Diverse Elders Coalition

March 04, 2021    |    

  • A A A
    • Who We Are
      • The Coalition
        • Who We Are
        • Our History
        • Our Team
        • Our Supporters
        • Employment Opportunities
        • Contact Us
      • Diverse Elders
        • AAPI Elders
        • Black Elders
        • AI/AN Elders
        • Hispanic Elders
        • LGBT Elders
    • What We Do
      • Current Campaigns
        • Civic Engagement
        • Family Caregiving
        • Health Reform
        • Public Education
      • Past Campaigns
        • State Advocacy: Georgia
        • State Advocacy: New Mexico
        • White House Conference on Aging
    • What to Know
      • Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
      • Data Collection and Disaggregation
      • HIV & Aging
      • Immigration Reform
      • Medicare & Medicaid
      • Older Americans Act
    • What You Can Do
      • Tell Your Story
      • Explore Our Stories
      • Share Our Blog Posts
    • Library
    • Blog

    Blog

    Comments 0 Comments

    Diverse Elders

    January 24, 2017

    A New Class of AAPIs In Congress

    by Brianna Brown

    Earlier this month, a record number of ethnically diverse congressional representatives were sworn into the 115th Congress. Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) congressional members reached an all-time record of eighteen Representatives and Senators, up from fourteen AAPI members in the 114th Congress.

    Judy Chu, a Representative from the 27th Congressional District of Southern California, is the Chairwoman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC). Following the election, Rep. Chu noted that the increasing number of AAPI congressional members “serve as a testament to the growing political influence of the AAPI community and the diversity we represent.” CAPAC was established in 1994 with the purpose of ensuring that US Congress provides full participation, addresses the contributions, and protects and advances the rights of AAPI citizens.

    Looking to get to know the newest class of AAPI congressional members? This post gives a snapshot of the two newly-elected Senators and five newly-elected House Representatives.

    tammyduckworthTammy Duckworth – Senator (D-IL): Tammy is only the second woman and first Asian American woman to be elected as a Senator in Illinois. She was born in Thailand and was elected as a US Representative of Illinois’ 8th District in 2012. Before serving in congress, Tammy served as Assistant Secretary at the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Tammy lost both legs and partial use of her right arm while serving in Iraq. As a result of her injuries, Tammy was awarded the Purple Heart. Tammy is an advocate for supporting small businesses, infrastructure, and improving the lives of veterans. Learn more about Tammy here.

    kamalaharrisKamala Harris – Senator (D-CA): Before being elected as Senator, Kamala served as the first woman, first South Asian, and the first African American Attorney General of California in 2010 and District Attorney for San Francisco in 2003. She was born in Oakland, California and attended Howard University, the oldest historically black university in the US. Kamala’s platform includes issues of criminal justice and immigration reform, creating good-paying jobs, enacting family leave and equal pay policies, college affordability and universal pre-kindergarten for children and tackling climate change. Learn more about Kamala here.

    stephaniemurphyStephanie Murphy – Representative (D-FL 7th District): Stephanie is the first Vietnamese American Woman elected to Congress and only the second ever Vietnamese American person elected to Congress. Fleeing communist Vietnam by boat, Stephanie’s family was rescued by the US Navy at sea. At the time, Stephanie was only one year old. After September 11, 2001, she joined the Department of Defense as a national security specialist, attributing it to wanting to protect the country. Stephanie is dedicated to promoting women’s entrepreneurship, and she herself is a successful businesswoman, innovator and entrepreneur. Learn more about Stephanie here.

    01222016-Pramila JayapalPramila Jayapal – Representative (D-WA 7th District):  Pramila is the first Indian American woman elected to the House of Representatives. Pramila left India when she was sixteen to attend Georgetown University. Her career has involved working both internationally and domestically as a leading advocate for women’s, immigrants’, civil, and human rights. Following September 11, 2001, Pramila founded the Hate Free Zone, now known as OneAmerica, to address hate crimes and discrimination facing Arab, Muslim, and South Asian communities. She is an expert on topics including fair and minimum wage, community-police relations, as well protecting every American’s civil rights.  Learn more about Pramila here.

    rajakrishnamoorthiRaja Krishnamoorthi – Representative (D-IL 8th District): The 43-year-old grew up in Illinois and started his political career when he served as issues director for Barack Obama’s successful 2004 campaign for the US Senate. He later was appointed to serve as a Special Assistant Attorney General on a Public Integrity Unit to root out corruption under Lisa Madigan. Raja advocates for policies for working families, equal pay for equal work, paid sick and maternity leave, raising the minimum wage and making college more affordable. Learn more about Raja here.

    rokhannaRo Khanna – Representative (D-CA 17th District): Ro is a long time resident of the Bay Area but is originally from Philadelphia, PA.  Ro comes to Congress with the hope of bringing Silicon Valley innovation to Middle America.  The 40-year-old former property attorney and former deputy secretary of commerce in the Obama administration was highly supported by multiple tech corporations in running for his Representative position. The district that he represents is the only Asian majority district in the US. His grandfather, who was an activist under Gandhi’s independence movement in India, influenced Ro’s commitment to public service. Learn more about Ro here.

    colleenhanabusaColleen Hanabusa – Representative (D-HI 1st District): Colleen was not expecting to return to Congress this year. However, after the death of 1st District Representative Mark Takai in July, an opening formed in the Hawaii delegation that she won. Colleen was elected to the House in 2010 and re-elected in 2012, she gave up her seat when she ran for a Senate but was defeated by Brian Schatz. In the interim between serving as a congressman, Colleen returned to Hawaii as a labor attorney representing Hawaii State Teacher’s Association and serving the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation. Colleen is one of two Buddhists who serve in the house. Learn more about Colleen here.

     

     

    The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Diverse Elders Coalition.

    Share Print this        Email Email this        Print Print this

    Recent Posts

    • How to Stay Safe When Going Back Out in Public
    • Centering Vaccination Planning on Equity: Intersecting Considerations of Age, Race, and More
    • Diversifying Research on COVID-19 and Aging-Related Issues: A Call for Asian American and Pacific Islander Older Adults and Caregivers to Participate in COMPASS and CARE

    Most Popular Posts

    • 35 quotes to help guide your life from famous African American older adults
    • Dion Wong: A conversation with a 69-year-old Chinese gay man (AAPI Heritage Month)
    • Chinese Seniors in New York: Where to Live
    • HIV/AIDS is Still an Issue for Older Gay Black Men
    • Growing Older Together: Queer People of Color and Aging

    Issues

    • All
    • Access to Services
    • Aging & Ageism
    • Caregiving
    • Chronic Illness
    • Civic Engagement
    • Cultural & Linguistic Competence
    • Data Collection / Research
    • Discrimination
    • Economic Security
    • Elder Abuse
    • Health & Wellness
    • Health Reform
    • HIV / AIDS
    • Housing
    • LGBTQ Communities
    • Medicaid / Medicare
    • National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA)
    • National Caucus and Center on Black Aging (NCBA)
    • National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA)
    • National Indian Council on Aging (NICOA)
    • Older Americans Act (OAA)
    • People of Color
    • Public Policy
    • Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)
    • SAGE || Advocacy and Services for LGBT Elders
    • Social Security / Retirement
    • Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)
    • Transportation

    Tags

    #MakeHistory #PrideInPlace #TellACL 2020 AAPI AAPI Heritage Month AAPI Older Adults AARP Activism ADRD advocacy Affordable Care Act Africa African American African American Elders Ageism & Culture Aging Aging in America Conference AI/AN AI/AN Elders AI/ANs aid AIDS Alaska Native Alyssa Tulabut Alzheimer's Alzheimer's Disease American Indian American Indian & Alaska Native Elders American Indian Alaska Natives American Indian and Alaska Native Elders American Indian and Alaska Natives American Indians/Alaska Native Elders American Indians and Alaska Native Elders American Society on Aging Arab American Arab Americans Asian American and Pacific Islander Elders ballots barriers BIPOC Black Black History Month Black Lives Matter Black Veterans Black Veterans for Social Justice Blog Brazil care Caregiver Caregivers Caregiving Caregiving in a pandemic Caring Across Generations CDC CDSME Census Christmas Civic Engagement Clinical Trials Commemoration Commonwealth Fund communities communities of color community Community Catalyst Community Catalyst. Pandemic COMPASS Congresswoman Continuing Education Coronavirus COVID-19 COVID-19 Cases Cultural Competence Cultural Competency Culturally Competent Healthcare data Dawn Dearborn Dementia Dementias Department of Aging Direct Services Disability Discrimination diverse Diverse Elders Stories Initiative Dr. Marcy Adelman Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dual Eligibles Early Voting Earthquake Economic Security Education Egypt eldercare elders Election Election Day Election Reflections Employment/Workforce Issues End of Life enrollment Essential Workers event Events Executive Director exercise Families family Family Caregivers finances Financial Finding a Job Finding a Job LinkedIn Fitness Fitness and Exercise Food and Nutrition Functional Exercise funds Geriatrics Gerontological Society of America Gina Le Grandaughters Grandmother Grandparents Hassan Abbas Health Health & Wellness Healthcare health care Health Care Workers health coverage Health Disparities health equity Health Insurance health research Healthy Aging Healthy Eating Hispanic Elders Hispanic Heritage Month Hispanic older adults HIspanics HIV Holidays Home Exercises House Hunger Hurricane Hygiene Immigration / Refugees immunizations Indian Country Indigenous insurance Intergenerational Intergenerational trauma In The News Isolation Justice & Equity Justice in Aging Katrina Dizon Mariategue Kham Moua Khmer Kristine Ajrouch Language Access Languages Latinos LatinosAgainstAlzheimer's Latinx lawsuit Leadership LGBT LGBT Caregivers LGBT Elders LGBT History Month LGBT Older Adults LGBTQ LinkedIn LinkedIn Profile Listening Session Living Lockdown Long Distance Caregivers mail-in vote Mayra Acevedo MCCFAD medicaid medicare Medicina Salud Publica Mental Health mental health care Metro Detroit money NAPCA National Council on Aging National Disability Employment Awareness Month National Indian Council on Aging National Minority Health Month National Work and Family Month Native American Heritage Month Native Americans needs assessment Neighborhood and Community New York New York City Next Avenue NHCOA NICOA Nonprofit NYC obstacles Oklahoma Older adults Older adults of color Older Americans Month open open enrollment Outdoors Paid Leave Pandemic People of Color People with Disabilities Personal Perspectives Philanthropy Physical Health Plan policy polling PPE Pride Month prizes Programs Public public health Puerto Rico queer Quyen Dinh raffles Reflection registration Related Dementias research Resiliency Risk Factors RRF safety SAGE SAGECents SAGEVets SEAA SEARAC Second Wave Self-Care seniors Services Shawnee Tribe Sina Sam Social Engagement Social Isolation Social Justice social worker South Asian Elders Southeast Asian American Southeast Asian American Caregivers Southeast Asian Elders support survey Technology telehealth telemedicine Thanksgiving The John A. Hartford Foundation trans Transgender Elders Two-spirit U.S. Treasury Department Unemployed United States University of Michigan University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine vaccinations vaccines Veterans vote voting Voting plan webinar Web Seminar Weight Gain Weight Loss White House Conference on Aging WHO Work & Purpose Workplace Workplace Issues Yvette Clarke
    • Who We Are
      • The Coalition
        • Who We Are
        • Our History
        • Our Team
        • Our Supporters
        • Employment Opportunities
        • Contact Us
      • Diverse Elders
        • AAPI Elders
        • Black Elders
        • AI/AN Elders
        • Hispanic Elders
        • LGBT Elders
    • What We Do
      • Current Campaigns
        • Civic Engagement
        • Family Caregiving
        • Health Reform
        • Public Education
      • Past Campaigns
        • State Advocacy: Georgia
        • State Advocacy: New Mexico
        • White House Conference on Aging
    • What to Know
      • Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
      • Data Collection and Disaggregation
      • HIV & Aging
      • Immigration Reform
      • Medicare & Medicaid
      • Older Americans Act
    • What You Can Do
      • Tell Your Story
      • Explore Our Stories
      • Share Our Blog Posts
    • Library
    • Blog

    Join Our Community

    © 2021 Diverse Elders Coalition. All Rights Reserved.  |   Terms of Use