The seasons are changing and we are in the final months of 2021. If you’re like me, this has likely been another strange year that has flown by.
Even though it’s an off year, there are still several important elections in November. If you’re a voter in Virginia or New Jersey, you have a state election and voters in Florida District 20 and Ohio Districts 11 and 15 have special elections. We have more details below with information that you need to make sure you vote in November.
We have some exciting events coming up - don’t miss them! On Friday, November 12/Saturday, November 13, 2021, we will speak with Christine Chen, co-founder and Executive Director of Asian Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) about the APIAVote survey of Asian American voters. Join us to hear about the latest voting trends in our communities both at home and overseas. You’re invited to join the open discussion at this event about how we can get out the vote among AAPI voters living overseas.
As always, if you are interested in getting more involved with the AAPI Caucus, please get in touch. We always appreciate help with planning events, getting out the vote, and more. Just send an email to [email protected].
Best wishes,
Emily Lines
Chair, AAPI Caucus
Updates
Mooncake Newbie
Emily, our Caucus Chair, has never celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival. This year, she had the chance to participate by trying her first ever moon cake, courtesy of friend and fellow AAPI Caucus member, Powen. As an adoptee who grew up in Indiana, Emily was not exposed to much Korean or other Asian culture, so this was an exciting moment.
Upon recommendation, she divided the moon cake into quarters and ate part of the cake with a hot lemon and ginger tea. It was definitely a different taste than the usually very sweet desserts she’s used to, but she really enjoyed getting the chance to feel like she was celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival.
On behalf of the AAPI Caucus, we hope all of our members could celebrate with friends and family, either virtually or in person.
Vote on Nov 2, 2021 - Keep it Blue!
If you vote in Florida, New Jersey, Ohio, or Virginia we need your vote!
- Florida - Special Primary in Congressional District 20: U.S. House
- New Jersey - General: Governor and other state offices
- Ohio - Special General in Congressional Districts 11 & 15: U.S. House
- Virginia - General: Governor and other state offices
Deadlines to register to vote in these four (4) states are in early October.
Ballots have already been sent. If you are a registered voter and have not requested your ballot this year - DO IT TODAY!
Remind your friends and family in the U.S. to register to vote: iwillvote.com They can also verify that they are registered at this link and make sure they have not been purged.
Volunteers for Working Groups
Are you interested in getting more involved with the AAPI Caucus? Would you like to help us plan events or write about issues affecting the AAPI community? Sign up to become a volunteer and learn about the various opportunities.
AAPI Caucus Feedback Survey
We are still collecting input about how we can improve the AAPI Caucus. Please take 5 minutes to answer our survey to let us know what kinds of events you would be interested in attending and what topics you would like to discuss. Many thanks in advance for participating!
Upcoming Events
Understanding the AAPI Vote: Exploring Voter Data with Christine Chen from APIAVote
Fri. Nov 12, 2021, 11pm DC time
Sat. Nov 13, 2021, 1pm Seoul, KR time
RSVP
Breaking Ground: Discussion of PBS Documentary “Asian Americans”
Wed. Oct 20, 7:30pm CET (Berlin/Paris) / 1:30pm DC time
RSVP
State Teams GOTV for the 2022 Midterms
Sun. Oct 24, 9am DC time / 3pm CET (Berlin/Paris)
RSVP
Recommendations
This is the second edition of our recommendations of books, podcasts, movies, tv shows, and other AAPI-related media we like.
Book: Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong
Award-winning poet and essayist Cathy Park Hong’s Minor Feelings is part memoir and part essays on racial consciousness in the United States, exploring Asian American identity from Hong’s personal experiences.
Book: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
One of the New York Times best books of 2017, Pachinko tells the story of four generations of a Korean family, it is also set for production by Apple TV for a series in the near future.
Book: The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
The Sympathizer won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, the Asian-Pacific American Award for Literature and the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction about a North Vietnamese spy in the South Vietnamese Army, during the war and his subsequent involvement with the South Vietnamese community in California.
