The month of May is all about celebrating the history and culture of the Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. The Asian American community is the fastest growing racial demographic in the US. With that, Asian Americans also had the highest growth in voter turnout in 2020 when compared to 2016. In fact, in 2020 young Asian American voters overwhelmingly supported the Biden Harris campaign. Yet, AANHPI communities are still often overlooked when it comes to voter engagement. A national survey conducted by RUN (Represent Us Now) AAPI found that campaigns failed to reach 68% of young Asian Americans leading up to the 2022 midterms.
To celebrate AANHPI Heritage Month, we want to shine a light on the incredible power of the AANHPI organizers in our network who are not only working to engage the fastest growing racial demographic in the US in civic action, but are continuing to build AANHPI youth power all year long.
Say Hey 👋🏽 to the Organizers of North Carolina Asian Americans Together
Samuel Lynn
He/Him/His
Field Manager at North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT)
▼What piece of AANHPI history motivates you and/or inspires you to organize your community?
While American soldiers during WWII were liberating concentration camps across Europe, Japanese-Americans were put into our own camps. Learning this taught me the importance of understanding history and standing in solidarity against injustice.
▼ Do you have a favorite story of organizing in your community that illustrates what makes the AANHPI Community unique?
During last year’s election season, our organization developed infographics to educate our community on the offices that would be on the ballot that year and what they did (State Legislature, State Supreme Court, & Sheriff). Organizing the AANHPI community means bringing together the many ethnicities and languages that comprise our people, and last year we were able to get our infographics translated into the 5 most commonly spoken Asian languages in NC. Seeing all of these infographics centered around civic education and voter engagement in these different languages showed how our organizing our communities has unique challenges, but we are still able to come together in solidarity as Asian Americans.
▼ What legacy do you want to leave behind?
I want my legacy to show that I saw needs in my community chose to engage in the ways that I could, rather than stay on the sidelines. We owe it to everyone who could not, or can not, act themselves to do everything in our power to bring change.
Giselle Pagunuran
She/Her/Hers
Digital Communications Manager at North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT)
▼ What piece of AANHPI history motivates you and/or inspires you to organize your community?
Philip Vera Cruz, Larry Itliong, and other farm workers activists who worked hard to build coalitions, strengthen labor unions, and make workers’ voices heard. They motivate me to identify needs, build community, and respond with direct action.
▼ What legacy do you want to leave behind?
I want to be remembered as someone who cared deeply about uplifting her community, took action towards that goal, and made a tangible impact that inspires others to continue that cycle of care.
Shruti Parikh
She/Her/Hers
Director, Voter Engagement at North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT)
▼ What piece of AANHPI history motivates you and/or inspires you to organize your community?
Thind V US & the 1907 Bellingham riots. Both of these events show me how fragile our rights are and why it is important to vote and engage in the electoral process. Our growth as an equitable and inclusive nation depends on our ability to show up!!
▼ Do you have a favorite story of organizing in your community that illustrates what makes the AANHPI Community unique?
In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, we were tabling at local Asian grocery stores, trying to meet people where they were. I have a strong relationship with the family that owns and run the local Patel Brothers since I have shopped there since I moved to Raleigh in 1993. While holding a registration drive on location, I learned that one of the owners had recently become naturalized. I was able to register her to vote, educate her on the ways she could vote in NC, and help her make her plan. It was incredibly satisfying to help this long-time resident of NC, a vital community member, and friend, exercise her right to vote for the first time!
▼ What legacy do you want to leave behind?
I want to know that I contributed to making NC a fair, equitable, and welcoming state for all by including Asian Americans and BIPOC communities in building the collective power necessary to make real and effective change.
Organizing the AANHPI Community in Nevada
In the Alliance Network, we are happy to have orgs like Asian Community Development Council (ACDC) and One APIA Nevada in our network working together to directly serve and engage their communities in political action.
ACDC and One APIA Nevada work to build AANHPI power across the state of Nevada through year-round voter engagement, advocating for policies that further the interests of the community, and through grassroots engagement and coalition building around issues that matter most to the AANHPI community. On May 1st, ACDC and One APIA Nevada brought together over 100 community members to meet with legislators in Carson City, Nevada for their AANHPI Heritage Month Lobby Day!
We want to make it clear that we will continue to honor and celebrate AANHPI history and heritage not just in the month of May, but year-round. AANHPI youth will always have a home in the Alliance Network.