Analysis: AANHPI communities flexing political muscle during redistricting process

Chicagoans examine one of the redistricting maps that includes an so-called "Asian" ward.

ANALYSIS

In the wake of recent elections which saw Asian Americans exercise their political influence in key races across the country, the newly gained power is being tested as AANHPi communities fight for political empowerment.

Chicago may get its first Asian American district in the Windy City.

“And this time, this year, it must happen," said Paul Liu, CEO of the Chinese American Service League during a press conference Tuesday. The following day the  City Council punted and delayed a vote on the new district boundaries.

Census data supports the creation of Chicago’s first Asian American majority ward in Greater Chinatown. The 2020 Census also demonstrates the existence of the Asian American community in the Albany Park and West Ridge neighborhoods. 

2020 Census supports the creation of Chicago’s first Asian American majority ward in Greater Chinatown. The 2020 Census also documented the significance of the Asian American community in the Albany Park and West Ridge neighborhoods.

"The redistricting process, as you may know is very chaotic at the moment. We're worried that if certain groups are not able to agree, and in that disagreement measurement Asian American Majority ward might get lost," said Justin Sia, redistricting counsel for Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Chicago.

Similar efforts are occurring across the nation. Filipinos in Queens, NYC; Koreans in Los Angeles's Koreatown; South Asians in Texas, Vietnamese in California's Orange County, Chinese and Filipinos in San Francisco, Hmong in California's Central Valley, Sikhs near Sacramento.

During this brief period when states redraw districts based on the 2020 Census so that residents AANHPI may lose influence and presence if they are not paying attention.

Even if AANHPI voters, which have leaned heavily towards the Democrats since the Obama administration, are watching the redistricting, GOP-dominated legislatures are deliberately finding ways to weaken the AAPI communities voting power.

GOP divides Texas’ Asian American neighborhoods

The most egregious attempts to weaken the AAPI vote is in Texas, but even in immigrant-heavy California, Asian American communities are being split up so they represent smaller voting blocs in their new districts as Asian American candidates, many of them newcomers to the old-school political scene, seek to have their voices heard.

"It is clear that these new legislative district lines were drawn to intentionally divide these rapidly growing AAPI communities and prevent them and other communities of color from electing candidates of their choice. This continues Texas’ shameful history of discriminating against voters of color,” Jerry Vattamala, Director of the Democracy Program with AALDEF. 

Census data shows that Texans of color accounted for 95% of the state’s population growth, but the state’s new political maps don’t reflect this growth. With obvious partisan intentions, Republicans drew new maps for Congress and the Texas Legislature that dilute the power of voters of color.

Even though AANHPI represent only 5% of the Texas electorate, in certain communities with heavy concentrations of AAPI residents and businesses, they have exerted their political and economic influence beyond the size of their communities.

The AANHPI population is the fastest-growing racial or ethnic voting group in the state, according to the Census. Over the past decade, AANHPI voters have increased from 950,000 in 2010 to nearly 1.6 million in 2020.

“This brazen attack on the voting rights of people of color in Texas is a fundamental attack on democracy and violates the Voting Rights Act and the Constitution. All Texans should be appalled at these blatantly discriminatory district lines,” said Vattamala.

The races in Congressional districts 22 and 23, where Asian Americans Sri Preston Kulkarni and Gina Ortiz Jones ran as Democrat challengers, nearly turned blue because of the AANHPI voters' eagerness to have someone who understood and addressed their concerns, particularly over immigration and health care issues.

Fort Bend county was voted the most diverse county in the country multiple times and shares the city of Houston along with neighboring Harris County. The county has gone from being 90% white 30 years ago to barely 32% White today. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Fort Bend county has a 20% Asian population and neighboring Harris county has a 7.3% Asian population.

Voters in District 22 almost got Indian American Kulkarni a Congressional seat, and were ready to plunge their energy and resources for another attempt in 2022. Lacking a viable AAPI candidate (Kulkarni has not indicated if he would attempt another Congressional run), if the district with its 2019 district boundaries continues to trend towards the Democrats, the district could very have turned blue.

Under the proposed boundaries for District 22, that trend is less likely to occur. In order to dilute the voting influence of AAPI, the Texas legislature siphoned off part of the suburban district to a large rural district dominated by white conservatives.

For the sprawling Congressional District 23, where Filipina American Ortiz Jones was the focus of anti-Asian and anti-LGBTQ attacks, the GOP plan is to take away the San Antonio and El Paso suburban voters where she performed well among Blacks sand Latinos.

As the proposed redrawn map for Congressional districts show below, the GOP plan to reinforced their grip on Texas.

Similarly, the proposed map (below)  for legislative districts guarantee GOP dominance in the state's legislature.

Texas' Republican legislature and governor are using the same strategy of divide and conquer against those Congressional and state legislature districts where Blacks and Latinos voted Democrat to ensure the GOP grip on the Lone Star state and stop cold  any voters' trend towards Democrats.

As of October 2021, the partisan breakdown of the House was 83 Republicans and 66 Democrats. During the 2020 election, 76 districts voted for Trump while 74 voted for Biden.

In an analysis by the Texas Tribune, the reconfigured Congressional districts brings the number of districts in which Hispanics make up the majority of eligible voters down from 33 to 30. The number of districts with Black residents as the majority of eligible voters would drop from seven to six. Meanwhile, the number of districts where Whites are a majority would increase from 83 to 89. The possibility of an AAPI Congressional representative from Texas would be nil.

A slew of lawsuits have been filed by the Asian American Legal and Educational Defense Fund, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fun along with other civil rights groups, saying the proposed maps disenfranchise Latinos, Blacks and Asians.

"These racially gerrymandered maps minimize the voting power of our Latino, Black and Asian communities," said state Rep. Ana Hernandez, D-Houston and legal counsel for the caucus. "Texans deserve a map that provides them a fair chance to elect their candidate of choice."

California dreaming: AAPI communities try to stay intact

In California where AAPI voters make up 16% of the electorate, the redistricting battle is of a different nature but still has overtones of decisions based on race, or more accurately, a type of color blindness that erases the growing strength of AAPI voters.

"When I'm thinking about the dynamics of the Bay Area, the main thing in my mind is what's going to happen with minority representation — in particular, how is this growth in the Asian American community going to emerge?" said Eric McGhee, senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California. The San Francisco Bay Area with its heavy concentration of Asian residents is one region that could gain some AAPI seats in Congress, the state legislature and local districts for counties and cities.

As the redistricting process began, a network of Asian American, Pacific Islander, Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian advocacy groups formed the AAPI & AMEMSA State Redistricting Collaborative.

In order to avoid the district gerrymandering to give strength to whichever party is power at the moment, California has taken away the redrawing of districts from the state legislature and given the power to the supposedly nonpartisan California Citizens Redistricting Commission, a body of eleven residents created when voters passed Proposition 11 in 2008.

While the intentions of the commission are good, the results are still questionable because the dividing of blocks among districts don't take into account the cultural and racial implications of the color-blind decisions.

That's where the Collaborative plays an important role to make sure that minority voices are heard and strengthen the voices of the previously ignored voters.

To make sure the voices of the diverse minority communities don't go unheard, the group held local workshops for residents and drew its own series of district proposals. They were able to present the commission with their own maps that best represented their communities.

"We got a lot of really great, rich information and tried to make sure folks were sharing that with the commission," said Julia Marks, an attorney with Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus. "But fitting all these communities and data and legal requirements together to create an actual map proposal is a big puzzle."

Some of the group's ideas have been picked up by the redistricting commission, such as drawing a San Francisco Assembly district that combines the city's Chinese communities — from the west side to the Filipino neighborhoods in southeast San Francisco with the Filipino neighborhoods in Daly City.

While those communities have unique identities, Marks said residents' common "policy concerns and voting habits," clustering them together justify their inclusion in a single district, "because that helps them have a stronger political voice and influence the outcome of both elections and policy conversations."

Palo Alto Councilmember Greg Tanaka is running for Congress as a representative for California’s 18th congressional district, which encompasses areas in Santa Clara and Alameda counties that together are known as Silicon Valley. He told San José Spotlight the map will fracture the San Jose Vietnamese vote by splitting the population into several districts.

“[The proposal] takes what would have been a 40% Asian district and carves it out into a district with only about 20%, and that’s not right,” Tanaka said.

“On the county side, it seems like some of this is being done for political reasons, not necessarily for representation reasons,” Tanaka said.

AANHPI influence threatened in Southern California

The remapping process is occurring up and down the political flagpole, from Congress down to the grassroots level affecting representation for school boars and city councils. 

For the moment, the latest map produced by Los Angeles City Council appears to keep Koreatown intact in one city council district instead of the current map that divides  the neighborhood among four city council districts.

Eunice Song, executive director of the Korean American Coalition and member of the Koreatown Redistricting Task Force, said she supported the map for its unification of Koreatown under Council District 10, which community members have long advocated for.

This fragmented structure, Song said, forces Koreatown residents to compete for the attention and resources of multiple elected officials.

“When accountability is diffused among four council members,” she told NBC News, “it has a direct impact on the needs of Koreatown being deprioritized and therefore neglected.”

Under the proposed remapping of Congressional districts, Monterey Park, Alhambra and Rosemead would move from the 27th District to the 39th District.

The San Gabriel Valley east of Los Angeles is home to more Asian Americans than in 42 states, according to a report by Asian Americans Advancing Justice. The suburbs east of Los Angeles where AANHPI neighborhoods have sprouted and established roots is a battleground for competing interests seeking representation.

The remapping process threatens two Congressional seats now held by Asian Americans: Rep. Young Kim, a Republican representing the 39th District, and Rep. Judy Chu, a Democrat representing the 27th District.

A coalition of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community leaders and organizations, the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE), is raising concerns over the  Redistricting Commission’s draft maps of the San Gabriel Valley and East San Gabriel Valley.

The draft maps split West San Gabriel Valley cities  and East San Gabriel Valley  cities with significant AAPI populations into multiple congressional districts. In these draft maps, the AAPI community could face an uphill battle to elect a representative from their own community despite the incumbency of two Asian American Congressional members. 

Voters in both districts fear that four decades of progress by community coalitions and partnerships could come unravel under the proposed changes.

The growing and well-established AANHPI community is identifiable in ESGV by retail plazas with AAPI businesses, AANHPI churches and temples, and AANHPI language schools. In ESGV, the communities of Hacienda Heights, Walnut, Rowland Heights, and Diamond Bar are currently in a district with 33% AAPIs and in the new maps will be put in a new district with the Gateway Cities that will reduce the AAPIs to 21%, diluting AAPI representation. CAUSE say these communities should remain in a district with neighborhoods that reflect similar economic conditions that may cross county lines into North Orange County and San Bernardino.

The WSGV AANHPI community has a strong long-standing cultural identity, providing an environment allowing immigrant AAPI families to gain a sense of belonging and seek opportunities for economic success. In WSGV, the cities of Monterey Park, Alhambra, Rosemead, San Gabriel, San Marino, Temple City, and Arcadia have AAPI majority and should be in the same congressional district. 

In addition, all but San Marino are in the same Assembly and State Senate districts in the draft maps, yet the cities are split at the congressional level in a way that dilutes the political power of the AANHPI community.

After the initial maps were released, citizen concerns in the Central Valley succeeded in keeping the Hmong community of Fresno and Turlock in the same Congressional district.

The 2020 Census shows that the AANHPI population is the fastest growing community in the U.S.  While the approximately 23 million AANHPI are spread across the U.S., in some cities and neighborhoods they have coalesced into voting blocs that can no longer be ignored and shunted aside. 

Breaking down the AANHPI umbrella monicker into ethnic groups makes the remapping process even more complicated sometimes pitting one group against the other -- ie. Filipinos vs. Chinese in San Francisco, Hmong vs. Sikhs in the Central Valley, South Asians vs. Chinese in New Jersey -- to the detriment of both and giving an advantage to other interest groups.

It is imperative that all the communities benefitting from the numerical and political growth by AANHP communities be front and center as states and local governments around the country redraw electoral maps. Maps at all levels of government – from school boards, city councils and county supervisors to state legislatures and Congress – must reflect a more diverse, multiracial America.

WHAT'S NEXT: 

The deadline for providing input may have passed for some state but the majority of states are still accepting comment. Check here to find your deadline, it may not be too late.

Click here to learn how to affect the redistricting process.

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

Seven Asian Americans among 2021's 'Great immigrants' named by Carnegie

Seven Asian Americans -- from soldiers to scientists -- were among the 34 outstanding immigrants who have enriched and strengthened U.S. society and democracy through their contributions and actions, according to the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Every Fourth of July, Carnegie Corporation of New York honors the legacy of our founder Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish immigrant, by recognizing an extraordinary group of immigrants who have made notable contributions to the progress of American society.

The Class of 2021 represents more than 30 countries of origin and emphasizes service to society, including honorees who are recognized for helping others as medical providers and researchers; as advocates for the disadvantaged, disabled, and disenfranchised; and as changemakers in politics, voting rights, climate change, and teaching. 

Overall the honorees have a wide variety of backgrounds and careers, including the chairman and CEO of Pfizer; the head of Google’s interactive design; the creator of language-learning software Duolingo; winners of the Pulitzer, Nobel, Vilcek and Beard prizes; and celebrities such as actress Helen Mirren and comedian John Oliver.

The 2021 Asian American honorees working in service to society:

Jun Cho
Supply Specialist, Delaware National Guard
BORN IN: South Korea

A Delaware-based National Guardsman, Jun Cho was deployed to Washington, D.C., following the January 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol. This meant he would have to miss his naturalization ceremony, which was scheduled to take place in Philadelphia.

Learning about Cho’s predicament, a Colorado congressman arranged a special ceremony for Cho, who serves with the 262nd Heavy Equipment Maintenance Repair Company.

“I feel great that I get to become an American,” he said. “I’m so proud to be Korean and I’m proud to be American as well, and to be a part of the U.S. Army.”

Cho said his dad used to tell stories from his service in the Korean army and his two older brothers joined the U.S. Army, so he knew he would follow in their footsteps. Not yet a citizen, he was ineligible for most scholarships, so joining the National Guard lifted the financial burden from his immigrant parents, who run a dry-cleaning business. Cho is majoring in economics at the University of Delaware, where he is a member of the ROTC.

He became a U.S. citizen in January, in a nearly empty room not far from the U.S. Capitol building he was protecting. “Thank you to my parents for taking the chance and flying over here to give their children a better life,” he said. “To all my friends out there, I just want to say, thank you, because it’s hard being an immigrant and they just treated me like family.”

During the ceremony, Cho took an oath to defend the U.S. Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic — a pledge that had already been put to the test for the young national guardsman by first-hand experience.

Gita Gopinath
Chief Economist, International Monetary Fund
BORN IN: India

Growing up in India, Gina Gopinath did not know anyone who worked in economics. It was more common for children to aspire to become a doctor or an engineer. She studied science through high school and when her parents’ friends suggested that she would enjoy success working for the country’s administrative services, she went to Delhi to study economics. This was in the early 1990s, when India was facing an economic crisis. Gopinath was hooked, and her interest in international finance and economics only continued to grow.

Gopinath took a “leave of public service” from her job teaching international studies and economics at Harvard University to assume the position as chief economist of the International Monetary Fund. Called “one of the world’s outstanding economists,” Gopinath focuses her research on international finance and macroeconomics. She has been widely published in top economics journals and has received numerous honors, including election as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2019, she was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, the highest honor India’s government gives to overseas Indians and persons of Indian origin.

Gopinath says that her most important advice is to have inner strength because you really have to believe in what you are capable of to keep pushing your ideas forward. “It’s exactly what the world is worried about: recession, jobs, inequality. It’s so clear to people these are important issues. And given my science background, I like that I’m bringing in some mathematical rigor … to understand these issues of the day.”

Min Kao
Cofounder and Executive Chairman, Garmin International
BORN IN:Taiwan

In 1989, Min Kao and another engineer, the late Gary Burrell, pooled their savings and convinced Kao’s relatives to invest in a new company. Working out of an office that started with just two folding chairs, they founded Garmin, a portmanteau of their first names. It is now a multibillion-dollar company employing more than 17,000 people — a world leader in producing consumer navigation devices.

Kao has helped build technology for organizations such as the U.S. Army and NASA. A multibillionaire who has been profiled by Forbes and others, he attributes his success to being part of a larger team. “Ideas can come from anybody,” he told the Wichita Eagle newspaper. “Our people,” says Kao, “are the most valuable asset we have.… Diversity is an integral part of who we are as a company, and our success is a result of people with different backgrounds and experiences coming together to offer their best.” He has stepped down as CEO of Garmin and now serves as its executive chairman.

Kao, who grew up in a small Taiwanese town and served in Taiwan’s navy, came to the United States on a student visa. He earned master’s and doctorate degrees in engineering from the University of Tennessee, going on to make the largest private donation in the school's history. Speaking about his decision to fund construction of a new building to house the university’s departments of electrical engineering and computer science, Kao observed, “It is my hope that this building will inspire its graduates to develop and pursue ideas that will create jobs and shape the world.”

Young Kim
U.S. Congresswoman, California, District 39
BORN IN: South Korea

The youngest of seven children, Young Kim grew up in South Korea and immigrated to the United States with her family when she was 12. She is now one of the first three Korean American women elected to Congress. A member of the Republican Party, she represents the 39th district in the House of Representatives, which includes parts of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties.

“My election really proves that the promise of America is alive,” she told Fox News. “I'm the living proof of it.”

Kim is in favor of giving legal status to Dreamers — immigrants whose parents brought them here unlawfully when they were children and who now meet certain eligibility requirements (for example, they had to have come to the U.S. before reaching their 16th birthday).

“Their only crime is that they had loving, caring parents and family members [who] brought them over here — crossing the border, risking their lives because they wanted to provide the opportunity to realize the American dream for their next generation,” Kim said.

Kim was the first Korean American Republican woman elected to the California State Assembly, and she once worked for a congressman who held the seat that she now holds. Before entering politics, she was a financial analyst and a controller for a manufacturing company, and she also started a business in women’s sportswear and hosted a public affairs TV show. Since arriving in Congress, Kim has been a strong advocate for small businesses during COVID recovery efforts.

Kamlesh Lulla
NASA Scientist (Fmr. Chief Scientist for Earth Observations, Space Shuttle/ISS), Senior Advisor for University Research and Technology Collaboration at Johnson Space Center, NASA
BORN IN: India

He has trained astronauts, helped develop the International Space Station’s observational science capabilities, and published vital research on topics such as climate change science. An internationally recognized scientist with a storied career at NASA that has spanned more than three decades, Kamlesh Lulla is the recipient of three NASA Exceptional Achievement Medals.

A widely published author, Lulla is a senior advisor for university research and technology collaboration at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and the former chief scientist for Earth Observations (Space Shuttle).

The president of Ohio University has called Lulla a “genuine people-to-people ambassador for the United States” who promotes understanding through science diplomacy. He has been praised for his mentoring skills, and for how much he has done to develop young talent in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Furthermore, Lulla is committed to the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders community, working to raise awareness about the role of Asian Americans in various fields.

Lulla’s honors include the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, one of the highest awards given by the government of India, and the Ellison Onizuka Award, named after the Asian American astronaut who inspired Lulla.

Lulla credits his successful career to values drawn from his Asian American heritage, including “high-level education (two PhD degrees); dedication to family and profession; integrity, respect for others, and hard work.”

Ali Zaidi
Deputy White House National Climate Advisor
BORN IN: Pakistan

Ali Zaidi grew up in America’s Rust Belt, going on to serve in the Obama administration for eight years and later becoming the highest-ranking Pakistani American in President Biden’s administration as deputy White House national climate advisor.

After the Obama administration, Zaidi worked as a senior advisor at the law firm of Morrison & Foerster. He later served as deputy secretary for energy and environment and as chairman of climate policy and finance for the State of New York. He also taught at Stanford University, where he founded the Lawyers for a Sustainable Economy Initiative, which provides pro bono legal services to entrepreneurs and nonprofits focusing on sustainability. He has worked to improve energy security, to reduce carbon pollution and the country’s dependence on foreign oil, and to create green jobs.

Zaidi has said that immigrants do not take things for granted. “Within a generation you’re able to see how the rungs of the ladder of opportunity are laid out in front of you, and you can see the hands that pull you up,” he told Vanity Fair in 2017. “You see people pull you up and you say, O.K., I’ve got to do the same thing for other people.”

Zaidi’s family left Pakistan when he was five, moving from Karachi, a predominantly Muslim city of eight million, to a rural, mostly Christian town of just 7,000 people in Pennsylvania.

“It was a community that helped us get on our feet and chase after our dreams,” he said. “That’s the America that I think my parents saw as a beacon across the ocean.”

Xiaowei Zhuang
Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University
BORN IN: China

Xiaowei Zhuang was born to two university professors in China: her mother was a mechanical engineer and her father as a physicist. She sometimes watched her father do research at home, and credits her parents with sparking her curiosity and encouraging her to explore.

She became very interested in the molecular basis of life, going on to pioneer an imaging method that allows scientists to see microscopic cellular structures. Awarded the 2021 Lurie Prize in Biomedical Sciences, Zhuang has been said to “make visible the invisible,” paving the way for a better understanding of the spatial and functional organizations of molecules and cells.

Zhuang is professor of chemistry and chemical biology and the David B. Arnold Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University, and she is also an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Her awards include the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences and a MacArthur Fellowship, among many others.

Zhuang believes that immigrants’ diverse backgrounds help foster scientific findings. “People who grow up in a different culture, they think differently, they have a different approach to things,” she said after receiving the 2020 Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science. “So actually, it’s the best way to advance science.”

She is thankful that she is able to do her multidisciplinary work in the United States. “The scientific environment of this country is really great,” she said. “You feel the freedom of doing whatever you want. The sky is the limit.”

According to a study by Pew Research Center, the nation’s immigrants are essential to driving growth in the U.S. workforce at a time when the population of working-age adults is declining. Immigrants make up 14% of the population, yet the country has been unable to develop comprehensive immigration reform that would create a pipeline to citizenship. 

The Migration Policy Institute, a research center funded through the Corporation’s Democracy Program, says nine million legal permanent residents (green card holders) are eligible to naturalize, but on average, the process takes eight years and the current backlog is at least four million applicants. In response, the Corporation joined a collaboration of philanthropic funders to establish the New Americans Campaign 10 years ago. The nonprofit provides free legal assistance to legal permanent residents seeking U.S. citizenship.

The Great Immigrants initiative is intended to increase public awareness of immigration’s role in the United States, reflecting the priorities of Andrew Carnegie, a self-made industrialist. In 1911, he established Carnegie Corporation of New York, a grantmaking foundation dedicated to the causes of democracy, education, and international peace. 

To date, the Corporation has honored more than 600 outstanding immigrants, whose stories can be viewed through the Corporation’s online database, which is among the leading resources of its type.

The 2021 honorees, who mark the 16th class of Great Immigrants, will be recognized with a full-page public service announcement in the New York Times on the Fourth of July and through a social media campaign using the hashtag  #GreatImmigrants.

This year’s tribute is dedicated to the immigrant who founded the Great Immigrants initiative in 2006 and whose life epitomized service, Vartan Gregorian, the Corporation’s president from 1997 until his unexpected death in April 2021. 

Like the Corporation’s founder, Scottish immigrant Andrew Carnegie, Gregorian was an immigrant of modest means, born and raised as an Armenian in Iran. He arrived in America in 1956 to study at Stanford University, going on to rise to the highest levels of higher education and philanthropy — public service that earned him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Gregorian’s experiences in a new country helped shape his support for the civic integration of immigrants. At his naturalization ceremony in 1979, Gregorian said, 

“For us, America is not just a past; it is also a future. It is not just an actuality — it is always a potentiality," said Gregorian at his 1979 naturalization ceremonty. "America’s greatness lies in the fact that all its citizens, both new and old, have an opportunity to work for that potentiality, for its unfinished agenda.”

Emotional hearing on anti-Asian hate: 'Our community is bleeding.'

ABC

The US House of Representatives held a hearing on the rise of anti-Asian violence.

The Congressional hearing about violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders was scheduled before the slayings in Georgia occurred but the shooting of six Asian women made the hearings even more timely.

Representative Steve Cohen, the chair of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, in his opening remarks emphasized that "anti-Asian hate did not begin with the COVID-19 pandemic, and it will not end when the pandemic is over. All the pandemic did was exacerbate latent anti-Asian prejudices that have a long and ugly history in America."

"I want to make clear that all Asian Americans who are understandably feeling hurt and afraid right now and wondering whether anyone else in America cares that Congress sees you, we stand with you," he added. "We're gonna do everything in our power to protect you."

Since the pandemic swept across the nation a year ago, AAPI have been blamed for the spread of coronavirus, largely because of the rhetoric used by Donald Trump and his advisors, such as the "China virus," "Wuhan Virus," or "Kung Flu." 

“It is with a heavy heart that we are here today, still shocked and heartbroken about the murder of eight in Georgia, including six Asian American women, by a gunman who targeted three Asian businesses. The first one being Young's Asian Massage, then driving 27 miles to two other Asian spas,” said Rep. Judy Chu, D-CA, chair of the Congressional  Asian Pacific American Caucus.

“His targets were no accident," she added. "And what we know is that this day was coming. And because of crimes like this, I ... urged the committee to undertake this hearing because the Asian American community has reached a crisis point that cannot be ignored."

One of emotional highpoints of the hearing occurred when Rep. Grace Meng, D-NY,  responded to comments made by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tx., during his opening statement. Roy said that he believes victims of race-based violence deserve justice, but then claimed the hearing was an effort to police rhetoric and criticized China for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

"I want to go back to something that Mr. Roy said earlier," said Meng, speaking virtually from her home. "Your president and your party and your colleagues can talk about issues with any other country that you want. But you don't have to do it by putting a bull's eye on the back of Asian Americans across this country. On our grandparents, on our kids. This hearing was to address the hurt and pain of our community. To find solutions. And we will not let you take our voice away from us."

"Our community is bleeding, we are in pain, and for the last year we've been screaming out for help," she added.

Meng also urged the committee to support the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act would designate an individual at the Department of Justice expeditiously review hate crimes related to COVID-19, while also making it easier for people to report these crimes to state and local agencies.

Rep. Ted Lieu, D-CA, also responded to Roy's attempts to subvert the hearing. "This hearing is about Americans of Asian descent who are being targeted in the United States. It's not about policing speech," said Lieu.

The hearing comes in the midst of an alarming year-long rise in assaults on AAPI nationwide. A report released Tuesday said the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center received nearly 3,800 reports of hate incidents, including verbal harassment, bullying and physical assault, from March 19, 2020, to February 28 this year

Besides politicians, speakers also included academics, community leaders, activists and actor Daniel Dae Kim, who has used his social media platform to bring attention to the epidemic of hate against AAPI.

In his testimony, he called out conservatives for voting against such a resolution last year. “I was disheartened to find that for a bill that required no money or resources, just a simple condemnation of acts of hate against people of Asian descent, 164 members of Congress, all Republican voted against it,” said the actor and producer. “And now here I am again, because as every witness in this hearing has pointed out, the situation has gotten worse, much worse.”

Republican Representatives Young Kim and Michelle Steel, who both represent Orange County districts in California, also testified.

"This should not have to be said but I want to be very clear. No American of any race or ethnic group is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic," Kim said. "The virus does not discriminate. It affects everyone."

terms including 'Kung flu' or 'Wuhan virus' for describing the coronavirus pandemic. "I am not a virus. And when you say things like that, it hurts the Asian American community," Lieu said.

"This hearing is about Americans of Asian descent who are being targeted in the United States. It's not about policing speech," Lieu added.

Congressman Steve Cohen, the chair of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, in his opening remarks emphasized that "anti-Asian hate did not begin with the COVID-19 pandemic, and it will not end when the pandemic is over. All the pandemic did was exacerbate latent anti-Asian prejudices that have a long and ugly history in America."

 

"This is one of the more violent tragedies in a string of about 3,800 hate incidents and crimes against Asian Americans -- 68% of them women," said Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., at a press conference Wednesday. "It's clear that the individuals were targeted because they are amongst the most vulnerable in our country: immigrant Asian women."

MORE: Rise in anti-Asian American hate crimes may lead to mental health crisis

Subcommittee Chair Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., began the hearing Thursday with a moment of silence for the people who were killed in Atlanta. He then began his opening statement by saying the shooting on Tuesday felt to many "like the inevitable culmination of a year in which there were nearly 3,800 reported incidents of anti-Asian hate."

"I want to make clear that all Asian Americans who are understandably feeling hurt and afraid right now and wondering whether anyone else in America cares that Congress sees you, we stand with you," he added. "We're gonna do everything in our power to protect you."

Republican congressman Tom McClintock from California also pushed back on the scope of the hearing. "To attack our society as systematically racist, a society that has produced the freest, most prosperous, harmonious multiracial society in human history, well, that's an insult. And it's flat-out wrong," McClintock said.   

Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland asked the panel of witnesses about Republicans' concerns about free speech. John Yang, the President of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, said "leaders have an obligation to model behavior that we want our community to follow" instead of trying to be divisive.   

Congressman Ted Lieu from California, who served active duty in the U.S. Air Force, made an appeal in his testimony to Republican lawmakers to stop using racist terms including 'Kung flu' or 'Wuhan virus' for describing the coronavirus pandemic. "I am not a virus. And when you say things like that, it hurts the Asian American community," Lieu said.

"This hearing is about Americans of Asian descent who are being targeted in the United States. It's not about policing speech," Lieu added.

Congressman Steve Cohen, the chair of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, in his opening remarks emphasized that "anti-Asian hate did not begin with the COVID-19 pandemic, and it will not end when the pandemic is over. All the pandemic did was exacerbate latent anti-Asian prejudices that have a long and ugly history in America."

Chu, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and the first Chinese American woman to serve in Congress, also talked about the Atlanta shootings at Thursday's hearing.

“It is with a heavy heart that we are here today, still shocked and heartbroken about the murder of eight in Georgia, including six Asian American women, by a gunman who targeted three Asian businesses. The first one being Young's Asian Massage, then driving 27 miles to two other Asian spas,” Chu said.

“His targets were no accident," she added. "And what we know is that this day was coming. And because of crimes like this, I, as chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, or CAPAC, urged the committee to undertake this hearing because the Asian American community has reached a crisis point that cannot be ignored."

In an emotional moment during her testimony, Meng pushed back against comments that Republican Texas Rep. Chip Roy made during his opening statement. Roy said that he believes victims of race-based violence deserve justice, but then claimed the hearing was an effort to police rhetoric and criticized China for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

"I want to go back to something that Mr. Roy said earlier," she said. "Your president and your party and your colleagues can talk about issues with any other country that you want. But you don't have to do it by putting a bull's eye on the back of Asian Americans across this country. On our grandparents, on our kids. This hearing was to address the hurt and pain of our community. To find solutions. And we will not let you take our voice away from us."

Impeaching Donald Trump: AAPI members of Congress vote along party lines

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Rep. Ted Lieu will manage Donald Trump's impeachment in front of the U.S. Senate.

On Korean American Day, the four Korean American Congressmembers split along party lines on the initiative to impeach Donald Trump. The day commemorates the arrival of the first Koreans to the U.S. in 1903.

Democrats Andy Kim (NJ) and Marilyn Strickland (WA) voted Wednesday (Jan. 13)  for impeachment and California Republicans Young Kim and Michelle Steel voted no.

With a vote of 232 to 197, the House of Representatives charged Trump with "incitement of insurrection" for his role in the violent takeover byTrump supporters and white supremacists of the U.S. Capitol building that left five people dead and terrorized lawmakers as they sought to confirm the Electoral College votes that gave President-elect Joe Biden a victory last Nov. 3.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi named Rep. Ted Lieu, D-CA, to manage the impeachment and argue for conviction in front of the Senate.

Unlike 13 months ago when the House voted for the first impeachment of Trump and the vote was strictly along party lines, 10 Republicans crossed party lines this time to vote with the Democrats, including Rep. Liz Cheney, the third highest ranking Republican in the House.

With the exception of first-term lawmakers Young Kim and Steel, the other  AAPI Representatives are Democrats and voted for impeachment along party lines. Besides the aforementioned Strickland, Andy Kim. They include: Californians Ted Lieu, Ro Khanna, Mark Takano, Judy Chu, Ami Bera, Doris Matsui and newly installed Kai Kahele of Hawaii, Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Grace Meng of New York, Virginia's Bobby Scott and Stephanie Murphy of Florida.

"The bipartisan vote reaffirms that security of our democracy is our first priority," said Congressman Scott, who is of Filipino descent. "I hope the Senate will convict/remove Donald Trump and we can move forward from this dark chapter."

“It is not with joy that I have voted to impeach the President for a second time. I am taking a stand to ensure the future for our children and grandchildren," said Rep. Matsui. "When we are asked by future generations what we did, we must be able to tell them that we fulfilled our obligation to keep our democracy strong. (Trump) remains a clear and present danger to our nation as long as he is able to hold elected office, and that is why we acted to impeach him immediately.”

“Today’s impeachment is not about dividing this country. It’s about uniting all patriotic Americans against the unconstitutional actions of an out-of-control president—a president who incited insurrection against our great nation,” said Florida's Murphy. (Murphy's full statement is below.)

Trump is the only U.S. President to be impeached twice. Trump's was impeached in 2019 for trying to get Ukraine officials to dig up dirt of alleged corrupt business dealings = by Hunter Biden, the son of President-elect Joe Biden. The allegations, which proved untrue, were, nevertheless, raised by Trump against Biden during the campaign. The Senate rejected the impeachment.

The current charge of impeachment against Trump claims Trump "incited an insurrection" against Congress when he spoke at a rally of people who believed Trump's lies claiming that the 2020 Presidential election was rigged and that he actually won. 

The "incitement of insurrection" article of impeachment was introduced Monday by three House Democrats: Ted Lieu of California , Jaime Raskin of Maryland and David Cicilline of Rhode Island.

Lieu got the impeachment ball rolling while insurrectionists were roaming the halls of the Capitol after breaking through the lines of overwhelmed police officers  He texted the Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee about the need to impeach.

“I was just super pissed off,” said Lieu, an officer in the Air Force Reserves and represents a district that includes parts of  Los Angeles and Hollywood.

The impeachment is like an indictment and the hearing before the U.S. Senate is like a trial. Chief Justice Roberts will preside and two-thirds of the Senators present is needed for a conviction. The Senate is not set to meet until Jan.1 19, a day before Biden's inauguration so the articles of impeachment would likely be presented to the newly constituted Senate that will be controlled by the Democrats.

A former president can still be found guilty by the Senate. While the main penalty for a guilty verdict in an impeachment trial is removal from office, senators could vote to bar Trump from holding office in the future. That's an important incentive for both parties becuase Trump has not ruled out running for president in 2024. He could also lose his six-figure pension and other post-presidential perks.

The final text for impeachment states: “President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government. He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coequal branch of Government. He thereby betrayed his trust as president, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.”

Four new AAPI members of Congress "representing" in the House of Representatives

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Rep. Marilyn Strickland wore a traditional Hanbok for her swearing-in ceremony.

Four new AAPI members of the 117th Congress were sworn in Sunday, joining the 15 re-elected House members and two sitting Senators of Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage.

The four included the first three Korean American women elected to Congress: Kim Young and Michelle Steele from Southern California's Orange County and Marilyn Strickland from the state of Washington.

Kai Kahele won Hawaii's District 2 seat previously occupied by Tulsi Gabbard, who opted to concentrate on her unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination for President rather than campaign for re-election. Kahele's election marks the return of a Native Hawaiian to Congress since Sen. Daniel Akaka died while in office in 2018.

For her swearing-in, Strickland, whose father is African American, honored her Korean American mother by wearing the Hanbok, a traditional Korean garb worn during significant events.

“Today, I was honored to be sworn into one of the most historically diverse Congresses in history, joining a record number of women, and women of color, serving in our Democratic Majority. As a woman of both Korean American and African American descent, it was deeply personal to wear my Hanbok, which not only symbolizes my heritage and honors my mother, but also serves as a larger testament to the crucial importance of diversity in our nation, state, and the People’s House,"  Strickland stated in a press release.

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Hawaii's Rep. Kai Kahele brought a bit of the islands with him for his swearing-in ceremony.

For his swearing in ceremony, festooned in a bevy of Hawaiian leis, Kahale used the same Bible that was used by the late Akaka, the first Native Hawaiian elected to Congress.  

He thanked his supporters and fellow Hawaii Representative EdCase, and said, “For those of you whom I don’t know yet, I hope to gain your trust and confidence. As your representative, I will work across the aisle when possible, and I will fight for our kupuna and our keiki to ensure a better Hawaii for all.”

“It was incredibly emotional and was just beaming with pride and I’m sure Senator Akaka, with my dad, so many others that have come before us, were just looking down and smiling,” Kahele said.

“In Washington, I will practice the important values we hold dear, including integrity, honor, cooperation and aloha in all I do,” Kahele said.

Symbolically, in a powerful moment, Kahele's first official words spoken in the House chambers were spoken in Hawaiian. He said, “Lunamaka’āinana ʻo Nancy Pelosi.” (Congratulations to the People's Leader, Nancy Pelosi.)

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The first three Korean American women, from left, Young KIm, Michelle Steel and
Marilyn Strickland,  elected to Congress met during orientation last year.

California's Kim drew criticism from some in the Republican Party when she criticized Donald Trump's use of racial slurs in referring to the coronavirus pandemic and some of his positions on immigration. “I do hope that my voice can be heard,” she said, “and that I can represent not only my district but also represent the underserved and underheard communities like the Asian American voice.”

Steel, whose husband is a high-ranking official in California's Republican Party, drew support from a lot of Orange County's conservatives when she criticized mandating the wearing of masks in public and the health restrictions placed on businesses.

“This is my American dream and I am honored and humbled to serve my community as one of the first Korean American women ever elected to Congress," said Steel in a press release. "Taking the oath of office to represent the nation that has blessed me with so many opportunities is a moment I will never forget. This is a responsibility that I will never take for granted, especially as so many families and businesses continue to fight back against the COVID-19 pandemic."

The four brings the total number of AAPI Congress members to 21, the most to serve at one time.

Young Kim helps turn Orange County purple

Young Kim will represent part of Orange County, CA in Congress.

The GOP comeback in California's Orange County succeeded in recapturing two of the four Congressional seats representing the county, once a bastion of Republican conservatism.

Young Kim narrowly defeated first-term Congressman Gil Cisneros, who in 2018 won the 39th District seat held for 26 years by Republican Congressman Ed Royce. Kim, an aide for Royce before winning a position in the state legislature, beat Cisneros with about 4,000 votes.

The demographics of the 39th has been shifting in recent years towards the Democrats who hold a slight edge in registration. That means, most likely, that some Democratic Asian Americans crossed over to vote for Kim.

In social media, Kim thanked her supporters. “I hope we can unite and move forward to address the issues that our nation faces.”

“As an immigrant … I know that the promise of America is alive,” she added. Kim doesn't agree with all of Trump's positions, especially in immigration.

Kim joins Michelle Steel, another Korean American Republican who won the 45th District from Rep. Harley Rouda earlier this week. The two Orange County women, together with Washington's Marilyn Strickland, a Democrat, as the first Korean American women in Congress.

“I’m sorry I won’t be able to continue that work in Congress this January,” Cisneros said in a statement.

“I’ve still got a lot of fight left in me,” he added, hinting that he might not be through seeking public office.