Good morning, and welcome to The Yappie’s AAPI politics briefing — your guide to the policy news and activism affecting Asian Americans + Pacific Islanders. Send tips and feedback to editors@theyappie.com and support our work by making a donation.
On our radar: Vice President Kamala Harris touches down in Las Vegas today to speak at a festival honoring Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.
— Edited by Shawna Chen
AAPI Nation
Here’s what is happening across America…
✏️ NUMBER OF THE WEEK — 19 million: That’s the amount of money Hawai‘i is receiving from the U.S. Department of the Interior to create a desalination establishment in Kalaeloa that will serve as a new, sustainable drinking water source, Honolulu Civil Beat’s Marcel Honore writes.
- The facility will convert seawater into proper drinking water for local residents and is expected to produce 1.7 million gallons of potable water every day. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai‘i) called the move an important step to ensure Hawai‘i’s resilience in the face of climate change.
????️Gov. Jim Pillen (R) signed a law to establish the Nebraska Commission on Asian American Affairs, Nebraska Public Media’s Kassidy Arena reports. It will join other ethnic minority commissions already established in the state.
???? Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco got a $12.45 million boost from the National Cancer Institute to spearhead the first long-term study of cancer among Asian Americans.
- Of note: Asian Americans are the first racial/ethnic group for whom cancer is the leading cause of death, according to UCSF.
???????? Vietnamese is now one of San Francisco’s official languages after the Board of Supervisors voted to lower the requirement that determines whether a language is eligible for translation services, NBC Asian America’s Isabel Yip writes. Vietnamese is the fourth largest language population in the city, after Spanish, Chinese, and Filipino.
- Why it matters: “Recognizing our diversity is fundamental to ensuring that public services cater to the needs of all residents,” Jorge Rivas Jr., then-executive director of the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs, wrote in the city’s 2024 language access compliance report.
???? The first cohort of Hmong language teachers in Minnesota were accredited from the Concordia masters program, which was created from a Hmong teaching curriculum developed by Hmong advocacy organization Minnesota Zej Zog (MZZ). Graduates are now approved for a Tier 3 teaching license, making them eligible for tenure in schools, MinnPost’s Deanna Pistono reports.
- In their words: “In order for these teachers to stay in the long haul, they need the license,” Pang Yang, MZZ executive director, told MinnPost. “They need to be able to make a living and they need to be able to have the credentials and the background knowledge, because a lot of our Hmong elders are leaving us.”
???? A woman in Plano, Texas has been convicted on hate crime charges related to a 2022 incident in which police say she physically and verbally attacked several Asian Americans,
- What happened: Esmeralda Upton pleaded guilty after being accused of assaulting four South Asian women outside a restaurant and making racist comments such as “go back to India,” NBC Asian America’s Kimmy Yam writes.
???? Guam and American Samoa are a step closer to attaining seats at the table with the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), which serves as the region’s main political decision-making body.
- PIF representatives visited the two U.S. territories after the U.S. government modified an old policy to allow them to join the forum as non-voting associate members, Eleisha Foon reports for RNZ.
???? Pacific Islanders and Hispanics are most adversely impactedby dust from the receding Great Salt Lake’s exposed bed, new research from the University of Utah shows.
- The study raises concerns around ongoing racial disparities as well as broader implications for environmental justice, Deseret News’ Amy Joi O'Donoghue writes.
???? Catherine Laga‘aia is set to star as the lead in Disney’s live-action adaptation of “Moana,” which is slated for a summer 2026 release, Variety’s Angelique Jackson writes.
- In her words: “I’m honored to have an opportunity to celebrate Samoa and all Pacific Island peoples, and to represent young girls who look like me,” said 17-year-old Laga‘aia.
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The Yappie is your must-read briefing on AAPI power, politics, and influence, fiscally sponsored by the Asian American Journalists Association. Make a donation, subscribe, and follow us on Twitter (@theyappie). Send tips and feedback to editors@theyappie.com.
