Gil Asakawa's Nikkei View | politics
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September 11, 2008

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders definitely seem more engaged with the political process these days. Maybe it's the DNC being in Denver that's made me sensitive to everything that's going on. Maybe it's Obama's Hawai'i connections. Or maybe AAPIs are finally coming out of the shadows and fighting to have our voices heard, and not be invisible anymore. Here's an email being distributed by the group, Asian Americans for Obama, by the Hawai'ian-born actress Kelly Hu, who showed up unannounced at an AAPI Caucus meeting during the DNC (shown above):
August 29, 2008

Actress Tamlyn Tomita speaks bout her support for APIAVote, a non-profit organization that promotes Asian Americans' involvement in politics, especially getting AAPIs to vote. Erin and I have been busy all week, running around to various Asian American Pacific Islander events during the Democratic National Convention. Denver's all dolled up and feeling like a real city, and it all culminates with tonight's acceptance speech by Barack Obama. We were fortunate to be given a pair of tickets to the main event (by Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, whom I happened to run into on the downtown 16th Street Mall -- I've known him for years, from before his political career, when he opened Wynkoop Brewing Co., the first brewpub in Colorado). So I'll post a report later tonight or tomorrow about the speech. We're not delegates or involved in the local Democratic party organization. but we are very involved in the local AAPI community, so we ended up participating in some cool events that are part of the DNC, like an Asian American Summit and an AAPI Caucus, during which issues affecting the AAPI community and ways to organize and get AAPIs incolved in politics were discussed. I was also honored to be one of the emcees for an APIAVote Gala, along with actress Tamlyn Tomita and former CNN and CBS anchor Joie Chen (who, I found out, is half Chinese and half Japanese). Erin went to more events than I did, volunteering at a luncheon and breakfast during the week. Anyway, here are a handful of videos from the week that have to do with the AAPI community. Enjoy!
August 29, 2008

I ran into Denver's Mayor John Hickenlooper a cpuple of days ago on my way to the dwntown bus station after work. He was being mobbed by people who wanted to shake his hand and pose for photos with him. It was amusing because I've known John for a long time -- almost 25 years! -- from back when he was a struggling ex-geologist in the oil industry just opening a restaurant. That restaurant -- the Wynkoop Brewing Company -- was the first microbrewery in Colorado, and set a trend in brewpubs that exploded nationwide. He still looks slightly embarrassed when he gets mobbed like this. Today the city of Denver announced that the fundraising for the DNC, which had been the topic of much derision when the host committee came up short of projections a few months ago, had in fact raised more then $10 million above the goal. Good for John -- he'll be a rock star in the national Democratic Party's eyes too.
May 17, 2008

Internet technology is such a great, rapidly evolving field, that we're constantly being presented with new ways to tell stories -- to do journalism. Who woulda thunk even just 10 years ago that the Internet would be many people's main source of news and information? Who woulda predicted services such as Facebook, or Twitter, not to mention blogs? How about live streaming video? All these elements were part of a cool historic moment tonight, when all three Presidential candidates took some time to connect with Asian American voters for a first-ever Town Hall sponsored by an organization called APIA Vote. The event was held in an auditorium at the University of California at Irvine, an LA suburb, and included the expected speeches and some cool entertainment. JA actor Tamlyn Tomita kicked butt as an engaging, entertaining emcee. Hillary Clinton spoke first to the group via satellite, followed by Barack Obama over the phone, and then a surrogate stand-in for John McCain in person. The whole event was broadcast live over the Internet. A small -- too small -- group of us in Denver met in a meeting room at the Daniels Fund to watch the live feed.