Asian Wisconzine Section/Heidi M. Pascual
Asian American News Today!
OCA Outraged by Supreme Court’s Decision on Affirmative Action
Washington, D.C., June 29, 2023— OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates expressed extreme outrage with the Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold the Court of Appeals’ decision to ban affirmative action practices in university admissions.
The decision in Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. University of North Carolina and Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard University will effectively allow states to prohibit the consideration of race and ethnicity as a factor in college admissions, despite the compelling evidence that such policies are beneficial to creating a holistic learning environment as well as promoting diversity and inclusion in higher education.
“Affirmative action is not only beneficial for Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI), but for all students and society as a whole” said OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates President Linda Ng. “By preventing holistic affirmative action policies from being implemented, the Supreme Court has ignored the reality of persistent institutional bias, racial discrimination, and inequality in our country — undermining the efforts of educators and advocates to create more equitable and diverse learning environments.”
“Today’s decision is an absolute gut punch to our country’s efforts in creating a more inclusive society for all. Affirmative action policies have been the victim of years of a well-funded intentionally dishonest misinformation campaign. Because of today’s ruling, we will see less diverse student bodies, a less prepared workforce, and ultimately a less competitive economy,” said OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates VP of Public Affairs Kendall Kosai. “Our nation’s future depends on racial equity and diversity in higher education to achieve a thriving, multiracial democracy. We must all continue to work together to achieve that goal, no matter the decision of the Supreme Court.”
“Getting rid of affirmative action means that fewer Asian American students would be admitted to college. If test scores were the only factor in college admissions, about 20 percent of Asian Americans currently enrolled in elite institutions would not have been admitted," said OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates Executive Director Thu Nguyen. “OCA continues to support affirmative action policies that foster educational opportunities for students, a diverse workforce, and access for all historically marginalized individuals. The ability to have a fair chance to pursue higher education in the United States is the embodiment of the American Dream. We urge our members of Congress and allies to join us in enshrining equitable policies that advocate for a more just and inclusive society for all.
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About OCA–Asian Pacific American Advocates
Founded in 1973, OCA–Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national, member-driven social justice organization of community advocates dedicated to advancing the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). Learn more about our work at ocanational.org/about.
APIAVote Commends Supreme Court Decision on Moore v. Harper
June 27, 2023-- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) responds to the Supreme Court’s decision in Moore v. Harper, protecting state courts’ power to hold lawmakers accountable to state laws when it comes to elections.
The Supreme Court issued a 6-3 decision in the Moore v. Harper case that the North Carolina Supreme Court was within its authority to conclude the state’s map violated the state constitution by being a partisan gerrymander. Plaintiffs attempted to argue the “independent state legislature” theory, which postulates the Constitution of the United States authorizes state legislatures to have the final say on state law, allowing the legislature to regulate federal elections within a state without any checks and balances from state courts, governors, or other bodies with legislative power. Today’s decision rejects this extreme theory.
“Congressional maps should empower voters, not politicians. Additionally, branches of government should run on checks and balances, not unilateral decree. We are thankful the U.S. Supreme Court agrees and rejected the radical independent state legislature theory that threatened to roll back our democracy,” said Christine Chen, Executive Director of Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote.
“While democracy won today, we are not out of the woods yet. State legislatures across the country continue to attack voting rights, bad actors continue to circulate conspiracy theories about our elections systems, and gerrymandering continues to persist nationwide. Our mission to empower Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders relies on our democracy working well. We must continue to advocate for state and federal legislation that protects, strengthens, and expands our democracy.”
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About APIAVote: Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) is the nation’s leading nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to engaging, educating, and empowering Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities to strengthen and sustain a culture of civic engagement.See our website for more information at https://www.apiavote.org/
In Observation of the Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, AAPI Victory Alliance Condemns Attacks to Voter Access for Corporate Gains
WASHINGTON — In observation of the 58th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) becoming law, the AAPI Victory Alliance released a statement condemning the gutting of the VRA by greedy politicians more interested in benefiting corporations and extremist groups than voters.
AAPI Victory Alliance Executive Director Varun Nikore issued the following statement:
“Over half a century ago the Voting Rights Act of 1965 became law, barring discriminatory policies that kept Black Americans, and AAPIs, from voting in the United States. But today’s resurgence of white supremacy has resulted in systematic weakening of the VRA on a policy level, which has led to violence against our communities in our schools and places of worship.
As we observe the 11th anniversary of the horrific mass shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, WI this week, there is a somber reminder that while time moves on, the fight for our rights remains. As the gun violence epidemic continues to spread, our elected officials in Washington remain silent about enacting meaningful gun violence prevention legislation — which is top-of-mind for AAPI voters facing discrimination that some elected officials promote. At the same time, Republican legislatures are more concerned with taking away the right to vote than the right for our kids to live.
“These two issues are interconnected. As radical Republican legislators gut the Voting Rights Act, everyday people lose more and more power to hold their elected officials accountable and our politics become more extreme. Sadly, politicians are more apt to sell out to corporate donors and the extremist policies they propose like for the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). We need to come together and flex our collective power and vote in legislators that champion everyday people, not corporations or extremist organizations.
“AAPI Victory Alliance will continue to organize our communities so we can ensure our families, friends and neighbors come out to vote this November, and every election after. Although some politicians have made it harder for our communities to vote, we will not stop the fight for fully free and fair elections. The arc of the moral universe bends toward justice, and we will ultimately hold those in government who do not represent democracy accountable.”
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AAPI Victory Alliance works to build Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) political power across the country by providing education on progressive issues; creating and advocating for policies that affect these communities; and building alliances with organizations to help AAPIs exert their power and be the margin of victory at the local, state, and national levels.
