2021 is coming to a close and we are all winding down and reflecting on what we have accomplished this past year. Despite the ongoing pandemic, we held over 40 events this past year! This included

• our conversation with Sera Murphy about Slaysians,
• a talk with the curators of Seen and Unseen, an exhibit about Japanese Americans in same-sex relationships,
• and most recently, a presentation from Christine Chen of APIAVote about voting trends in the AAPI community.

You can find more recordings of our past events on the Democrats Abroad YouTube channel and find more information about topics like immigrant detention and voting in the AAPI community on our website.

Moving into 2022, make sure you set a reminder to request your ballot in January from votefromabroad.org. As overseas voters, you must request your ballot each calendar year. What better way to start your year than by crossing this important task off your to-do list?

We are excited for what lies ahead next year, and we will need everyone’s energy and time to make sure we are successful in the midterms. If you are interested in volunteering with our caucus or joining our Steering Committee, send an email to [email protected]. More information about volunteer opportunities is below.

You can also make a donation to Democrats Abroad on behalf of the AAPI Caucus. Your financial support will help pay for online ads, improvements to our website, and more.

We want to wish everyone a safe and healthy end to 2021 and a great start to 2022. We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Best wishes,
Emily Lines
Chair, AAPI Caucus

Updates

Volunteer with the AAPI Caucus

The AAPI Caucus is looking to strengthen its global team. There are a variety of ways you can get involved:

• Steering Committee Member
  • As a member of the Steering Committee, you will help guide the caucus and set its agenda.
  • Steering Committee members are asked to also volunteer with one of our working groups (events & speakers, communications & outreach, issues, or voter outreach).
  • The Committee meets every two weeks online and members can expect a time commitment of approximately 5 hours a week. Additional information is available on our website.
• Social Media Volunteer
  • Create, share, post materials on the various AAPI Caucus social media channels
    • Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
    • Volunteers can focus on one platform or all three
    • Promote upcoming events, share articles of interest, create graphics
  • Time commitment: 2-5 hours a week
• Events Volunteer
  • Help organize events for the AAPI Caucus
    • Find speakers to invite
    • Choose topics and themes to discuss
  • Possibly moderate and lead an event
  • Time commitment: 5-7 hours a month
• Write for the Caucus
  • Write news posts (like blog posts) for the AAPI Caucus website
  • Brainstorm topics and issues that can be addressed
  • Help provide educational and understandable explanations of issues important to the AAPI community
  • Time commitment: 5 hours a month

If you are interested in volunteering, email Emily Lines at [email protected].

Upcoming Events

NEW TIME: A Question of Loyalty: Discussion of PBS Documentary “Asian Americans”

Wed. Jan 12, 2022, 4pm Vancouver / 7pm DC
RSVP

Good Americans: Discussion of PBS Documentary “Asian Americans”

Sun. Feb 6, 2022, 4am EST / 10am CET
RSVP

Save The Dates!

We have a number of events that we’re already working on for next year, so make sure you add them to your calendars already and keep an eye out for more information in the new year:

• First week of February: Dumpling Cooking Class - A Celebration of Chinese New Year
• February 26th: “Born on the Edge of Race and Gender: A Voice for Cultural Competency” - Book Discussion with Author Willy Wilkinson
• March 15th: Sonnet at the Edge of the Reef: A Conversation with Dr. Craig Santos Perez
• May: Unity, Inclusion and a Shared Commitment to Human Dignity - an interactive session with PFLAG

Recommendations

This is the monthly recommendations of books, podcasts, movies, tv shows, and other AAPI-related media we like.

Book: Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

Korean-American writer, musician and founder of the band Japanese Breakfast, Zauner published an essay of the same name in the New Yorker in 2018, with the book published in April this year. This very moving memoir describes her growing up as a half Korean/half white American only child and her connection with her Korean identity through her mother who is dying from cancer. Her exploration of grief and her solace in her mother’s Korean cooking (thus the reference to H Mart) is sad, touching and joyous too. And then there’s the food…

Podcast (Spotify):
Dear Asian American: #112

Neil Ruiz, Associate Director of Race and Ethnicity Research at the Pew Research Center shares his story of growing up as the son of Filipino immigrants, finding his passion and mission in sharing AAPI stories through data and research, and what he has learned about the AAPI community through his research work.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3VCa2jSckj2bmpMQfGx6vP?si=ZjLmNAaRSOu-c8bO_M1_mA

See also Ruiz’ report: "Key facts about Asian Americans, a diverse and growing population"

Opinion: Democrats Still Don’t Understand Asian American Voters by Jay Caspian Kang

The New York Times, November 15, 2021
Kang’s opinion pieces for the N.Y. Times often generate a lot of comments and discussion in social media. This one is particularly timely given the drift to more conservative candidates by some AAPI voters in the recent state and local elections in November, and how that is effecting and will effect voting in the elections in 2022.

His earlier essay from November last year is also worth a read: ‘People of Color’ do not belong to the Democratic Party