FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 7, 2020
Contact: Nikki Metzgar, nmetzgar@napawf.org

NAPAWF Executive Director Sung Yeon Choimorrow issued the following statement in response to Joe Biden winning the presidential election:

“We are here because of the people of color who have been historically ignored and invisible to political leadership. In Georgia, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, and Indiana, the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum engaged Asian American and Pacific Islander women voters to ensure they had access to the ballot box. We texted every single AAPI woman voter in Arizona who had not voted by mid-October. In Indiana, 82 percent of first-time voters we spoke to made the commitment to vote. In Georgia, 95 percent of the voters we spoke to made the commitment to vote and those commitments are reflected in the turnout numbers.

We came together and showed people in power that AAPI women voters can’t be ignored. Because of our race, ethnicity, country of origin, gender or sexual identity, and other elements of our identities, people in power often choose not to see or hear us. Over the past four years, we have fought daily assaults on our rights and our dignity and for too long, AAPI communities have been denied the investment and resources necessary to thrive. In a year when we reached historic voting levels and our power as a voting bloc continues to grow, we are demanding bold policymaking that supports our ability to thrive. Now it’s time for President Biden and his administration to deliver for the people of color who got him where he is. 

In three days, the Supreme Court will hear a case that could end the Affordable Care Act and take health care away from millions of AAPI people. With the Supreme Court appointments of Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett, Trump has created a supermajority on the court of justices who are opposed to our values and priorities. We’re done waiting for devastating decisions to come down that take away our ability to make decisions about the formation of our families, provide for our loved ones, and to even exist in this country without fear. It’s time to expand the courts.”

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The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) is the only multi-issue, progressive, community organizing and policy advocacy organization for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and girls in the U.S. NAPAWF’s mission is to build collective power so that all AAPI women and girls can have full agency over our lives, our families, and our communities.