CDT is Buiding Progressive AAPI Power in CA

Written by Susan Sheu, CDT member

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage month, and here in California on the Pacific Rim, we are proud of our many generations and diverse populations of Asian and Pacific Islander-Americans and immigrants who call the United States home. Here in the Golden State, some of the AAPI candidates CDT’s supported are on their way to becoming progressive champions, such as Assemblymember Alex Lee, who introduced AB 20, which would address the money-in-politics problem head-on by banning business from donating to political candidates. Another one of our rising stars is Assemblymember Ash Kalra, who is shaping and strengthening the California legislature’s progressive caucus as it’s chair, and was key to passing AB 2542, the 2020 Racial Justice Act.

Our pride in our heritage and in our community is somewhat dampened this year because in 2020 and 2021, America has experienced a sharp rise in hate crimes, violence, and verbal attacks against Asian Americans. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, the nonprofit organization Stop AAPI Hate reported that there were 2,583 self-reported incidents of anti-Asian discrimination between March and August of 2020. More than 40% of these incidents took place in California. The total number of racist incidents and hate crimes for the
one-year period of time is more than 3,000, In March of this year, the mass shooting of eight female, Asian immigrant (Korean and Chinese) spa workers in Atlanta, Georgia, was the horrifying tragedy that brought the wave of hate crimes into the national news for anyone who had managed to avoid the sporadic attacks that had happened to elders as well as younger people on the streets of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and the subway attacks in New York City. As many Asian American activists as well as our allies have pointed out, the current hate crimes are the most recent chapter in a century-and-a-half of being in the strange position of being considered a “model minority” in America and yet also perceived to be invisible, not authentically “American,” or, at worst, scapegoats for economic downturns and disease.

Despite this upsetting revival of old patterns and stereotypes, there is also cause for hope and inspiration. On May 18, the Democratic-majority House of Representatives passed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act by a margin of 364 votes to 62 (all 62 were Republicans). Last month, the Senate passed the bill with a 94–1 bipartisan vote (the lone ‘no’ vote was from everyone favorite seditionist, Sen. Josh Hawley, Republican from Missouri). President Biden has urged passage of the bill and pledged to sign it. Some of our Asian American Members of Congress, several residing in CA, have led on this legislation as well as bearing witness and speaking out to stop this violence and bigotry.

We at CDT are proud to have supported many rising stars in California who are pushing progressive legislation and values in the Golden State and showing by example that immigrants and their children inject vitality and ingenuity into America. Some of the great AAPI candidates we have supported are:

Attorney General Rob Bonta

Assemblymember Alex Lee

Assemblymember Ash Kalra

Congressman Mark Takano

Mayor of Garden Grove and congressional candidate, Bao Nguyen

Former Congressman T.J. Cox

Andrew Janz for Congress

Dave Min for Congress (CDT candidate training program alum)

Duke Nguyen for Orange County Sheriff

Jane Kim for State Senate

Mike Eng for State Senate

Mariko Yamada for State Senate

Mae Torlakson for State Assembly

We are also proud to work in coalition with AAPI leaders and activists, including:

Emily Lee, San Francisco Rising

Kimi Lee, Bay Rising

Irene Kao, Courage California

Timmy Lu, AAPI for Civic Empowerment Education Fund

Jonathan Paik, Orange County Civic Engagement Table

Mabel Tsang, California Environmental Justice Alliance

Thank you for your activism and for being part of the CDT community! I am hopeful that 2021 and 2022 will be a year of increasing justice and equality for AAPI Californians and our partners in the multiethnic progressive community as well as the vulnerable people we work to protect and elevate.

In solidarity and friendship,

Susan Sheu

CDT member