As we close out 2007, let’s also look ahead to the New Year. Here are a few suggestions for your New Year’s resolutions.
Get involved in the political process. With the presidential election in November, opportunities abound to get involved in candidates’ campaigns, as well as in the issues of voting rights and language access at the polls. This is the year Asian Pacific Islander Americans can show their strength as a political force by organizing around issues and candidates that speak to them. Better yet…
Run for office. Ride the wave of Asian Pacific Islander Americans seeking and winning seats in public office. Each year, we reach further up into the uppermost echelons of government. UCLA’s new national APA political almanac released this month lists more than 2,000 APIA elected and appointed officials nationwide at the federal, state and local levels.
Donate. Give whatever you can — time, money, food, elbow grease, your voice, your presence. A report released this year by Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy found that 2004 foundation funding to AAPIs represented just 0.4 percent of all U.S. foundation dollars. Yet, the community comprises 4.5 percent of the U.S. population. Our community groups need your support in whatever way you can donate.
Support Asian American arts. Grab your friends and check out Asian American films, theatre, dance, music, books, and arts exhibitions. There are so many great voices, struggling to be heard, that capture all the facets of the APIA community and chronicle and reflect on what it means to be an Asian Pacific Islander American today.
Go green. There has never been a better time to implement green into your life. Asian Pacific Islander Americans are no strangers to green practices; many of the things you do every day may already be helping save the earth — sharing your household with members of your extended family; reusing plastic and shopping bags; taking public transportation and biking. There is so much more Asian Pacific Islander Americans can do. Let’s make ourselves an integral part of the green movement.
Here’s hoping you have a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year. See you in ’08!