Thank you to everyone who participated in our online vigil to stop AAPI hate. You can still send in a photo or a statement for our online virtual vigil. If you wish, you can watch the recorded event. We hope that you have had some time for yourself to process these events.
You can join the AAPI community check-in on April 21 hosted by Democrats Abroad France to discuss your thoughts and feelings about this wave of hate.
We have also put together a short reading list of articles for you that examine how the events of the past year have affected the AAPI community; of non-fiction books that explore the history and stories of AAPI communities; and of works of fiction that detail AAPI immigrant experiences. Please feel free to share this list.
Springing forward into climate awareness month, we want to highlight the unique AAPI perspective in advocating for a truly global solution to the problem of climate change.
- Read the latest blog post by our Issues Working Group about the role AAPI can play in bridging the gap between all the communities that we belong to.
- We hope you will join our next Teatime events (April 14 and April 28) to discuss our experiences of becoming aware of environmental issues growing up.
- Save the date for a film screening and discussion on April 23rd to talk about environmental protection.
- And make sure to follow us on social media to see our #TofuTuesdays recipes -- get some veggie inspiration and join us in reducing our carbon footprint.
On Monday, April 12th, we will co-host an event with the Global Veterans and Military Families Caucus to speak with former Congressman Robert J. Mrazek about his book The Indomitable Florence Finch. She was born to an American father and a Filipina mother, and widow of an American naval officer killed early in the Second World War. During the war, Finch brought necessary supplies to American POWs and worked to help others in the resistance. The event will take place at 8:30pm Seoul / 5:00pm Mumbai / 1:30pm Berlin / 7:30am Washington, D.C. Make sure to RSVP!
We look forward to meeting you at one of our events this month!
Best wishes,
Cory J. Lemke and Emily Lines
News
Climate dreams from my children
As we kick off Climate Awareness Month in April, we applaud the promising actions taken so far by the Biden administration on climate breakdown - from key, climate-friendly appointments all across the U.S. executive branch to the $2.2 trillion infrastructure plan announced by President Biden on March 31st.
Steering Committee Member Ifung Lu shares his thoughts about the role his children are playing in protecting our climate.
AAPI Vigil Page
As part of the vigil we hosted on March 31st to remember the lives taken in the Atlanta shooting and the victims of anti-Asian and anti-AAPI attacks, we also collected images of Democrats Abroad members from around the world showing their support.
See some of the statements collected and images on our vigil page.
Missed an event? Catch up here!
The Dancing Girl and the Turtle: The AAPI Caucus was thrilled to host DA member and author Karen Kao for our discussion of her novel The Dancing Girl and the Turtle earlier this year. Read more about the event organized by DA Germany - Saxony chapter.
Connect the Dots Leadership Workshops: Working with the Hispanic Caucus, we developed interactive workshops to introduce DA members to the wide variety of volunteer opportunities in our organization. As we saw in 2020, having a strong volunteer base is crucial for achieving success and we will need to continue to make sure we find ways to engage interested volunteers as we prepare for 2022. Interested? Read more about the workshops.
Immigration Reform: Farmworker and Dreamer Justice: On March 25th, the Global Hispanic Caucus hosted this event in collaboration with the Global AAPI, LGBTQ, and Youth Caucuses as well as Democrats Abroad country committees Canada, Spain, Mexico, and Germany. The event focused on the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, as well as the separate American Dream and Promise Act (HR-6) and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act (HR-1603), which are currently being discussed in Congress. Read more about the event and the four panelists.
Events
Legislative Pulse: Using Billtrack50 to Follow Legislation
Sunday, April 11, 2021 3:00am EDT
RSVP
"The Indomitable Florence Finch": An interview with author and former Congressman Robert J. Mrazek
Monday, April 12, 2021 7:30am EDT
RSVP | Facebook
April Teatime in EMEA
Wednesday, April 14, 2021 1pm CEST
RSVP | Facebook
Stop Asian Hate: AAPI Community Check-In (DA France)
Wednesday, April 21, 2021 7pm CEST
RSVP
April Teatime in Asia-Pacific
Wednesday, April 28, 2021 7pm KST
RSVP | Facebook
Meet the AAPI Caucus Team
Sam Wong, Former Global AAPI Caucus Steering Committee Member, Asia-Pacific Deputy Regional Vice Chair, Soon to be Democrats Abroad alum:
"Last year, a small group of amazing, uplifting, and dedicated individuals came together to form the Democrats Abroad Asian American and Pacific Islander Global Caucus. In the beginning our virtual meetings were filled with conversations about each other, what has it meant to us personally to be a member of the AAPI community, our personal journeys, growth, and reflections..." Read more about Sam
Ada Shen, DA Global AAPI Caucus Steering Committee Member, Chair of Democrats Abroad France:
"Hi, I’m Ada Shen. I’ve been an active member of Democrats Abroad since 2007 when I organized China for the first Global Presidential Primary, and later became the Obama campaign China field organizer in 2008. I led the DA organizing effort in China, mostly focusing on voter registration and mobilization, until its successful founding as a country committee in 2017..." Read more about Ada