State Voices

People on the inside [of political institutions] are not usually Asian women of color, Asian American women at all. And so, to show up to a completely new space is often a barrier of its own. So if I was trying to, for the first time, get to know people in the local party, …people might not take me as seriously as someone who had been a part of it all along."

2021 was a big year, obviously because of the runoff and [it was] the first time that Asian American voters were recognized as a powerful voting bloc, but also because of the horrendous shooting that we had in March of 2021 in Georgia. And so for the first time, people were talking specifically about Asian American women and highlighting the contributions [and] the needs that Asian American women have. I mean we have known that Asian American women in Georgia have been kicking ass here, like we know that. But I think for the first time we had some national spotlight. We had an opportunity to talk about the importance of amplifying the voices of Asian American women. And so I think it will continue in that trend where we’ll see more Asian American women being highlighted through things like running for office, through opportunities for appointed offices, appointed positions, leadership opportunities within community organizations. I definitely think the trend is moving in that direction. [Interview conducted in January 2022.]"

You also have issues around the fact that [the] Georgia legislative seats are not full-time jobs. And so many women who want to run for office have to really think about how…they [are] going to sustain a family or themselves while not having a full salary to make up for what is essentially a full-time job but is not getting compensated as a full-time job."

When I was running [for office], just having access to other women that were running was incredibly useful. We had a group chat on Facebook with all of the women running for legislative seats in 2018 and it was just so useful to be in conversation with people, even if it was about the most random thing. ‘What are you wearing to the Democratic Party gala tonight? Are you going formal or are you going professional?’ Just even having a space to ask questions, get advice, get mentorship from other people in that space with you is really useful. I think that that’s such an important need to continue to provide to people, whether they’re Asian American women getting advice from other Asian American women who are in office or regardless of ethnicity."

[When] the candidates become elected officials, they’re still women in a very male environment and so…the struggle is different, right? Like in Georgia there [are] not enough women’s bathrooms, for instance, [or] as many as men’s bathrooms in the state Capitol, just because like the entire…hard structure of the building itself is sexist."

What I have seen is that, first of all, oftentimes, these women [of color] are the primary breadwinners of their household, so they are really not in a financial position to run for office even though they have been organizing or have been doing things for their community because they want their community to be better. They want their children, their family, to live in a better environment. So there’s definitely that financial barrier."

I would love to see more happen in terms of…the conversation of safety and security for candidates because…in 2020 we had candidates face a lot of issues [with] their physical safety, cyber safety, and all these things. So I would like to see a more concerted effort around providing something around that. Whether that’s helping them identify how to deal with it, how to report, and all of these things…it’s a really gray area. And I think a lot of our candidates really didn’t expect the level of animosity and negativity that they [would] be facing. And a lot of these people have spouses who have corporate jobs, they have kids, they have elderly parents, so…the impact I think is more profound."

We find it really challenging [to generate the financial support we need] because, first of all, there is this preference to donate directly to candidates rather than organizations. …Duplication of efforts is really important especially in these areas, but a lot of people think that this person or this organization is already doing this, why should we [support you]? …And also because, especially with the progressive circle, corporate money is really hard to get because of the issues that we [support]. …So there [are] just a lot…of barriers…and when you are an organization like us, that’s just really dedicated to a very small niche…[and] we are completely partisan, a lot of the foundation money we can’t take. …That makes it even more difficult for us."

It’s a challenge not to get sucked into respectability politics…which ultimately led to upholding the status quo, and that is unfortunately a huge problem in Nevada. It’s a huge problem amongst women legislators, so-called progressive legislators and Black legislators to be frank. …It turns into this, like, you meant well coming into office but you get sucked up into a system that really wants you to assimilate and a lot of people definitely assimilate. So that has been a constant struggle for me to not assimilate."

History will tell you white women have been just as detrimental to Black progress as white men have. …It’s definitely not a panacea. It’s not…the ultimate solution to put women in power."

I look at all my skill sets. I look at everything I’ve built. I look at my actual community that I live in – like my street, my neighbors, my landlord. I think about all of the things that I want to see and am I better able to execute those things from a political seat? And at this point in my life, in my just everyday, no. I think that I’m actually more effective boots on the ground with the people addressing material needs that way and then supporting people who do want to run for office because I do realize…that also is political power is me endorsing people who are running that I support that are in alignment with community."

When I’m thinking about political power, I’m not necessarily thinking about running…for office or holding a position of power in government. But do I have power over my community? Do I have power over my family? Do I have power to make sure that we’re well, we’re fed, …we have everything we need? And also to be able to live in abundance because there’s just this whole scarcity thing where it’s like we’re all fighting for the same limited resources and…what’s on the other side of that? So that’s what I think about when I think about power."