October 12, 2020 to October 15, 2020
11 votes. That’s the number it took to win a MN House seat (District 5A) in 2018. And while that might be an extreme example, many races in the state come down to just a few hundred people!
These close races remind us that the Asian American vote is powerful and growing. From 2012 to 2018, the number of eligible AAPI voters in MN grew 43%, compared to 5% growth for the general population. Now at 155,000 strong, we have the power to swing the outcome of elections up and down the ballot.
We’ll be turning out in record numbers this election season—will you join us? Sign up to vote by mail. Talk to your friends and family about their vote plans. Volunteer to call voters with CAPI USA or text voters with CAAL.
It’s up to all of us to make the difference. Let’s remember the power we have, vote for the future we want, and create the conditions we want to organize under. There are 23 days left—we got this!
In community,
Kara Carmosino
Senior Manager, Social Justice Leadership
CAAL ACTIVITIES & EVENTS
BOBA Application
Deadline: Saturday, October 18, 2020 (11:59 PM CST)
Becoming Organizers, Becoming Advocates (BOBA) is CAAL’sAsian Minnesotan youth leadership and organizing program co-created with young people. BOBA offers a safe and brave space for Asian Minnesotan high school youth to come together to discover how their identity and leadership make them a powerful force for change. Through BOBA, young leaders explore topics and issues that impact them and their communities, learn advocacy and organizing skills, and create solutions to make meaningful change.
Leaders will meet virtually biweekly on Tuesdays from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM (starting on Tuesday, October 27). The program begins on Tuesday, October 27, 2020 and runs through Tuesday, July 6, 2021. Participants will need access to a device and internet.
Please learn more and apply here.
State of Asian Minnesotans: Radically Reimagining Our Future
Friday, November 13, 2020 from 3-4:30 PM
Join us in the aftermath of the November elections for our State of Asian Minnesotans: Radically Reimagining Our Future session, featuring Scot Nakagawa (ChangeLab), Nausheena Hussain (Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment) and Ananya Chatterjea (Ananya Dance Theatre)! We will address the results of the November 3 election and understand what the current political moment means for our future as Asian Americans. We will also hear from Minnesotan organizers about their work to create visionary alternatives to the world as it is, knowing that regardless of who is in office, we must continue our work to dream and build a world where all of us can thrive.
OTHER OPPORTUNITIES & EVENTS
Celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day
Monday, October 10, 2020 from 3-6 PM
Tomorrow is Indigenous Peoples Day (October 12th, 2020), a celebratory gathering that continues to honor the perseverance, culture, and presence of Indigenous people. Join Native American Community Development Institute (NACDI) in FOOD & CELEBRATION on the corner of E. 29th St. & 18 Ave. S. for a socially-distanced event. Celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day, learn about the Four Sisters Farm, register to vote and enjoy free food-to-go!
City of Minneapolis Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi and South Asian American Trans/GNC Listening Session
Thursday, October 22, 2020 from 6-7:30 PM
The City of Minneapolis’s Division of Race & Equity has built a trans equity work plan for the City, and wants to create spaces specific to identities within trans/GNC community to hear feedback on both 1) the work plan and 2) what alternatives to policing, and community safety, should look like for you. This space is a space for Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi and South Asian American trans and gender non-conforming folks. Serena Hodges (they/them) from Asian American Organizing Project will facilitate the space, and Track Trachtenberg (they/them), Trans Equity Project Coordinator in the Division of Race and Equity, will give an update on the current trans equity work plans at the City of Minneapolis, as well as the current work to develop alternatives to policing, and other work happening outside of the City as well. The listening session will be held on Zoom.
Racial Equity Townhall Recap
Last week LinkingLeaders hosted a racial equity townhall with the Governor’s office. Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian community leaders, policy advocates, nonprofit and business representatives gathered with government officials to advance racial justice and embed accountability for implementation and transformation for equitable systems. Thank you to all who attended and demonstrated our collective power! If you missed the event or would like to view the event again, watch the recording. Use passcode: %+1#.x3u
This week the Immigration History Research Center launches Immigrants in COVID America, a project that documents the health, economic and social impact of COVID-19 on immigrants and refugees in the United States. The project includes fact-based research and reporting from reputable national media and think tanks, plus perspectives from experts, scholars, and political commentators. It briefly analyzes emerging trends on four particularly pressing issues: immigration policy, health, labor and the economy, and anti-Asian xenophobia. Use and share widely!