On December 11th and 12th NAKASEC and its affiliates took part in the first ever national Asian Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) debrief on the 2004 Election.APIAVote is a national coalition of non-partisan nonprofit organizations that encourages civic participation and promotes a better understanding of public policy and the electoral process among the APIA community.
Over 40 APIA organizations attended this event to share their challenges and successes on the different civic engagement and voter empowerment efforts they conducted during the election year. This gathering also contributes to APIA Vote’s long term goal of building the infrastructure of itself and the participating organizations.
NAKASEC and affiliates presented on some of the efforts that were carried out in the Korean American community.Regional debriefs highlighted the efforts by YKASEC-Empowering the Korean American Community in New York, the Korean American Resource and Cultural Center in Chicago, and the Korean Resource Center in Los Angeles. NAKASEC also presented on the “APIA Constituency Panel,” which explored the special needs and concerns in working with various segments of the APIA electorate. Two other panels included one featuring the work being carried out by community allies in the Latino, Native American, youth and African American communities, and another looking at election protection and voting rights advocacy.
