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.
— Edited by Shawna Chen
AAPI Nation
Here’s what is happening across America…
NUMBER OF THE WEEK — 71: That’s the percentage of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander adults who support K-12 public schools teaching issues related to race, a new AAPI Data survey shows.
- That includes topics like slavery, racism, and segregation along with AAPI histories.
- “Even as parents are concerned and engaged in various ways with K-12 education, the culture wars are not something that resonate with AAPI parents,” Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder of AAPI Data, told Associated Press’ Annie Ma and Linley Sanders. “I think that’s important because there’s so much news coverage of it and certainly a lot of policy activity.”
The University of Hawai'i, National Association of Pasifika Organizations, and Papa Ola Lōkahi received a $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to assist support trusted community health workers in Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities, even if they lack formal training.
- Their project aims to help NHPIs feel more comfortable engaging these health workers for treatment, especially for chronic diseases.
New Jersey Senate candidate Andy Kim will advance to the November election after winning the Democratic primary. An exit poll found that more than 77% of Asian Americans who voted in the election backed Kim, who currently serves in the House.
The newly founded Healing Our People Through Engagement (HOPE) is piloting a program to help the five largest Asian communities in Los Angeles respond to past and ongoing racism, AsAmNews’ Selen Oztur writes.
- Details: Overseen by AAPI Equity Alliance, HOPE “emphasizes healing rather than simply coping with the traumatic impacts of racism by helping communities see how their experiences are connected to histories of injustice and brainstorming actions we can take to protect our own well-being,”said program designer Anne Saw.
The Maui County Council approved a $1.7 billion spending plan for the new fiscal year, its first budget since the wildfires last year, Honolulu Civil Beat’s Nathan Eagle reports. The funds will be used for capital improvements, affordable housing, and emergency management.
The Philadelphia “Chinatown Stitch” project has garnered support from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who is calling on the federal government to correct its infrastructure wrongs, NBC Asian America’s Kimmy Yam writes. The Vine Street Expressway was responsible for splitting the community and limiting access to school and other opportunities.
- The project received a $159 million grant in March through the Transportation Department’s Reconnecting Neighborhoods and Communities program.
A Nielsen report revealed that AAPI consumers want better brand and marketing representation. 64% of customers said they will stop consuming from brands that devalue their identity, per the study.
- Why it matters: “We’re Asian all year round,” Nielsen Vice President Patricia Ratulangi told the Associated Press. “Knowing that there is this increased social justice awareness within the community is definitely an important aspect of understanding how to shape your outreach and your marketing to the community.”
Hawai‘i Gov. Josh Green (D) has issued an emergency proclamation to keep an estimated 1,500 Native Hawaiian households connected to the internet, USA Today’s Jeremy Yurow reports. It came after a local communications provider announced that it would cut phone and internet services from its users due to crippling debts.
Hawai‘i is set to host the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture after COVID-driven delays, per Hawaii Public Radio. FestPAC is the largest gathering of Pacific Islanders and is expected to draw more than 100,000 people and over 2,100 delegates.
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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.
