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Unprecedented AAPI Presence at Democratic ConventionAsian Americans and Pacific Islanders Prominent in Denver, from Floor to Podium
Note: This is the first in a series of postings focused on the positions and impact of Asian Americans during the 2008 national elections. For part two, see the links at the end of the article.
August 28, 2008 - With the bunting being swept up in Denver, it's official… Sure, the nation has reached a historic milestone with the first African American to become a major party candidate for President of the U.S. But another milestone worth noting was reached up there in the Rockies this week: the unprecedented participation and high visibility of Asian Americans in every aspect of the campaign and a national nominating convention. As the DNC's outreach teams promised early on, the days surrounding the convention offered programming and activity by numerous Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations of all types. With the recent expansion of the Asian American and Pacific Islanders for Obama Leadership Council, leaders representing numerous national groups have had an opportunity to work in a coordinated fashion to present the Obama/Biden case to the community, and to gather in Denver. Holding events at the convention were organizations including APIAVote, the Indian American Leadership Initiative, Asian Pacific Americans for Progress, the DNC APIA Caucus, and Asian American Action Fund, among others -- not all of them partisan. As in years past, much of the activity surrounded strategies and training for voter registration. As reports of registration and voting obstacles facing AAPIs have come to light following the past several elections, efforts to educate the community about voting rights and raise voter participation have been a high priority for community organizations. The new, growing AAPI presence was also felt on the floor of the convention arena. Spotting the crowd were more than the handful of token Asian faces that are the norm at such events. In fact, AAPI delegate representation was carefully and fairly proportional to our population; CNN reports that AAPIs constituted over 5% of the delegates in Denver. A number of prominent Asian American celebrities who have been supporting the campaign, including Kal Penn and Daniel Dae-Kim and Yul Kwon, were also instantly recognizable in the gavel-to-gavel TV coverage throughout the 4-day event. The new AAPI presence was also notable front and center, up at the podium. Taking a speaking role at the kickoff was Maya Soetoro-Ng, Obama's half-sister of Indonesian descent, whose highly personal address brought ohana to the convention, as the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported. On a day intended to (re)introduce the candidate through focusing on his family life and values, background and character, Soetoro-Ng's speech painted an evocative picture of a close-knit, multicultural, multiracial (perhaps quintessentially Hawaiian) family bonded by a wise, important mother figure. The theme would be developed further throughout the day, culminating in Michelle Obama's well-reviewed speech concluding the evening.
Also taking the stage in televised addresses were Congressman Mike Honda, vice chair of the Democratic National Committee and chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and California State Controller John Chiang. Leading off Day 3, Tammy Duckworth, Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, delivered one of the more muscular speeches thus far in the convention. Herself a veteran who lost both her legs while serving as a helicopter pilot in Iraq, Duckworth spoke forcefully on military policy and veterans care, taking Republican candidate John McCain and the current administration to task for "letting our warriors down". She praised the forces stationed in Iraq, but condemned the administration for repeatedly redeploying troops "until they are overstretched, stressed and strained." In a recent update to an ongoing study of population and political trends in our communities, researchers at the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, the University of California Asian American and Pacific Islander Policy Multi-Campus Research Program, and Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics have found the influence of AAPI voters steadily increasing in state and U.S. elections. The study, "Awakening the New 'Sleeping Giant'? Asian American Political Engagement," observes that AAPIs now constitute 5% or more of the population in 10 U.S. states, including electorally rich states like California and potential swing states that Democrats believe they have a good shot at turning or keeping blue this year, such as Virginia and Nevada.
The strong Asian American presence in Denver this year demonstrates a new respect for the "sleeping giant" that has taken root in the DNC. Sure, Obama's own family ties may have something to do with it; Chairman Dean has also been an AAPI-friendly voice in the party beginning with his own presidential campaign. But it is also likely that more biggies among the DNC brass have been doing the math and heeding the growing evidence presented by research such as that by UCLA. Even while the Denver fest was still underway, Republican planners had already been criticized for the dearth of AAPI representation at their upcoming convention, where Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal was the only Asian American scheduled to speak. The RNC may still revisit its programming for St. Paul, and to show -- to paraphrase from Obama's acceptance speech on Thursday -- that they "get it," presenting a picture of a party that looks more like the country it needs to elect John McCain. In any case, Denver will be a hard act to follow, and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders should be watching -- and indeed expecting -- to see ourselves in Minnesota next week. Because the tricky thing about progress-that's-a long-time-coming is, once you get a taste of it, you can't go back.
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