Month: July 2020

#ChooseUs Week of Action

lannguyen

#ChooseUs Week of Action

While workers in California struggle to make ends meet, corporate billionaires get richer. That is not acceptable. Community groups, unions, policy groups and philanthropy groups across California are coming together to launch the: 

#ChooseUsNotBillionaires CALIFORNIA WEEK OF ACTION (July 31 – Aug 7th)

We demand that Gavin Newsom and our elected officials #ChooseUs — the people of California — not wealthy corporations. Every day from Friday, July 31st to Friday, Aug 7th, we will demand that legislators invest in a just #RecoveryForAll that reverses historical inequities and creates collective benefits for us all.

Why are we having this week of action?

  • Too many of California’s politicians allow wealthy corporations and their lobbyists to bend the rules and determine our policy and budget priorities.
    • The rich make billions, while essential workers earn less than a living wage. Renters are forced to pay sky high rent to live in unstable housing. Immigrants live in fear and exclusion. All the while, schools, and neighborhoods remain underfunded.
  • With an uprising in the midst of a pandemic, we have a historic opportunity to choose our fellow Californians – Black families, students, essential workers, renters, and immigrants – over billionaires and corporations.
  • Right now, and this election year, is our moment to rewrite our collective future so that all of us – not just a wealthy few – are safe and thriving.
    • This moment isn’t about a lack of resources, especially in a state that is as wealthy as California. There is enough for everyone to have what we need to stay healthy, safe, and connected. The choices we make now on how to use the abundant resources we have will determine our future.
  • California’s leaders must choose, do you work for corporate billionaires or us?
    • We see now more than ever that the status quo that favors the wealthy – and leaves the rest of us sick, poor and over-policed – is an act of systemic racism and inequality. California’s lawmakers must choose a path forward that protects health, safety, and long-term economic well-being for all of us.
  • We are powerful when we act together. We choose us. We choose California. We need Governor Newsom and our other elected leaders to choose us too.
    • Now is the time to #ChooseUs!

There will be in-person and digital actions demanding that California protects essential workers, Black lives, immigrants, students, and renters. Will you #ChooseUs over billionaires?

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AAPI FORCE-EF Condemns Trump’s Memorandum Excluding Undocumented Immigrants from Census Count

lannguyen

AAPIs For Civic Empowerment Education Fund Condemns Trump’s Memorandum Excluding Undocumented Immigrants from Census Count

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 22, 2020

Media Contact: Lan Nguyen, Lan@aapiforce.org

In yet another attack on immigrant communities, President Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum yesterday requiring the U.S. Census Bureau to exclude undocumented individuals from being counted for the allocation of congressional seats. This memo is unconstitutional and is being challenged by legal advocacy groups.

 

This is a continuation of Trump’s ongoing efforts to defund and disempower immigrant communities. In 2018, the Trump Administration announced a plan to include a question about citizenship status on the 2020 Census, but the attempt was blocked by the Supreme Court last year. The 2020 Census questionnaire does NOT have a question asking about citizenship, and no such question will be added.

 

Trump’s memorandum is shameful and racist by insinuating that undocumented people do not count as “persons” living in each state. He is wrong. Undocumented immigrants live, work, and go to school in every state, and practice civic engagement in a variety of ways to make our communities thrive. Our undocumented communities count.

 

“This memorandum continues Trump’s campaign to sow fear amongst all immigrants and discourage our communities from taking action in the streets and at the ballot box in a moment where their political activity could prove decisive in the 2020 election,” says Timmy Lu, executive director of AAPIs for Civic Empowerment Education Fund (AAPI FORCE-EF).

 

Data from the U.S. Census is used to determine representation in the U.S. House of Representatives, along with allocation of federal funds. Immigrants, along with communities of color, are deemed “hard to count”, with the AAPI population having the lowest Census response rate of any race. This leads to less of political power in Congress, and fewer resources for local communities. California is already at risk of losing representation due to a Census undercount and with 1 out of 8 Asian immigrants being undocumented in California, Trump’s memorandum presents a direct threat to the health, well-being, and political power of our communities. 

 

“We expect that our undocumented communities will continue to do what they have been doing in the face of past attacks: supporting their families, making a positive impact in the communities they reside in, and being politically engaged, which includes completing the Census,” says Lu.

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Artists Create Art to Promote AAPI Participation in the 2020 Census

lannguyen

Artists Create Art to Promote AAPI Participation in the 2020 Census

In May of this year, we put a call-out for AAPI artists and community members to use their creative talents and create artwork inspiring hard to count AAPI communities to fill out the census. Asian Americans, along with Pacific Islanders, are the racial groups least likely to fill out the census. With COVID-19 preventing organizers from mobilizing the community through door-knocking and in-person events, we turned to digital art to inspire and inform our communities about the Census. Check the entries from these talented artist/activists  below:

1st Place Winner - Teo Octavia Saragi

[visit the artist’s website here]

2nd Place Winner - Anmoldeep Singh

View this post on Instagram

We as immigrants have a duty to represent the values and traditions of where we came from and fight to keep them alive in our new homes. It is often challenging to make ourselves visible in the American landscape, which is why it is paramount that we all complete the 2020 Census. By filling out the Census (www.my2020census.gov), we ensure that we get our fair share of representation and federal resources for schools, our communities, healthcare, public transportation, and much more. @aapiforceef #CountUsIn #AAPI2020 #Census2020 (I made this digital painting of my mother in Adobe Illustrator. Half of the painting shows her in her work uniform, while the other half shows her in traditional Punjabi clothing.)

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3rd Place Winner - Tia Ng Groce

Jasmine Lee

[Visit the artist’s website here]
View this post on Instagram

⠀ I AM AMERICAN TOO⠀ acrylic, paper & recycled materials in canvas⠀ 10" x 20"⠀ ⠀ in the spirit of census 2020, im submitting this piece to show the immense strength, hope and healing ⁣as the AAPI community, represented by chrysamthemums continues to fight for our existence, and how our resistence is ⁣grounded in the pain from being perceived as perpetual foreigners and un-Americans. i just want to say I am American too. my community is American too. ⠀ ⠀ Please fill out the census at www.my2020census.gov! ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ #countusin #aapi2020 #art #artsubmissions #aapi #aapicensus #aapicensus2020 #asianamerican #asianamericans #asianamericanwomen #asianamericanartist #uscensus2020 #census2020 ⠀

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Eugene Vang

Joy Ming

Houa Lee

Yeej Moua

[Visit the artist’s website here]

Linlin Yu

Jasmine Lee

[Visit the artist’s website here]
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⠀ API COMMUNITY COUNTS⠀ pen and markers on paper⠀ 11" x 11"⠀ may 2020⠀ ⠀ the census matters to me and my community because it is one of the critical ways to fight for justice. when we fight for our existence, we also challenge for racial, social, economic, disability, reproductive and all forms of justice. i am submitting this piece to show this link between census and the fight for systemic change. ⠀ ⠀ Please fill out the census at www.my2020census.gov! ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ #countusin #aapi2020 #aapiheritagemonth #api #apimonth #asianamerican #uscensus2020 #census2020 #asianartist #asianamericanart #asianamericanpacificislanderheritagemonth #asianamerica #2020census #census #politicalart #artwork #instaart #artoftheday #artist #instaartist #bostonartist #bostoncreatives #artistsofinstagram #asianamericanwomen #asianamericanhistory #asianamericans #racialjustice #socialjustice #artistoninstagram #asianartist #beseenbecounted

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Karina Yang

All People of America, no matter the background or occupation, participate in the 2020 Census!
.
www.my2020census.gov
@aapiforceef
#CountUsIn #AAPI2020

James Dinh

[Visit the artist’s website here]

Ellie Yang Camp

[Visit the artist’s website here]

Ellie Yang Camp

[Visit the artist’s website here]

Weiran Zhang

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#census2020 #aapi2020 #countusin

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Joy Wang

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Hey everyone! It’s already several weeks into May, aka Asian American & Pacific Islander heritage month. Take time to celebrate your roots, but remember to complete the 2020 Census online, mail, or phone (www.my2020census.gov). All your information is protected, and you will not be asked for Social Security numbers, bank/credit card accounts, donations, or political involvement – just a basic family headcount. Simple as it seems to be, AAPI communities are severely underrepresented, and filling out the 2020 Census is very important! The Census decides how $1.5 trillion of federal funding is put into schools, hospitals, fire departments, housing, and health care, which ultimately impacts you in some way! It’s been a busy start of the year, and with COVID-19 going around, it’s up to you to join and spread the word. Do it for your state; do it for your community, your family, maybe your dog. Everyone counts. #CountUsIn #AAPI2020 #ProudABC

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Grace Sun

Hello everyone!! We are well into the month of May, which you may know is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. As you may know also, the 2020 Census is being held this year. The 2020 Census is really crucial because even though you might not realize it, the Census results help determine how billions of dollars in federal funding flows into states and communities each year. So, you are a huge part of helping the United States and everyone around you. Because of you participating in the Census, the results determine how many seats in Congress each state gets, which influences so many things that happen in our daily lives. Doing the Census is very simple: You can respond online at www.my2020census.gov, by phone at 844-330-2020, or by a letter that you receive in the mail. Unfortunately, many members of the AAPI community don’t participate because they don’t realize the importance of the Census. It is our job to inform these people of our Asian-American community, whether they are juniors or seniors, that every voice counts. In this difficult time with COVID-19, this is a call to action for all of us to make our voices heard and proudly represent our Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage! ♡
♡
#countusin #countusin2020 #AAPI2020 #aapi2020 #aapiheritagemonth #2020census #census2020 #censusart #americanbornchinese #proudabc #aapicommunity #aapi #aapiforceef #southasiannetwork #digitalart #photoshop #firstdigitalart #uscensus #wacom #wacompad

Zilin (Lynn) Jin

[Visit the artist’s website here]

Elsa Ly

The Census is a survey that counts the number of people living in the United States and the five U.S. territories. The Census decides how much money is distributed for funding for schools, hospitals, fire departments, and also improving neighborhoods. It also helps determine the number of seats your state has in the House of Representatives, and a whole lot more. All in all, completing the Census will only better help you and your community, so please don’t forget to fill it out!! #countusin #aapi2020census #aapi2020 #hmong#census#census2020

Teo Octavia Saragi

[Visit the artist’s website here]

Teo Octavia Saragi

[Visit the artist’s website here]

Richa Dihal

Volunteer With Us: Put Communities Over Corporations

lannguyen

Volunteer With Us: Put Communities Over Corporations

We need your help to put #CommunitiesOverCorporations! 100 Champions for Our Schools & Communities is a collaboration by AAPI FORCE and our network organizations. The goal is to expand grassroots power, and build a powerful progressive force to mobilize on key issues and win Schools & Communities First! We want to build a community of folks who can support one another on taking action towards our collective vision for our future.

From the earlier campaign days of building the coalition to gathering signatures to qualify the campaign, to now preparing for the fight at the polls, we’ve always relied on and will continue to need grassroots, activist power to fuel the movement. We know we will be outspent millions by wealthy corporations and the corporate elite. That is why we need champions in our communities to help us to talk to voters, text their networks, write op-eds, design graphics, utilize storytelling, etc, so we can put our #CommunitiesOverCorporations. With #PeoplePower, that is how we can put our Schools and Communities First.

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