Vice President Kamala Harris, members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, a city councilmember, an actress, and AAPI community leaders came to Philadelphia to speak to AAPI voters from across the nation in the APIAVote Presidential Town Hall.7月13日(上周六),APIAVote(致力于提高亚裔政治参与的非党派组织)在费城举办了总统选举亚裔对话会,这是一个让亚裔社区聆听所有总统候选人观点的论坛,亚裔社区领袖也借此分享他们的经历、挑战,以及亚裔选民群体的发展壮大。On Saturday, July 13th, APIAVote, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to increasing AAPI (Asian-American Pacific Islander) political engagement, hosted its Presidential Town Hall, a forum for the AAPI community to hear from all presidential candidates and for AAPI community leaders to share their experiences and challenges, and appreciate the growth within the AANHPI community.
Keynote speaker Vice President Kamala Harris spoke on behalf of the Biden campaign, amid a Biden-Harris Asian-American campaign effort, while the Trump campaign, despite being invited to participate, failed to send a representative. Other speakers present at the event included Congress members Judy Chu, Ted Lieu, and Jill Tokuda, event organizer Christine Chen, councilwoman Nina Ahmad, and actress Tamlyn Tomita.
副总统贺锦丽在亚裔选民对话会上发表讲话
图片来源:海华都市报
Kamala Harris speaks at the APIAVote Presidential Town Hall (Hiu Kwong Yau - Metro Chinese Weekly)
Throughout the two hour event, speakers emphasized the importance of AAPI political representation and combating anti-Asian violence. They shared personal experiences, encouraging the community to take action in the upcoming election. Speakers urged the crowd to speak about AAPI issues, inform themselves, and most importantly, vote. By doing so, the AAPI community can ensure the government acts in the interest of them.几乎所有发言人都支持拜登和民主党,NBC费城主播王依凡(Frances Wang)强调了特朗普和拜登之间的差异,并提到了他们“对我们国家的截然不同的愿景”。Nearly all speakers spoke in favor of Joe Biden and Democratic efforts, with NBC Philadelphia anchor Frances Wang highlighting the differences between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, citing their “vastly different visions for our country.”女演员富田谭玲发表了一篇激动人心的演讲,激励在场者在争取政治代表权和多样性的斗争中坚持不懈。她通过呼喊“我们团结了吗?”和“你发声了吗?”的口号来唤起观众,并敦促他们“用你的选票发声”。这位因出演《眼镜蛇道馆》、《龙威小子2》和《喜福会》而闻名的女演员自豪地宣称:“我们是金色的,我们会像太阳一样闪耀,我们会继续前行。”Actress Tamlyn Tomita delivered a riveting and loud speech, inspiring the crowd to persevere in their fight for political representation and diversity. She energized the crowd with chants of “are we united?” and “do you have your voice?”, urging them to “voice your vote”. Known for her roles in Cobra Kai, Karate Kid 2, and the Joy Luck Club, the actress proudly proclaimed, “we are Golden, we will shine like the sun, and we will carry this race forward.”
女演员富田谭玲发表了激动人心的演讲,激励了全场1800名观众,图片来源:海华都市报
Actress Tamlyn Tomita delivers a speech that riles the 1800 strong crowd (Hiu Kwong Yau - Metro Chinese Weekly)
Judy Chu, U.S Representative (D) for California’s 28th congressional district, repeated this sentiment. She stressed the importance of the existence of CAPAC (Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus), which has provided AAPIs “a seat at the table” and has “pushed for the rights and needs of our communities”.
Chu points to CAPAC’s pressure to pass the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, the passage of the AAPI Museum Study Bill, ending Donald Trump’s China Initiative aimed at targeting Chinese professionals as spies, challenging Florida’s Alien Land laws that seek to prevent Chinese and Japanese immigrants from owning land in the US, and by pushing for “every federal agency” and the Census Bureau to disaggregate AAPI data in order to have accurate information for each specific Asian demographic. She once again emphasized the importance of AAPIs voting, saying that “AANHPIs have truly gone from being marginalized to being the margin of victory.”加利福尼亚州第36选区的民主党众议员刘云平表示支持拜登总统,指出拜登总统和特朗普对待亚裔的不同方式,认为前总统特朗普“为攻击亚裔社区提供了授权。特朗普使用了‘功夫流感’等种族主义词语,将疫情归咎于像你我这样的普通人。Democratic Representative Ted Lieu of California’s 36th District spoke in favor of President Joe Biden, citing the differences between President Biden and Donald Trump’s treatment of Asian-Americans, arguing that former President Trump “gave a permission structure for people to attack the AANHPI community. Donald Trump used racist phrases like ‘kung flu’. He blamed the pandemic on people that look like you and me. 此外,特朗普仍然不断嘲笑赵小兰的名字,继续传达这样一种信息,即亚裔是不同的,我们不属于这个国家。”刘云平认为拜登在任期间做了相反的事情,拜登通过立法和行政命令打击反亚裔仇恨犯罪,并拥有第一位亚裔和黑人血统的副总统贺锦丽。Furthermore, Trump still continues to repeatedly mock the name of Elaine Chao, continuing to send a message that somehow, Asian-Americans are different. That we’re not of this country.” Lieu argued that Biden has done the opposite during his tenure, with Biden having passed legislation and executive orders targeting anti-Asian hate crimes, as well as having the first AAPI and Black Vice President, Kamala Harris.夏威夷州第2选区的民主党众议员吉尔·托库达重复了亚太裔社区在决策桌上拥有一席之地的关键需求,不仅是为了“满足代表性的要求”,而是确保他们的声音真正被听到,她带领观众一起高呼她每次在国会大厦都会对自己重复的口号:“看到我!听到我!赋予我能量!”Democrat Jill Tokuda, US Representative of Hawai’i’s 2nd congressional district, repeated the crucial need for the AANHPI community to have a seat at the table – not only to “check a box” of representation but to ensure their voices are truly understood, leading the crowd in a chant that she says she repeats to herself every time she is in the Capitol building: “See me! Hear me! Empower me!”这三位众议员都是CAPAC五人领导团队的成员,他们当天早些时候在费城中国城的峨嵋山庄参加了一场民主党国会竞选委员会(DCCC)活动。最初估计约有70名与会者,但最终却挤满了120名宾客。The three representatives, who are all part of the five-member leadership of CAPAC, had attended a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) event earlier that morning in EMei Restaurant in Chinatown, Philadelphia. The event, originally estimated to have ~70 attendees, packed the Szechuan restaurant with 120 guests.
Sarah Lin, the DCCC National AANHPI Engagement Deputy Director, has asked us to share this quote about the event: “We were thrilled to co-host this reception with ASPIRE PAC for our AANHPI stakeholders during a historic gathering of AANHPI leaders and voters in Philadelphia, PA this week. From countering disinformation targeting our communities, to making historic investments in AANHPI organizing, paid media, and research, we are continuing our everyday commitment to energizing and mobilizing our AANHPI communities across the country.”
DCCC在峨嵋山庄举办的早餐会,从左至右为:议员赵美心、议员刘云平、议员吉尔·德田 图片来源:海华都市报
From left to right: Rep. Judy Chu, Rep. Ted Lieu, and Rep. Jill Tokuda at EMei Restaurant for a DCCC Reception (Hiu Kwong Yau - Metro Chinese Weekly)
Vice President Kamala Harris pointed to the Biden administration’s efforts to expand healthcare accessibility, remarking that “more AANHPI Americans have health insurance than ever before” and that President Biden’s insulin price cap of $35 for those on Medicare has been “to the benefit of more than 2 million AANHPI seniors.” 贺锦丽的讲话是在一段支持中国城活动家反对拟议的76人队球馆的视频之后发表的,本地居民表示该项目将使社区绅士化。在此背景下,她谈到了拜登政府为逆转“城市更新项目”的影响所做的工作。这些项目对少数族裔社区产生了不相称的影响,包括费城的中国城。Harris’s speech was right after a video endorsing the efforts of Chinatown activists to oppose the construction of the proposed 76ers stadium, which locals say will gentrify the neighborhood. In this context, she spoke on the Biden administration’s work to reverse the effects of urban renewal projects. These projects have disproportionately impacted communities of color, including Philadelphia’s Chinatown.
The Vine Street Expressway has displaced Chinatown’s small businesses and residents in its construction, and has become a physical barrier between the two halves. Harris spoke of the $158 million they have dedicated to the Chinatown Stitch, a project “to build parks, bike paths, and walking paths [to cap] the Vine Street Expressway.”贺锦丽向亚裔社区保证,她致力于对抗反亚裔仇恨,声称“前总统煽动仇恨”,而拜登-哈里斯政府则积极“努力打击仇恨”。她谴责前总统特朗普,说道“一个诋毁移民、宣传仇外心理、煽动仇恨和恐惧的人不应该再次有机会站在美国总统的印章后面。”Harris reassured the AAPI community that she is committed to fighting anti-Asian hate, declaring that while “the former President incites hate”, the Biden-Harris administration is actively “working to combat hate.” She condemned former President Trump, crying that “someone who vilifies immigrants, who promotes xenophobia, who stokes hate, and who incites fear should never again have the chance to stand behind the seal of the President of the United States of America.”随后一些示威者站起来喊叫,抗议拜登政府继续在军事上支持以色列对加沙的战争,询问贺锦丽“那巴勒斯坦人怎么办?”并高呼“从河到海,巴勒斯坦终将自由”和“自由!巴勒斯坦!”。这些骚动声被其他与会者的“再干四年”呼声淹没。这些抗议者被护送离开,但警方表示没有人被逮捕。It was after these words that a handful of demonstrators protesting against the Biden administration’s continued military support for Israel’s war on Gaza, which has now killed 38,000 Palestinians according to Gazan health authorities, stood up and began shouting, asking Harris “what about the Palestinians?” and slogans such as “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “free, free Palestine”. These disruptors were drowned out by other attendees’ own chants of “four more years”. The pro-Palestinian protestors were escorted, but police say no arrests have been made.副总统贺锦丽还提到了传承基金会创建的Project 2025,这是一项关于特朗普如果在11月当选后如何治理的框架。虽然特朗普已经与该项目保持距离,但贺锦丽称传统基金会是“特朗普的顾问”。根据贺锦丽的说法,该计划将削减社会保障,废除拜登总统设定的35美元胰岛素价格上限,并废除教育部。Vice President Harris also mentioned Project 2025, a framework created by the Heritage Foundation on how Donald Trump should rule if he is elected in November. Although Donald Trump has distanced himself from the project, Harris called the Heritage Foundation “Trump’s advisers”. According to Harris, the plan will cut Social Security, repeal the $35 insulin cap set by President Biden, and abolish the Department of Education.
副总统贺锦丽在亚裔选民对话会上发表讲话
图片来源:海华都市报
Kamala Harris speaks at the APIAVote Presidential Town Hall (Hiu Kwong Yau - Metro Chinese Weekly)
Harris echoed other popular worries the public has had of another Trump term, including restrictions on reproductive rights and the preservation of democracy, asserting that Trump will “continue his full-on assault on reproductive freedom” and that “Trump has vowed to be a dictator on day one”.
The quote she referred to has a wider context – in an interview with Sean Hannity of FOX News, Trump seems to have jokingly responded to the question of whether he will abuse power with “He says, ‘You’re not going to be a dictator, are you?’ I said: ‘No, no, no. Other than Day One.’ We’re closing the border, and we’re drilling, drilling, drilling. After that, I’m not a dictator.”在大会之后,许多观众认为亚裔社区团结起来并继续为在决策桌上拥有一席之地而奋斗是非常重要的。他们都对本次对话会为亚裔和夏威夷及太平洋岛民(AANHPI)社区提供一个建立政治基础和网络的空间表示感谢。所有接受采访的观众都表示,他们感受到了拜登-哈里斯政府对亚裔社区的承诺,并对拜登再次当选后的未来充满期待。在接受采访时,众议员吉尔·托库达表示,在听完贺锦丽的演讲后,她“作为一名亚裔感到被倾听和代表”。After the Presidential Town Hall, many audience members agreed that it was important for the AAPI community to come together and continue to fight for their “seat at the table”. They all expressed gratitude for the Presidential Town Hall for giving the AANHPI community a space to build a political base and networks. All audience members that were interviewed remarked that they felt the Biden-Harris administration is committed to the AAPI community, and are excited to see what another Biden term holds. When being interviewed, Representative Jill Tokuda said that she “felt very heard and represented as an Asian-American” by the Biden-Harris administration after Kamala Harris’s speech.
APIAVote联合创始人,执行董事,本次活动组织者Christine Chen发言
图片来源:海华都市报
APIAVote Co-Founder, Executive Director, and Presidential Town Hall organizer Christine Chen speaks (Hiu Kwong Yau - Metro Chinese Weekly)
This year’s Presidential Town Hall had many empowering speeches and moving videos on the ongoing fight against anti-Asian racism, highlighting the rapid growth of the community, and encouraging viewers to keep fighting for the community’s much deserved representation and inclusion.APIAVote的联合创始人兼执行董事、此次活动的组织者Christine Chen向我们讲述了这种活动的重要性,她指出在过去几年里,主要的政治竞选活动并没有太多关注或关心亚裔社区,这是必须要改变的事情。Christine Chen, the co-Founder and Executive Director of APIAVote and organizer of this event, told us about the importance of such an event, remarking that in past years, major political campaigns did not pay much attention or care to the AAPI community, which was something that had to change.她表示已经看到了APIAVote努力带来的实际变化,即亚裔选民投票率从2016年到2020年增加了21%,这是所有族裔中增幅最大的。作为一个社区,我们必须能够持续保持2020年所展示的热情和力量,每年都要出来投票——“这不仅仅是COVID引起的一次性事件,而是我们的社区被认真对待…并且能够通过选民登记和大量投票来增强我们的政治力量”。She says she has seen real, tangible change as a result of APIAVote’s efforts, namely the 21% increase in AAPI voter turnout from 2016 to 2020, the largest increase out of any demographic. As a community, we must be able to be consistent in the passion and power that was demonstrated in 2020 and turn out and vote every year – “it’s about us proving that this is not just a once in a lifetime event because of COVID, but that our community is taken seriously… and [able to] build up our political power by registering and turning out in large numbers”, says Chen.