It has been an incredibly busy summer at CAA, and we are pleased to share this roundup highlighting some key organization activities.
Overall, the context of our work has not changed and we are clearly living in dangerous times. Right-wing extremism rooted in white supremacy continues to threaten the promise of diverse democracy in America — whether by manufacturing lies about critical race theory, rolling back reproductive rights, or advancing a bigoted anti-LGBTQ+ agenda.
At CAA we are taking bold steps to address this challenge. During the past few months we have expanded our Chinese digital engagement work to counter disinformation on platforms like WeChat, helped to organize the first national AAPI convening on gun violence prevention, joined legal efforts to defend the right of immigrant parents to vote in local school board elections, and successfully advanced No Place for Hate legislation in California to address hate and harassment in public spaces.
Keep reading for more information about our current efforts.
On the Frontlines | PiYaoBa Counters Right-Wing Disinformation
CAA launched PiYaoBa, which means “Let’s Fact-Check It” in Mandarin. The first Chinese language fact-check website focused on countering the spread of right-wing disinformation in the United States, PiYaoBa systematically monitors and documents disinformation, tracks key actors and narratives across multiple platforms, and provides rapid response fact-checking and analysis. Since its launch in June, PiYaoBa has corrected more than 187 articles, with a large number of them continuing to spread false conspiracy theories surrounding the 2020 election. As we head towards the November elections, we are seeing a major uptick in political lies and attacks.
On the Frontlines | Asian Americans and Gun Violence Prevention
On June 16, CAA partnered with Moms Rising, Newtown Action Alliance, Hope and Heal Fund, and AAPI Victory Alliance to organize the first national gathering of Asian American and gun violence prevention advocates. With more than 5 million people becoming first-time gun owners during the pandemic, advocates discussed the need to reframe the national conversation around guns to include often marginalized communities, including Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. For example, while a majority of Asian Americans support gun violence prevention policies overall, there was an agreed upon need for the gun violence prevention movement to ensure that their efforts effectively engage the diverse AAPI community in culturally competent ways.
Campaigns | No Place for Hate CA Heads to Governor Newsom’s Desk
Last week, our No Place for Hate CA bills, SB 1161 and AB2448, were passed unanimously by the California State Legislature and are now on Governor Newsom’s desk where he has until September 30 to sign them into law. SB1161, the Increasing Safety for Public Transit Bill, will require the Mineta Transportation Institute to develop a tool in partnership with the top 10 transit agencies to name, understand, and begin to address how hate and harassment impacts public transit riders. AB2448, the Expanding Civil Rights Protections at Businesses Bill, creates a pilot program to require businesses to create safe and welcoming environments free from discrimination and harassment for all of their customers. If signed by the governor, the No Place for Hate policy agenda will take historic first steps to address hate and harassment within our public transportation systems and at businesses, where Stop AAPI Hate data reports show a disproportionately large number of hate incidents occurring.
Community Spotlight | Fighting Anti-Asian Hate
Chinese for Affirmative Action organized a dialogue with Stop AAPI Hate, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and The Asian American Foundation in an event titled “From Community to Congress: A Stop AAPI Hate Roundtable Dialogue in San Francisco.” Hosted by the Chinese Culture Center, this half-day event featured advocates doing front-line grassroots work serving AAPI communities. Elected officials also gave updates on recent policy wins and current legislative campaigns. Participants emphasized that hate is systemic and intersectional, and that effective solutions must invest in cross-racial community building, solidarity, and education. Read more here.
Community Spotlight | Celebrating 53 Years of CAA
Hundreds of CAA friends, supporters, and allies joined our first hybrid in-person and virtual Celebration of Justice at the end of June. In addition to enjoying an amazing dinner and stellar musical and poetry performances, our community was thrilled to honor EunSook Lee, Hmong Innovating Politics, and Thomas A. Saenz for their decades of civil rights and racial justice leadership. Event sponsors and community donations helped us surpass our fundraising goal and we successfully raised $350,000 to support our critical programs! If you would like to watch the event, you can find the recording here or listen to our Celebration of Justice 2022 playlist on spotify.
Onwards and Upwards: CAA Continues to Fight for Immigrant Voting
CAA and the Immigrant Parent Voting Collaborative are leading the fight to defend immigrant voting in San Francisco. Recently, a court procedure called a stay filed by the San Francisco City Attorney was granted by the First District Court of Appeal restoring immigrant parents’ right to vote in the upcoming school board elections. In July, the San Francisco Superior Court struck down Ordinance 206-21. This decision has impacted California cities contemplating the expansion of voting rights to include immigrants. CAA is providing support to Oakland, Santa Ana, and San Jose as well as coordinating with advocates in New York City as cities push back against legal challenges intended to take away the voting rights of immigrants. The growing popularity of immigrant voting is driven in part by U.S. citizen voters who understand that vote dilution is a myth rooted in white supremacy and goes against the fundamental principles of democracy.
