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 [email protected] and support our work by making a donation.
— Edited by Shawna Chen
Here’s what is happening across America…
📊 79% of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders think abortion should be legal in most or all cases, according to a survey by AAPI Data/AP-NORC. Meanwhile, Republican AAPIs (57%) are more likely than Republicans overall (38%) to support a nationwide law guaranteeing access to legal abortion.
- Also on our radar: The poll found that 56% of AAPI adults support counseling for transgender adults, while 47% support it for minors. 46% back gender-affirming hormone therapy for adults, and 30% support it for minors.
🏛️ A Georgia bill that would ban any “agent” of China from buying farmland or land near military installations in the state is on track to become law despite opposition from Democrats who said would discriminate against Asian Americans, Associated Press’ Sudhin Thanawala writes. Republicans denied the accusations and claim that the bill would protect national security.
- In their words: “This bill, whether explicitly or not, paints a picture that residents from certain parts of this world cannot be trusted,” said Democratic state Rep. Michelle Au, who noted that she has been accused of being a spy for the Chinese Communist Party since joining the General Assembly. “They are essentially suspect and potentially traitorous simply by dint of their nationality.”
📖 The University of Utah’s Board of Trustees has approved the creation of a new interdisciplinary research center for Pacific Islands studies. The center will support “ethical and critical scholarship by and for Pasifika Indigenous peoples, with particular attention [on] Pacific Islanders living away from their homelands,” per a press release.
- Almost 50,000 Pacific Islanders live in Utah, and Salt Lake City is home to one of the oldest and largest Pacific Islander populations per capita in the continental U.S.
🔎 San Francisco officials are addressing Asian Americans’ demands for transparency in the investigation of a deadly attack on an elderly Chinese immigrant, NBC Bay Area staff report. The police will release video footage from the incident once the investigation is complete per the mayor’s request.
🎓 The White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders will convene higher education leaders from across the U.S. on April 2 for a historic leadership development summit at the University of California, Berkeley.
🇬🇺 A new U.S. Indo-Pacific Military Command will be established on Guam to centralize defense operations in the region despite longstanding concerns about military build-up, Pacific Island Times’ Mar-Vic Cagurangan writes.
🗣️ AAPI groups in Anchorage, Alaska hosted the city’s first mayoral forum last week, KNBA’s Rhonda McBride writes for Alaska Public Media. Seven of 10 candidates attended and were asked about language access policies, anti-Asian hate, translation services, and more.
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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 [email protected].
