MacArthur Foundation genius grant, has been California labor commissioner since 2011. She also was litigation director for Advancing Justice LA.

The full set of policy recommendations from the AANHPI communities can be found at bit.ly/AANHPI-Newsom.
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A look back at 2018 - crazy, rich and complicated

REPRESENTATION  MATTERS

INSTAGRAM

Some of he cast members of 'Crazy Rich Asians,' celebrated their participation in the movie.

YEARS FROM NOW, students in Asian American history classes might very well study the impact that 2018 had on Asian Americans and label it as a turning point.

Last year is only a day ago but it's not too early for reflecting on the year we have just experienced.

It has been a year of increasing visibility for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. For a long time, AAPI communities have sat on the margins of American society -- basically ignored except when called upon to be a "model minority" or as the latest scapegoat in the country's up-and-down economy; indistinguishable between goings-on in their ancestors' countries of origins and their real struggle to fit in; unseen, invisible and incomprehensible to most Americans.

The past year, AAPI folk have made headlines (some good and some bad), been woo'd by politicians and sought as one of the most valuable markets for high-end goods and movie tickets by their impact on the three pillars of pop culture: sports, media and politics.

CRAZY RICH REPRESENTION

The seminal event of the year was the debut of the motion picture Crazy Rich Asians which brought forth Asian and Asian American figures that the rest of the country have not seen (in 25 years.) However, with the power of the Internet and social media, CRA's cultural impact dwarfs 1993's Joy Luck Club, the last time a movie featured an almost all-Asian and Asian American cast.

In the same month that Crazy Rich Asians took Hollywood by storm, Netflix's own romantic comedy, To All The Boys I Ever Love, featuring a racially mixed family starring Lana Condor, was capturing teenager hearts and John Cho starrer Searching was stirring praise for its unique brand of storytelling. It is no wonder the month was dubbed Asian August by the AAPI community. Together, the three projects thrust Asian Americans into the cultural forefront by depicting Asians and Asian Americans in ways most Americans have never seen them before -- as human beings, with shared wants and flaws, but relatable across racial lines.

The unquestionable artistic and box office success of CRA shattered any doubts or questions about cross-over appeal of a movie with Asian leads and opened the floodgates (for now) of a seeming plethora of artistic projects with Asian themes and opportunities for Asian artists. For years to come, we will see the offspring of CRA in the books we read, on our television sets and the silver screen.

Television was quick to recognize the potential in telling Asian-themed stories with Asian Americans casted in prominent roles.

While Fresh Off the Boat enters its fifth season and Into the Badlands enters its third season, AAPI actors are so numerous that Views From the Edge has discontinued its roundup of all the Asian Americans in TV series. 

Because it takes so long for a Hollywood product, from conception to the screen to develop, some of the projects may have been launched before CRA's success was a proven commodity, but even these projects got a shot in the arm by CRA giving American TV a different shade of brown. 

This time, Hollywood's penchant for copying success has launched a plethora of projects that will hit our big and small screens (and we include our computer screens as well) in the coming months.

It appears that the old excuse that American audiences won't watch a TV series or pay to see movie about Asian Americans is no longer a valid excuse not to do those stories. For now, at least, we have to wait and see if the ripples from CRA's big splash will continue beyond the next year or two.

Gold medal snowboarder Chloe Kim just being Chloe Kim was a media favorite.

SPORTS

The year began with the Winter Olympics in February. Perhaps no sports star emerged larger and brighter from Olympics than California teenager Chloe Kim. Her snow board tricks on the half-pipe were breathtaking and performed well enough to earn her a gold medal in the event.

But that isn't what made the spotlight linger on the 5'3" "California girl" as she describes herself. Her off-the-cuff social media postings about her food cravings, and her bubbly personality, her charisma, her charm and her honesty made her a media favorite and breakout star of the Olympics and more. She was named the ESPY's Sportswoman of the Year and Sports Illustrated called her Olympic performance one of best feats of the year.

All together, there were 11 Asian Americans on the Olympic team. Most of them competed  in ice-skating as individuals or pairs. Americans love ice skating and NBC gave the competitors prime time attention. Even if their performances didn't match their expectations, the Asian American athletes were welcomed in America's living rooms and all Americans found themselves cheering for their American athletes of Asian descent.

Whether it was golf where 11 of the top 20 women golfers are Asian or Asian American; Kevin Na and Tiger Woods in the winning tournaments on the men's golf circuit;  tennis  introduced us to exciting Naomi Osaka and Kei Nishikori, both of whom represented Japan but train and live in the U.S.; or baseball where Asian American and players from Korea and Japan are too many to cite here; Asian Americans were out there on magazine covers, on television and bringing in paying fans into he arenas, courses and ballfields.

POLITICS

Asian Americans showed up at the ballot box. It's hard to avoid the cliche but Asian American votes votes in Nevada and California really made a difference, flipping congressional seats from Republican to Democrats. 

The definite shift towards the Democrats was in reaction to Donald Trump. His racist and anti-immigrant rants elicited a strong negative response from a community that is largely made up of first-generation immigrants. Their children are now young adults and have taken on the values of other young Americans.

Another sign of the political shift in the AAPI communities is the number who ran for office in the 2018 midterm elections.

Three new AAPI members joined the Congressional Asian Pafcific American Caucus (CAPAC). Andy Kim will join the House of Representatives for New Jersey and Michael San Nicolas will be a non-voting House member for Guam.

A month after voting day, TJ Cox eked out a victory over another GOP incumbent in his California district. In his upset win, Cox became the second member of Congress of Filipino descent.

The three freshmen representatives will give CAPAC a total of 20 AAPI members, the largest number in history.

“Since its founding in 1994, CAPAC has always strived to ensure that diverse voices are represented in the halls of Congress, and we are thrilled that the American people voted overwhelmingly to elect candidates who better reflect the diversity of our nation,” Democrat Rep. Judy Chu, D-CA, the caucus chair, said in a statement. “With these victories, CAPAC will have its highest AAPI membership in history and an important seat at the table within House Leadership.”

From Hawaii, California and Washington where political activism is expected because of the large number of AAPI, to the victories in areas where AAPI are not as numerous: Hmong candidates in Minnesota and the historic wins achieved in New York's state legislature, the AAPI communities surprised the traditional political movers and shakers. 

Even in their losses in  traditional GOP strongholds of Arizona andTexas, the races were competitive and raised the eyebrows of older political hands who up to now, tended to limit their financial and political support to white men.

The strong showing of AAPI candidates in 2018 at the state and local elections gives the AAPI communities, especially the Democrats, a strong base for things to come as these first-time citizen/politicians hone their skills for campaigns for higher office.

One thing to remember is that the AAPI communities have a large pool of nonvoters because many of the new immigrants have not yet become citizens. As they become citizens and register to vote, they will become a stronger voice on the political scene.

STANDING UP, SPEAKING OUT

Not satisfied with being bystanders, last year saw Asian Americans make the news, much of it driven by Trump policies or tweets. 

The debate over affirmative action and the possible discrimination practiced by Harvard had Asian Americans in the center of the controversy. AAPI students testified  in favor of diversity in a 10-day trial late last year based oncharges by Students for Fair Admissions,  representing its Asian American clients, who chose not to testify in public. 

While there appears to be some special treatment for legacy students or children of large donors (mostly white), the evidence presented during the trial that some admission decisions were based on alleged traits of Asian Americans. 

A  ruling will be delivered early 2019, but that most likely will be appealed, no matter what. Both sides vow they will appeal all the way to the conservative U.S. Supreme Court.

A large portion of the Asian American community are first generation immigrants so Trump's policies limiting immigrants, from asylum seekers to H-1B visa holders, to students, visitors and family members was a hot-button issue for AAPI families.

Whether it was the Muslim bans, family reunification or the stepped up deportation of Southeast Asians, AAPI shed their stereotypical inhigitions and did not hesitate to bring attention to their plight by demonstrating in the streets, meeting with their congressional reps, writing letters or filing court actions slowing implementation of Trump's harsh measures.

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What American media is starting to discover is that Asian Americans are interwoven into the fabric of America. -- from lawyers who fought Trump's immigration policies in court to the judges who ruled against those unjust policies; from the military men and women who fought for the U.S. in hopes that it would facilitate their applications for U.S. citizenship, to the Sikhs who opened up their temples to assist those ade homeless by natural disasters, to the founders of some of Silicon Valley's most promising startups, to the Filipinos brought to this country to teach in some of America's neediest school districts, to the police officers who put their lives at risk to keep their communities safe, to the nurses seeking safer conditions for their patients, the writers and other artists who give an Asian perspective to our human foibles

If there is one big ah-ha to be taken from 2018, it is this: America has millions of stories to be told by the newcomers landing on our shores every day to the light-skin, blond Filipino American descendants of those villages in Louisiana's bayous. Movies, television and the arts are political because they help define who we are as a people and as a nation and what we will become. Media moguls and our government, business and social institutions are hopefully coming around to realize that America's story can no longer be seen simply in black and white. 

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Sri Lankan American picked as chief of staff for Sen. Kamala Harris

ROHINI KOSOGLU

A NEW CHIEF OF STAF for U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., was announced Dec. 18.  Rohini Kosoglu will take over chief of staff duties from Nathan Barankin.

“I am proud to continue to work alongside Senator Harris as we fight to protect health care and civil rights, and economic opportunity for working families.” said Kosoglu, who previously served as Harris' deputy chief of staff. “It is an honor to do this work on behalf of Californians and all Americans,” the Sri Lankan American added.

In addition to her time on Harris' staff, Kosoglu knows her way in Washington after her work in the U.S. Senate for more than a decade.

“Rohini has been an invaluable leader on our team as we’ve fought for our shared values and the best of who we are as a country during these first two years,” said Harris in a statement.

“Californians, and all Americans, are looking to their leaders in Washington, D.C., to protect our families and communities, and I’m proud to continue that fight with Rohini," the Indian American senator added. "I also want to thank Nathan for his service, he is a trusted advisor who has been essential to building a team here in Washington that continues to fight for the interests of Californians.”

Barankin, who has been with Harris since her days as the San Francisco Attorney General, will reportedly be working for Harris’s PAC ahead of a possible presidential run by the senator, according to the Bee.

Prior to joining Harris’ office, Kosoglu served as policy director and senior adviser to U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and an aide to U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and The George Washington University.

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Survey: AAPI voters lean towards Democrats but GOP has made inroads

SCREEN CAPTURE

AAPI voters like Sen. Bernie Sanders over other possible presidential hopefuls.

Most Asian American and Pacific Islander voters are shifting away from the Republican Party and leaning more towards the Democrats, according to a new survey released today (Oct. 9). Immigration, affirmative action and health care appear to be key reasons for the preference by AAPI who traditionally has been up for grabs or evenly split between the two major political parties in the U.S.

A survey released today by Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) and AAPIData reveals many insights into the fastest-growing racial group in the United States, including their voting plans for House and Senate races in 2018, and various issue

Interestingly enough, almost all AAPI ethnic groups have a strong preference to progressive positions to the point where Bernie Sanders comes out on top of all the possible presidential contenders for 2020. Sen. Kamala Harris, who is part South Asian, came in second.

In addition to election-related topics, the survey also contains key opinion data on affirmative action, labor protections, and immigration policy, including the administration’s recently announced plans to revoke the legal status of immigrants with green cards who have used government assistance.

As the Asian American electorate continues to grow, the group will continue to play a significant role in political races at the national, state, and local levels. Of importance is the increase in voter enthusiasm, with 48% polled indicating they are “more enthusiastic about voting this year” compared to only 28% in 2014.

Of note, the Democratic Party holds a sizable advantage on most issues, with the greatest gaps found on the environment, racial discrimination, health care, and gun control. 

At the same time, the Republican Party fares stronger on issues like taxes, jobs and the economy, and national security. The Republican Party’s issue advantage among Asian American voters is stronger than in 2014, where it held an advantage only on issues of national security.

Sponsored by Civic Leadership USA and conducted in partnership with Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO (APALA), and Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, the survey presents the results of interviews conducted by telephone and online from August 23 – October 4, 2018 of 1,316 Asian American registered voters.  

Other highlights in the survey include:

• Party Prospects in 2018 Midterms: Democratic Party candidates enjoy strong advantages among Asian American voters when compared to Republican candidates, both in U.S. Senate races (52%-28%) and in House races (50%-28%). However, the AAPI community is not monolithic. Vietnamese American voters prefer Republican candidates in House races, and Filipino voters outside of California have a slight preference for Republican Senate candidates.
• Party Favorability: Asian American registered voters hold a net unfavorable view of the Republican Party, with 52% viewing the party unfavorably and 34% viewing it favorably. At the same time, Asian American registered voters give the Democratic Party a large net favorable rating (58%-28%).
• Government Services: Asian Americans continue to support bigger government providing more services, including health care access for undocumented immigrants, over smaller government providing fewer services (44% versus 24%, see Table 6). And this support is consistent across ethnic groups, including among groups like Vietnamese Americans who are Republican-leaning.
• Pathway to Citizenship: 64% of Asian Americans support, and 20% oppose, a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Support for this policy is consistent across the board, including among Asian American Republicans

• Affirmative Action: 58% of Asian Americans think affirmative action programs designed to increase the number of black and minority students on college campuses are a “good thing,” and an even larger 66% favor affirmative action programs designed to help African Americans, women, and other minorities get better access to higher education.
• Gun Control: Gun control has strong and consistent support among Asian Americans. By a nearly a 7-to-1 ratio, Asian American registered voters favor stricter gun laws in the United States, with net support strongest among Chinese Americans and the foreign born. And, while Democrats show the strongest support, even Asian American Republicans favor stricter gun laws.

The report notes that despite the poor voting record, AAPI communities are getting more politically active. AAPI civic engagement has increased as the group's numbers have grown. In 2008 their were eight AAPI running for Congress to 80 candidates in 2018. As the number of AAPI candidates getting involved in the political system grows, he or she gets a network of family, friends and supporters involved.

The tilt towards Democrats was mirrored in the approval rating of Trump. Three out of five respondents  gave Trump a thumbs down. However, Vietnamese approved Trump's performance while Filipinos were evenly split. In regards to Trump, the disapproval ratingit didn't matter if the respondent was born in the U.S. or a recent immigrant.

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