Since Proposition 16 qualified for the ballot in the spring, Chinese for Affirmative Action has gone all in for it because affirmative action and other equal opportunity programs are fundamental to our mission of defending the rights of Chinese Americans and advancing a multiracial democracy.
Prop 16 will end California’s ban on equal opportunity programs like affirmative action and level the playing field for women and people of color in public education, employment, and contracting.
CAA Co-Executive Director Vincent Pan has been serving as one of the three Yes On 16 campaign co-chairs along with Eva Paterson from the Equal Justice Society and Thomas Saenz from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund.
As co-chair, Vincent has worked with Eva and Tom to formulate, fund, and implement the Yes on 16 campaign strategy. To date, the campaign has brought together more than 400 organizations and elected officials in support of Prop 16 including Senator Kamala Harris, Governor Gavin Newsom, and every major civil rights, labor, small business, women’s rights, and education equity group in the state.
At CAA, our efforts have comprised a major statewide digital education effort on WeChat where content creators and digital organizers have written, published, and shared more than 30 articles explaining affirmative action and Prop 16 to Chinese-speaking communities. We also led the legal effort to win corrections on the ballot’s Chinese language translation.
CAA staff, including Hong Mei Pang, Eva Poon, Sally Chen, and others have led and presented at dozens of town halls and community briefings. These gatherings were conducted across languages and with community leaders from different sectors.
CAA has also been a leading voice in the media, debating against opponents of affirmative action on radio and television, and making the case to the editorial boards of every major state newspaper. We have won the endorsements of the San Francisco Chronicle, the LA Times, the San Jose Mercury, the East Bay Times, and Sing Tao Daily. You can read more about Prop 16 in the news here.
With less than a month until Election Day, you can join CAA and take action in support of Prop 16 and:
- Join one of the campaign’s phone and text banks
- Attend a virtual or in real life Prop 16 event
- Access our digital toolkit and share social media
- Add your name to the Prop 16 email list for immediate alerts
