History often calls upon noble individuals in a special situation to do more. Time is now for us, the Asian Americans and Muslim American, to answer this call. As we all know, he who wins Florida or Ohio will be our next President.
While the nation’s AAPI population grew at a rate of 46 percent between 2000 and 2010, faster than any racial group, the Floridian AAPI community grew at a rate of 72 percent to over half of a million people. AAPI voters have also grown 28% to 193,821 from 151,016 in 2008. The Floridian AAPI vote is on track to become the margin of victory in this year’s election. According to a recent report by Lake Research Partners, nearly 90 percent of AAPIs in Florida are planning to vote. This could mean a record turnout for the AAPI community in this year’s elections.
President Obama has fulfilled his special commitment to National Asian American PAC (NAAPAC). In his first term, he began the long-neglected enforcement of the Equal Opportunity Law, EO11246 for Asian Americans; he more than doubled the number of Asian American Federal judges, and appointed an unprecedented number of Asian American and Muslim American Cabinet members. His administration has pledged to continue to address the civil rights grievances of Asian Americans if re-elected.
WHERE IS THE JUSTICE when our kids have to score on SATs, 120 points better than Whites and 450 points better than Blacks in order to get into top schools? WHAT IS THE USE of sending your kids to Ivy League schools, if inequality at the workplace gives them at most a 50% to climb to management ranks and becoming all that they are capable of being??
WHAT GOOD IS IT, even if you have financial security but the insufficient political power to keep it? To ensure equality and justice?? Remember the Chinese Exclusionary Act? Remember the Japanese internment? Remember Vincent Chin?
If WE want to harvest the fruits of your labor, WE must plant the seedling today. And If WE want financial security and equality, WE must invest in POLITICAL POWER now!
If WE do not put AsAm civil rights issues front, center and foremost in our political goals, then WHO will??? For us and our children to continue to enjoy the fruits of Obama’s commitment, we must HELP OBAMA WIN all swing State. What we can do specifically within the next few days are to donate (for those who have not yet done so), to vote for him (if we have not done so), and to urge our friends and family members to do so via phone calls, email, and personal contact.
Our bloc vote will make Obama the next president. Fellow Asian Americans and Muslim Americans in Florida Ohio and Virginia, you are in a unique position to make a BIG difference for all Asian Americans! Answer the call to duty NOW—for ourselves and for future generations of Asian Americans. It is the NECESSARY thing to do, the right thing to do. And it is the PATRIOTIC thing to do.
The best way we can join hands to serve our community, and fulfill our moral obligation and civic duty to help build a better nation, is to champion an end to discrimination so that ALL people can have an equal opportunity to attain the American Dream. At the end of this Civil Rights Rainbow, is a better, more abundant America for all.
Please do your part NOW for the AsAm and Muslim American Civil rights Movement.
Together we are strong; our voice will be loud and proud, and together we can make it a better world. Freedom is not free, freedom requires your Action. Dear friends if you ever needed to Vote, You must Vote now.
Register to vote, find your State Registration Link: www.usa.gov/voter-registration-deadlines
In Solidarity!
Radwan Chowdhury
