APIAVOTE NATIONAL BEGINS 10^TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY

WITH ANNOUNCEMENT OF CHRISTINE CHEN

AS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Ten years after starting as a national voter registration campaign for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans (APIA), APIAVotehas incorporated and begins this year with the announcement of Christine Chen, who founded APIAVote ten years ago, as its new Executive Director.  APIAVote is a national nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that encourages and promotes civic participation of APIAs in the electoral and public policy processes at the national, state and local levels. 

APIAVote’s goal is to effectively engage the APIA community in the political process by coordinating outreach and educational activities and programs.  By building effective partnerships with national and local nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations and coalitions, APIAVote continues to build upon its decade of success.   

”The hiring of Christine Chen as its first executive director is long overdue,” said board member Eunsook Lee,Executive Director of the National Korean American Service Education Consortium. “APIAVote is embarking on an ambitious endeavor to institutionalize its work to enhance the civic engagement of APIAs, said Lee. “The APIA population is diverse, in terms of ethnicity, history and language and through APIAVote, our communities can and will come together to form a common vision and political agenda that advances the rights and concerns of our diverse constituencies.”

A Decade of Amplifying the APIA Voice in Politics and Policy

The organization started as the 1996 National Asian Pacific American Voter Registration Campaign, made up of 19 national organizations newly aware of the need to politically mobilize the APIA community. The campaign that year registered more than 70,000 voters and produced a public service announcement featuring almost two-dozen Asian American Hollywood celebrities encouraging APIA voters of all ages to vote.

In the decade since, APIAVote has contributed to an upward trend in APIA voter involvement, which has between 2000 and 2004 seen 700,000 more APIAs registering to vote and 800,000 more voting.

“APIAVote has a tradition of identifying and working with growing communities like those in Texas,” said TexasStateRepresentativeMartha Wong.  “Although APIAs make up four percent of the country, we make up only two percent of the voter turnout, and we need to continue supporting APIAVote’s efforts to amplify our collective political voice.”

“By working with APIAVote these past few years, voter participation by the Hmong community has increased tremendously, but there is still much work to be done," said Minnesota State Senator Mee Moua.  "Research commissioned by APIAVote found that turnout in the Hmong American community was 14-points lower than the average for Twin Cities during the 2004 elections.  Our communities here in Minnesota look forward to working with Christine and APIAVote.” 

"Over the last election cycle alone, 1.5 million more APIAs became eligible to vote. The APIA electorate continues to grow," said Rep. Mike Honda,Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.  "There are so many crucial issues at stake in which the voices of APIAs need to be heard and amplified through the power of the vote.  CAPAC is excited to work with Christine Chen, a leader in the civil rights community who will help prepare APIAVote for its next stage of growth." 

In 2004, APIAVote coordinated voter mobilization efforts in 20 states and 25 cities registering more than 45,000 newly registered APIA voters, with comprehensive campaigns in eight states, including Nevada, Minnesota and Washington. The organization strengthened field operations and local organizing efforts, while increasing the involvement of APIA youth and women.

APIAVote will also continue to focus on capacity building to sustain this work of civic engagement.  In 2004, APIAVote and its partners conducted 28 trainings, distributed over 230,000 multilingual educational pieces, hosted 97 post-debate house parties, 29 educational forums, and made more than 175,000 multilingual phone calls.

APIAVote previously operated as a project of a coalition fiscally sponsored by OCA. In June 2005, the organization began a strategic planning process funded by the Ford Foundation to establish itself as an independent entity and to map out a path to long-term sustainability. APIAVote incorporated in December 2005.

Christine Chen Hired as New Executive Director

Chen, who was profiled by Newsweekmagazine in 2001 as one of 15 women who will shape America’s new century, served from 2001 to 2005 as  national executive director of the Organization of Chinese Americans, one of the leading APIA civil rights organizations in the country. Leading an organization with more than 80 chapters and affiliates across the nation, she worked with OCA’s national board, executive council, chapter representatives, members and funders while managing a staff of 13.

Chen’s accomplishments at OCA included: increasing funding levels by 35 percent; expanding the national office by creating a West Coast branch office in Los Angeles; managing the development and transition of national office staff from five people to 13; launching innovative student development and outreach programs, including APIAU: Leadership 101, which trained more than 3,500 students; managing grassrootsadvocacy campaigns on issues such as immigration, hate crimes, affirmative action, racial profiling, voting rights and election reform; and strengthening OCA’s relationships with key Congressional offices including the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. 

Prior to being appointed OCA executive director, Chen served as the organization’s director of programs for six years.  Chen also was a member of the executive committee of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, served as vice-chair of programs for the National Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans, sat on the board of the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL), and was on the executive committee of Youth Vote.

"Christine Chen is well-known by activists across the county.  Her track record in building coalitions and working at the grassroots and national levels established her as one of the strongest voices in the APIA community, stated Gloria T. Caoile,board member and former executive director of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO.  Filipino Americans who came 100 years ago to become part of the larger labor movement were at the forefront of struggles to gain dignity and respect for all working families. By partnering with APIAVote and Christine, we ensure that their legacy, and the gains that they have made for workers' rights, are secured. Strong voter participation will keep this spirit of solidarity among APIAs alive by becoming an even more vital part of American society." 

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