Latin Americans
are the country’s fastest growing minority, but Asian Americans are not far behind.
The U.S. Census data shows the nation’s Asian population rose 12.6 percent between 2000 and 2003, just behind
the Latino population’s 13% increase. Yet unlike Latinos, Asian Americans
have no political clout, as Genado C. Armas of the Associated Press wrote last month.
Last week, the Asian
American media accused both the Democratic and Republican parties of ignoring Asians.
Karl Schoenberger, of the Mercury Press, wrote that the Kerry-Edwards campaign said it would spend $1 million on advertising
in Latino media and $2 million on the African American population, but has yet to comment on its efforts to reach Asian Americans. Armas said the political parties are influenced by the Census Bureau statistics. Here are some of the reasons for taking Asian votes for granted:
- In July
2003, there were more than 9 million Asians eligible to vote. This lags behind
the 26.3 million Hispanics and 25.7 million blacks.
- In the 2000
election, Asians comprised only 2 percent of voters, compared with 10% for blacks and 5% for Latinos.
- There is
a large immigrant segment who aren’t eligible to vote.
- Only 50%
of eligible Asian Americans are registered to vote, compared to the 70% in the overall population.
- The states
that have the largest shares of the Asian American population – Hawaii, California, and New York – are not considered
swing states for the election.
The government should
not ignore any group! Some believe the blame does not rest on just the government
leaders. S.B. Woo, President of the 80-20 Initiative, an Asian American activist
group, said “Hopefully, APAs [Asian Pacific Americans] will recognize that our lack of political clout is a
shame on us. Lacking political clout is a big reason why a law, EO 11246 [Executive Order for Equal Employment
Opportunity, signed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965], that is supposed to break the glass ceiling for all Americans was
NEVER enforced for APAs. It means that we failed to secure equal opportunity for our children.”(emphasis in the original).
Why is it already 2004 and Stetson University is just now starting an Asian American Law Student Association? Are its Asian American students and its
non-Asian American faculty, staff, and students epitomizing the overall society’s lack of interest in Asian American
issues? Asian American issues cannot be ignored any longer!
2004 is a critical year. The 2004 election is one of the most important
elections because of the expected Supreme Court retirements. 2004 marks the 60th
anniversary of the Supreme Court case of Korematsu v United States, which approved
the forced eviction of 120,000 Japanese Americans from their homes. 2004 marks
the 50th Anniversary of Stetson Law’s relocation to St. Petersburg.
And 2004 marks the beginning of the Asian American Law Student Association and Stetson University’s commitment
to serve the Asian American population!
To get involved in the Asian American Law Student Association, whether you are of Asian descent or not, e-mail
Grace at santosg@law.stetson.edu.
