May 1, New York City: The Asian American Federation, a not-for-profit leadership organization, hosted a reception today, on the first day of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, to celebrate a new era of Asian American political participation in New York City. The event was the first time that the thirteen candidates of Asian descent running for City Council seats were assembled in one place.

After Mr. Paul Huang, Board Chair of the Asian American Federation, welcomed the guests, Mr. Cao K. O, the Federation's Executive Director, gave a few brief remarks. "Asian American New Yorkers now constitute over 10% of the city's population, yet our community's concerns have been ignored and our voices have gone unheard. But this is changing." Despite a history of over 150 years in New York City, no Asian American has ever been elected to a city council, state legislative, or Congressional district representing New York. Mr. O added, "We, as community leaders, must be committed to register more Asian American voters, make sure they are educated about the process, and that they turn-out to vote in both the September and November elections."

The Asian American candidates then introduced themselves and spoke briefly about what it meant to each of them to be an Asian American running for City Council. After the event, Mr. Larry Lee, a member of the city's Voter Assistance Commission, said "In New York City minorities are now the majority. But, voter registration and participation have not matched the population trends." This year, due in part to term limits that have freed 35 City Council seats of incumbents, there are an unprecedented 13 Asian American candidates running in different districts in Queens and Manhattan. Mr. Lee continued, "With the advent of many more minority candidates, as evidenced by the unprecedented number of Asian Americans running for public office, political participation will soar."

The Federation emphasized how the increased political participation of Asian Americans - due in part to the Asian American candidates running for office - will play a significant role in the outcome of the citywide and Council elections. "Studies have shown that Asian American voters turn out at higher rates when there is an Asian American candidate on the ballot," said Mr. O. "In a closely contested Mayoral race, a higher turn-out of Asian Americans could make the difference."

Over 200 guests attended the public reception, held in a restaurant blocks from City Hall. Photos and streaming video from the event will be available on the Federation website next week.

###

The Asian American Federation of New York is a not-for-profit leadership organization with 36 member agencies that serve the city�s diverse Asian American communities. In addition to extensive community capacity-building initiatives, the Federation manages the Asian American Community Fund and represents the diverse Asian American community in the public policy arena by connecting community concerns with substantive policy analysis and action. For more information, please visit our website: www.aafny.org.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW STREAMING VIDEO OF THE EVENT.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM THE RECEPTION.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PROGRAM FROM THE RECEPTION.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE CANDIATES' BIOS.