Kaleo o aapi AsiAn AmericAns and PAcific islanders 1

Transcription

1 Kaleo O AAPI Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders 1

2 July 11 th, 2008 this week s CONTENTS Message from AAPI Vote DIrector, CharmaIne Manansala CharmaIne Manansala & Betsy KIM To Lead AAPI Efforts from ChIcago Obama CampaIgn Announces AsIan-AmerIcan finance CoMMIttee SPotlIght: ThIs Is YOUR ConventIon listening to AmerIca: The DemocratIc Platform for Change AAPI Vote Team Contact InformatIon

3 A Message from Charmaine Manansala: Greetings from Senator Obama s Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Vote Team! We hope to update you every week to learn more about Senator Obama and why he is the candidate for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Learn what the Obama AAPI Vote team is doing across the country and how AAPIs are getting involved in the political process. As well, we will feature Senator Obama s policies that affect our families and communities. I d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the incredible efforts of the Obama Campaign s Asian American and Pacific Islander National Leadership Council, Asian Americans for Obama, South Asians for Obama, Asian Pacific Americans for Progress and other similar groups and community organizations who have done an amazing job in engaging thousands of AAPIs across the country in the election process. I am counting on that support to move us forward into the general election. I am grateful for your support of the AAPI community and the Democratic Party. I d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the incredible efforts of the Obama Campaign s Asian American and Pacific Islander National Leadership Council, Asian Americans for Obama, South Asians for Obama, Asian Pacific Americans for Progress and other similar groups and community organizations who have done an amazing job in engaging thousands of AAPIs across the country in the election process. We are counting on that support to move us forward into the general election. I would also like to welcome AAPIs who supported Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator John Edwards, and the other champions of the Democratic Party. I am looking to you for your leadership and input in this campaign. Our goals for our families and the AAPI community are the same. With your help, input, and engagement, we can get there. Maraming salamat po, Charmaine Manansala AAPI Vote Director 1

4 CharmaIne Manansala & Betsy KIM To Lead AAPI Efforts from Chicago Charmaine Manansala has been appointed to serve as Obama for America s AAPI Vote Director. Her office will be in charge of the almost 13 million AAPIs in the country. She will mobilize an AAPI field team, reach out to community leaders, and ensure that AAPI issues are front and center in the campaign. Charmaine joins the campaign after having served as the California Area Political Director for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Before SEIU, Charmaine was an Advisor for Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She currently serves on the board of Asian Pacific Americans for Progress and the Civic Participation Campaign. She is joined by Betsy Kim as the AAPI Vote Deputy Director. Betsy joins the campaign from the Democratic National Committee, where she was Deputy Director of the American Majority Partnership (AMP). At AMP, she led comprehensive field and outreach efforts and organized constituency-focused grassroots summits, including the first-ever national AAPI political organizing summit. The AAPI Vote team looks forward to engaging AAPI voters and communities nationwide! 2

5 Obama CampaIgn Announces Asian-American Finance Committee CHICAGO, IL - The Obama campaign announced today the launch of the Asian-American Finance Committee. The committee is comprised of diverse American communities of supporters, including those from Asian American, South Asian American, and Pacific Islander background, who will raise funds to elect Senator Barack Obama as President and to strengthen and expand the Democratic Party. We look forward to doing everything we can to elect Senator Obama in November, National Co-Chair Vinod Khosla said. From ending the war in Iraq and restoring America s standing abroad, to promoting innovation and working toward a comprehensive energy independence plan, from restoring the balance between civil liberties and national security, to ensuring all Americans have access to high quality, affordable healthcare, Senator Obama has consistently shown that he is the right choice not just for Asian-Americans, but for all Americans. The leadership of the AsIan-AmerIcan finance CoMMIttee Includes: NatIonal Co-ChaIrs Sohaib Abbasi Silicon Valley, CA Nasser Ahmad & Romita Shetty Cyrus Amir-Mokri Swadesh Chatterjee Cary, NC Vinod Khosla Silicon Valley, CA Bel Leong-Hong Gaithersburg, MD Scott Oki Seattle, WA Mahinder Tak Bethesda, MD Stan Toy Los Angeles, CA Grassroots Co-ChaIrs Curtis Chin Los Angeles, CA Hrishi Karthikeyan Dave Kumar Washington, DC Reshma Saujani NatIonal Co-ChaIr & SenIor PolIcy advisor Preeta Bansal 3

6 SPotlIght: This is YOUR Convention At the Democratic National Convention next month, we re going to kick off the general election with an event that opens up the political process the same way we ve opened it up throughout this campaign. Barack has made it clear that this is your convention, not his. On Thursday, August 28th, he s scheduled to formally accept the Democratic nomination in a speech at the convention hall in front of the assembled delegates. Instead, Barack will leave the convention hall and join more than 75,000 people for a huge, free, open-air event where he will deliver his acceptance speech to the American people. It s going to be an amazing event, and Barack would like you to join him. Free tickets will become available as the date approaches. 4

7 listening to AmerIca: The Democratic Platform for Change The Democratic National Committee and Obama for America unveiled a bold new initiative to involve the American people in the development of the Democratic National Platform. This year, for the first time, voters will have the opportunity to take part in Platform Meetings in all 50 states to help shape the Democratic Platform. DNC Chairman Howard Dean also announced that Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano will chair the Platform Drafting Committee. Michael Yaki will serve as National Platform Director and Karen Kornbluh will be the Principal Author of the Platform. Members of the public will be invited to host and attend Platform Meetings in their communities as an opportunity to exchange ideas and share perspectives on the challenges we face. To facilitate the process, the Obama campaign and the DNC will send policy experts and DNC Platform Committee members to as many meetings as possible to serve as facilitators. Each Platform Meeting will produce a written summary that will be reviewed and considered by the Platform Committee. Barack Obama believes that every American should be able to contribute to the Democratic Platform, just as record numbers have participated in this campaign, said Steve Hildebrand of Obama for America. It s not the lawmakers in Washington who live the day-to-day reality of our policies--it s workers, teachers, parents and first responders--everyday Americans who just want to the best for their families. What better way than to incorporate their voices into the process than to have them help shape the Democratic Platform, the statement of our ideals, values, and proposal for change. Registration is available at: starting today through July 15th. The Platform Meetings will occur across the country from July 19th through July 27th. 5

8 AAPI Vote Team Contact Information AAPI Vote Team Contact InformatIon For more InformatIon about Obama for AmerIca please VIsIt Opt Out of Newsletter If you wish to unsubscribe from Ka Leo, please send an to with the subject line UNSUBSCRIBE. PaID for by Obama for AmerIca 6