Last month our chair, Rep. Grace Meng, introduced a resolution condemning anti-Asian sentiment to the House of Representatives.
164 Republicans voted against it. One representative, Jodey Arrington of Texas, took to the floor to passionately demand his right to refer to COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus,” and accused Rep. Meng of “dividing our country” and “stoking the flames of racial dissension.”
We’ve seen growing voter engagement among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, largely because of the way leaders like Arrington have followed Trump’s lead in embracing xenophobia. Hate crimes against AAPIs have spiked at the same time that our access to health care, education, and economic opportunity has plummeted. AAPI voters in battleground states now have the potential to fight back against GOP toxicity at the polls -- and give Joe Biden and Kamala Harris a landslide victory in November.
But even though the potential is there, Democratic outreach isn’t doing its job. We’re still not reaching AAPI voters in enough numbers and with the right kind of messaging, and concerns about the safety of vote-by-mail (stoked by our failed president), along with language barriers and GOP voter suppression tactics, could keep AAPI voters from casting their ballots -- and hand Republicans another term in power.
Worse yet, we’re falling short of the funds we need to support the campaigns that will reach AAPI voters and the candidates who will fight for them. We need to raise another $8,436 before midnight if we want to hit our goal.
You know it’s racists like Arrington and Trump that are dividing this country. You know that the only way to get us on the right track is to elect diverse, progressive leadership -- to Congress and to the White House. And you know we’ll need a broad coalition, one that includes every single AAPI voter, to get there. You know we need your help, and we need it now.
