Visibility and Power Define Our October
by Phil Tajitsu Nash

The non-partisan Congressional Research Service (CRS), a division of the Library of Congress, issued a report on May 25 (Order Code RS 20206) called Asian Pacific American Political Participation and Representation in Elective Office. It notes that the steep rise in API population since immigration laws were changed in 1965 has not resulted in corresponding increases in political participation. Noting hopeful trends about increased participation based on recent election results, it closes by saying, “whether greater political participation follows [population growth] will depend on the successful mobilization of the large number of potential voters in the APA community.”

Based on the mobilizations of APIs for both celebratory and protest actions here in DC in recent weeks, it’s clear that we are witnessing a quantum level increase in API political participation, as well as a changing of the guard, both ethnically and individually. For example, over one hundred people from the Washington, D.C., area welcomed Jon Amores, the West Virginia Congressional candidate, at a reception on Sept. 29, which raised over $10,000. In a metaphorical passing of the baton, both personally and in terms of reaching out to non-Japanese Asian Americans, Former Congressman Norman Mineta gave a rousing speech where he said, “I’m thrilled with the turnout, and I think everyone recognizes the importance of the race. They know that Amores is well qualified, the fact that he has served three terms in the West Virginia House of Delegates is a testimony of his abilities and reflects the fairness of the constituency which judges him by his capabilities.”

Showing the depth of Amores’ Congressional support, the evening was co-hosted by U.S. Reps. Robert Matsui (D-Calif.), Patsy Mink (D-Hawaii), David Wu (D-Oregon), Delegate Robert Underwood (D-Guam) and Delegate Eni Faleomavaega (D-Samoa).

U.S. Rep. Lane Evans, an Illinois Democrat who also attended, noted that he was “very impressed by the level of support. My first D.C. fundraiser was with three people, and one of them was my brother. This event is way above where I was, and shows his strong [level of] support.” Contributions have come from regions as diverse as Nevada, Boston, Illinois and California.

From politics to protest, Asian Americans joined African Americans, Latino Americans, Native Americans in a protest on Oct. 4, the opening day of the Supreme Court’s 1999-2000 term. Organized by the venerable NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), which was founded in 1909, the issue was a lack of Supreme Court clerks who are people of color. While many minority law students at top schools are eligible for clerkships, which are ladders to top-flight careers in teaching, government service and judicial positions, the subjectivity of the process results in low minority representation.

The next big protest activity, scheduled for Oct. 14, is “Immigrant Rights D.C. Advocacy Day.” The National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC), its affiliates and other Korean American groups will be bringing over 120 Korean Americans from seven cities nationwide to urge members of Congress to support key pro-immigrant proposals. Other immigrant rights groups, spearheaded by the New York Immigration Coalition, will be mobilizing several hundred other participants in pan-ethnic activity. Issues to be addressed include Fix 96 (rolling back anti-immigrant legislation of 1996), hate crimes legislation and the Senate approval of Bill Lann Lee’s nomination for Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.

Another sign of the growing power of APAs in Congress is an affirmative step taken by the APA Caucus to investigate the impact of federal counter-intelligence and security investigations at the Department of Energy national laboratories on the Asian Pacific community. An Oct. 5 briefing was called, according to APA Caucus Chair Underwood (D-Guam), as “a forum for the Caucus and Asian Pacific American organizations to hear about the concerns of potential civil liberties violations against Asian Pacific Americans, which have resulted from these investigations, and what steps federal officials have taken to ensure that these concerns are addressed and future violations are prevented.” He continued, “There is certainly a delicate balance that needs to be achieved with these on-going investigations to protect the security of our nation without disparaging the Asian Pacific American community.”

The final sign that Asian Americans are gaining power in Washington comes in the appointive arena. The White House named Shamina Singh Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, which is a federal government-wide effort to improve the quality of life of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in areas where they may be underserved. According to a White House statement, the initiative will address Asian American and Pacific Islander concerns including health , education, housing, labor, economic and community development.

Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee selected Courtni Sunjoo Pugh to head their Asian Pacific American-related activities, and sponsored an APA Caucus as part of day- long DNC meetings held last week.

The Republicans choose not to break out specific ethnic groups in this way, but instead refer Asian Americans to the RNC’s New Majority Council or to prominent D.C.-based Republican APIs such as Susan Au Allen.