Letter from the Chair
It’s May, which means it’s Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month! We hope that you can take some time this month to celebrate yourselves and our amazing AAPI community.
I recommend listening to this recent interview with author Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of “The Sympathizer” and most recently, “To Save and To Destroy.” In this interview, he discusses otherness (a key topic in his latest book), finding solidarity with others, and his Asian American identity.
These past few months have been a whirlwind, and it does not seem like things will slow down anytime soon. Democrats Abroad, along with many other U.S.-based organizations, has been fighting to save our democracy. One major effort has been to stop the passage of the SAVE Act. If passed, it would disenfranchise millions of voters, essentially putting an end to voting from abroad, and would also disproportionately affect the AAPI community and other marginalized groups. It has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives and is awaiting a vote in the Senate. Call and email your Senators now to let them know they need to vote against this bill!
And if you haven’t yet, request your ballot this year by using votefromabroad.org. We recommend that you request your ballot now for two reasons: so you are ready in case of any special elections; and to make sure your name is on the voter roll.
The SAVE Act is just one of many attempts by the President and Republicans to take away our rights. It can be difficult and exhausting to stay up-to-date with everything that is coming out of Washington, D.C. every day.
To give our members a chance to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month and to come together to share how they are feeling, we are hosting a Teatime Check-In on Thursday, May 15th. There are two opportunities to join: click one of the following links to RSVP at either 8:00 pm Korea Standard Time or 7:30 pm Central European Summer Time. This event is open to all members of Democrats Abroad, but members of the AAPI community will be given priority to speak and to share their thoughts.
We hope you will join us later this month. If you’re interested in volunteering with the caucus, feel free to contact us at [email protected].
Democratically yours,
Emily Lines
Chair, AAPI Caucus
Get Involved with the AAPI Caucus
The AAPI Caucus is looking for more members to become active caucus volunteers. We need members to help organize events (both online and in person), manage our social media accounts, and lead the caucus. If you are interested in getting involved, please email us at [email protected].