As the incoming chair of the AAPI Caucus, I am honored and excited to be taking on this role. Since the caucus was established last year, we have grown to over 500 members, and we are looking forward to continuing to grow the caucus and increase turnout among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders living abroad.

Since last June, I have co-chaired this caucus with Cory Lemke (Democrats Abroad South Korea). On behalf of our Steering Committee, I would like to thank Cory for his work in establishing this caucus and helping to lead it. Cory was recently named the new Get Out The Vote (GOTV) Coordinator for the Asia-Pacific region. Even though Cory will be taking on this new role, we are glad that he will stay on as a member of our Steering Committee, and we look forward to supporting him as the AP GOTV Coordinator.

We took a short break in August, but we are back and invigorated for the fall season. This Caucus is your caucus, so we want to know what you think! Please complete this member interest survey.

Calling all California voters! 25% of our caucus members vote in California. Have you sent in your ballot yet? We need every Californian to VOTE NO on the governor recall. You can leave question 2 blank or choose a Democrat! If you voted in 2020, you should have received your absentee ballot already. Fax in your ballot today. Questions or problems? Check our website for more information.

In October, we’ll start a discussion series to talk about the five-part PBS Documentary “Asian Americans”. The first discussion will be on Wednesday, October 20, 2021, at 7:30pm Berlin time. Each event will discuss one episode. In case you can’t make this first discussion, we will rotate the times so that they are at more convenient times for our members around the world.

We are also always looking for more volunteers. If you are interested in getting involved with the AAPI Caucus, either at the international or local level, please get in touch by emailing me at [email protected]

Best wishes,

Emily Lines
Chair, AAPI Caucus

The USA has taken a lot of steps recently to address AAPI issues.  President Biden signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law, Illinois has required public schools teach Asian American history, and California has set aside $156 million to community groups to tackle the root causes of Asian hate.

We need to wield political power to continue this trend, and this means we need to VOTE.  We turned out in historic numbers to elect President Biden and the current House as well as many Senators. But state legislatures have created voting restrictions that disproportionately affect voters of color — limiting absentee voting, purging voter registration lists, closing polling sites, reducing voting hours, and even criminalizing handing out food and water to voters waiting in line.

These laws are creating obstacles to our voting process and limiting accessibility to the polls for those who need it most. They don't protect voters or our country’s electoral process.  Instead, they create doubt and try to undermine confidence in the democratic process, reinforcing divisive political tactics that prioritize the voices of some citizens over others. 

It is disappointing that as we approach the 56th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, we are still fighting for our freedom to vote. But we cannot give up, and we cannot stop now. The ability of every individual to have a say in our political process is the keystone of our democracy; it is the key tool for AAPIs to continue the progress we have made towards reaching equity for our communities and stopping Asian hate. If we cannot act now, we may not have another chance.

Join us and take action today.  

Look up who is is your is Senator here.

Call them and use this script (feel free to adapt if there’s anything else you’d like to discuss):

**Text Adapted from the Asian & Pacific Islander Americans Vote newsletter, July 29, 2021