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.

Michelle Kwan joins Biden campaign

INSTAGRAM / MICHELLE KWAN

Olympian Michelle Kwan with Presidential candidate Joe Biden.

ASAM NEWS

Two-time Olympic medalist and former figure skater Michelle Kwan is joining Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. 

According to the Washington Examiner, Kwan is expected to serve as Biden’s surrogate director for the 2020 election. Previously she was a surrogate outreach coordinator during Hillary Clinton’s campaign in the 2016 election.

Kwan’s addition to the campaign was announced in tandem to Biden’s announcement of his presidential candidacy on Thursday. In an Instagram post, Kwan wrote that she is “thrilled that @joebiden announced that he’s running for President!”

She said, “Ultimately, I believe that the Vice President is the ideal candidate to unify our country with his experience, knowledge and track record of fighting for Americans.”

Kwan was named a public diplomacy ambassador by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in 2006, according to Wikipedia. It was through this role she worked with then Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the Obama administration. She also received her masters degree in International Relations at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, graduating in 2011. 

In the 2016 elections, Kwan was a strong stumper for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and often served as Clinton's liaison to the AAPI community.

Biden joins the race among 21 other democratic contenders, his third run for the White House.

Kwan remarks that, “I know that there is already a field of incredible democratic candidates and the 2020 election is so important we cannot lose sight of the big picture….He’s the candidate that I’m proud to support because he will do what it takes to restore the soul of this nation, rebuild the backbone of the country, and unify America.”

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TGIF Feature: Celebrities have a Get Out The Vote message for AAPI voters

ASIAN AMERICAN VOTERS are notorious for not showing up at the polls. About 49% of eligible AAPI voters actually turn out to vote. That's the lowest of all ethnic groups.

Shame on us. 

This Nov. 6, AAPI voters could be the determining factor to tilt several congressional districts from Republican to Democrat. This is especially true in California where AAPI make up about 15% of the population.

Several AAPI celebrities were brought together to get the message to all the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities to motivate them to cast their ballots. While they're at it, they smashed a few of the stereotypes foisted upon AAPI.

“I actually failed organic chem and then became an actor,” says Rich Ceraulo Ko from Death Sentence.

Actress Elizabeth Ho, who’s appeared in Castle and Grey’s Anatomy, challenges the bad driver stigma by saying, “I am a very good driver. You’d want me for a getaway car.”

Some of the celebrities  in the Get Out the Vote PSA include Lou Diamond Phillips, Michelle Kwan, Dante Basco and Kristina Wong.

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