AAJC’s 5 Takeaways on Midterms: Message of Bright Future and Hope

By Jennie L. Ilustre

 

The day after the midterm elections on November 6, Advancing Justice/Asian American Justice Center (AAJC) Executive Director John Yang discussed the impact, as well as the message, of the vote results on some Asian American issues, which are Mainstream American concerns as well.

 

Yang talked about the future of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) as candidates and voting bloc in future elections. He also reflected on the incoming 116th U.S. Congress and AAPI concerns on immigration, the 2020 Census, trade war with China and hate crimes.

 

The mission of Advancing Justice “is to advance civil and human rights for Asian Americans and to build and promote a fair and equitable society for all.” Based in the nation’s capital, it has affiliates in major cities.

 

1. More Asian Americans, and more Asian American women, will run in future elections.

 

We are a growing demographic, and we expect to see even more Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders or AAPIs throw their hat into the ring in future political races.

 

Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) candidates, both men and women, won at the national, state and local races. And that’s an important message to carry to the Asian American community because we need to run for office at every level so we can reflect not only the diversity within our community, but also the diversity within our country.

 

As a father of two young girls, I was pleased to see so many women running in this midterm elections, and over 100 women winning in Congressional races. As a result of the elections last night, more women will be serving in Congress, and I believe they represent a new energy and focus in America. There were a lot of firsts last night for women, especially women of color.

 

We can celebrate the wins of many diverse candidates. This includes the first two Muslim American women to serve in Congress in Minnesota’s Ilhan Omar and Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib, the first two Native American women in Congress with Sharice Davids and Deb Haaland, and numerous first female and openly LGBT legislators.

 

Asian Americans currently represent just 3% of the seats in Congress but we were pleased to see 18 Asian Americans running for office. The picture of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Congress is still emerging with races that are too close to call like with Andy Kim in New Jersey (Note: Days later, the vote count showed Kim won, becoming New Jersey’s first Asian American Congressman); Gina Ortiz Jones in Texas (Note: She lost in a close contest); and Young Kim in California (Note: Still too close to call at press time). But we believe it is a good sign for the future of Asian American representation in politics.

 

2. The Asian American vote is a swing vote.

It’s too soon to talk real numbers in terms of Asian American voter turnout. But it is clear that in many districts that were decided by very close margins – including in the suburbs of Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Northern Virginia, and Orange County – the percentage of Asian Americans clearly were poised to make the difference.

 

More generally, the expectations of increased voter participation from our community was high going into the mid-term elections last night. You can see the enthusiasm of Asian American voters before the election in a survey we co-sponsored at http://aapidata.com/2018-survey/

 

In related news, the Asian American Action Fund or AAAFund, an American Democratic political action committee, pointed out ”the significant wins of Jacky Rosen and Susie Lee in Nevada, a state in which the 10% AAPI electorate plays a critical role.” U.S. Senator-elect Rosen beat the Republican incumbent. Lee won a House seat in the U.S. Congress.

 

3. Congress can address immigration reform legislation, family separation policy, and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

We hope the changes in Congress will bring about changes we need in policy and legislation. We will continue to urge Congress to pass a clean Dream Act and reject any legislation that seeks to separate instead of reunite families through inhumane and anti-immigration bills.

 

We also cannot forget about the census, which will take place in April 2020. A fair and accurate count of all residents is critical to ensuring that families and communities have the resources and services to which they are entitled.

 

The current citizenship question and anti-immigrant environment is in danger of scaring people into hiding rather than being counted. In light of Attorney General Jeff Sessions resignation today (November 7), we also need an Attorney General of the United States who will enforce federal civil rights laws in a non-partisan manner and whose actions will not reflect hate against immigrants and people of color.

 

4. With each election, Americans will replace racist agendas.

These times are tough but with each election, I believe Americans will replace those with racist agendas with people who are committed to represent our country and embrace the diversity that is America. We know that love always conquers hate and we know it will again

 

We’ve seen a rise in hate crimes toward Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and we’ve seen a level of division in this country that we have not seen since the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. As Asian Americans, we know our own civil rights struggles and our history is deeply intertwined with white supremacy-driven bans and prohibitions including the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, so-called alien land laws, anti-miscegenation laws, and the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.

 

5. The rhetoric in the trade war with China is a cause for concern.

We are very concerned about the rhetoric around the on-going trade war with China. Although there are legitimate economic disputes with China, the Administration’s policies around limiting the number of Chinese students at universities and suggesting that all Chinese students and professors may be national security threats, creates an atmosphere where Chinese Americans, and Asian Pacific Americans more generally, are treated with suspicion and stereotyped.

 

We still remember that Vincent Chin’s murder in Detroit was the result of workers blaming Japan for their unemployment in the auto industry in the early 1980s. We cannot relive such periods of xenophobia based on economic insecurity.

 

 

In related news, the Asian American Action Fund (AAAFund) noted voters “passed progressive ballot initiatives,” adding this was “another bright spot” on Election night.

 

AAAFund said the electorate voted “to expand access to our democracy, remove politics from redistricting, dismantle the Jim-Crow era criminal justice system, protect the rights of transgender and immigrant communities, raise wages, and expand healthcare.”