Our Ultimate Goal & You. Please read!

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Getting our elite appointed to the top positions in the federal government, though helpful, is not equivalent to winning equal opportunity in work places for all APAs.

80-20 is getting ready to help reach our ultimate goal – equal opportunity
in workplaces for all.

A successful outcome will benefit you, your loved ones and most certainly your grandchildren and beyond.  However, the road ahead will be long and hard, perhaps too long and too hard, unless you help.

A survey is being done to assess 80-20's ability to mount a successful
lobbying effort with the Congress.  We are looking for public hearings
by relevant Congressional committees on the glass-ceiling over APAs in the corporate world, academia, the media, state governments, ..., etc. 
We need you.  If at all possible, please participate in this survey.

The first part of the following provides background information, and the second part is the survey asking for "What You Can Do To Help."

Background

In 80-20's Declaration to Presidential Candidates of 2000, it has four
requests.  The fourth dealt with appointment to top federal positions, a goal we have achieved.  The first three requests are:

1. To request the "Congress (to hold) public hearings regarding the
validity of the huge amount of statistical data strongly suggesting discriminatory
practices against Asian Americans in workplaces,"

2. To urge our President "to vigorously prosecute all cases of racial
discrimination against Asian Americans in the workplace," if Congressional
hearings confirm the prevalent existence of discrimination against APAs in workplaces.

3. To ask our President to use the power of his office "to induce the lifting of glass-ceilings so that Asian Americans will ... (substantially enjoy) equal opportunity to "rise to the top," within the president's first term."

Survey

80-20 has a number of strategic options in mind regarding a successful
lobbying effort.  However, 80-20 needs to know our strengths and weakness
before selecting an option.  That's why this survey is extremely important.

1.  I want to be involved in this lobbying effort which centers
on holding public congressional hearings by relevant congressional committees
on the glass-ceiling over APAs (visit congressional delegates, write letters,
make phone calls, give financially, ..., etc.)

Ans: Yes, I want to help.  My name is ___________, and I
reside in (name of state or Washington D.C.)

2. I have lobbied either the state legislature or the Congress before?

Ans: Yes/No (If yes, please specify whether state legislature or Congress or both.)

3. Please list the name of U.S. senators and Congress-person, whom you are willing to approach for supporting a Committee hearing in which he/she is a member:

Ans: Senator(s) : ____________________________.  

House of Representative(s) : ________________________________

Please specify the ones who know you by first name.

 

Return this survey today.  Together we shall overcome. 
Our children and grandchildren will thank you.

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80-20 is a national nonpartisan Political Action Committee dedicated
to work for equality and justice for all Asian Americans.  For more
details, visit http://www.80-20initiative.net

Two APAs nominated for cabinet positions

Thanks to all of you, history was made again.

Last year, your faxes to President Clinton helped make Norman Mineta the historic first Asian American Cabinet Secretary. This year, your e-mails helped us reach another milestone -- two Asian American cabinet appointments in a single Administration.

As individuals, our voices were not heard. As an organization with 430,000 supporters pouring e-mails and faxes into the Transition Team within a few days, our unified voice was hard to ignore.

Nevertheless, President-elect Bush and Vice President-elect Cheney must be given ample credit. Even a loud and heartfelt voice takes good political listeners to acknowledge and respond positively.

Finally, let's not forget that 80-20's political capital played a role in these appointments. Said capital includes an exponentially expanding e-mail list and war chest, our increasing chapters and affiliates, and our ability to deliver, as a 2-year-old organization, 63% to 35% in California and 54% to 41% nationally to our endorsed presidential candidate (Gore) in election 2000. Decisions by political leaders are at least partially motivated by political consideration -- how to win his/ her next election. By the presidential election of 2004, there is little doubt that 80-20 will deliver votes at an 8 to 2 ratio to our chosen presidential candidate in key states above and beyond California.

Much remains to be done, however. Getting our elite appointed to significant positions is not equivalent to winning equal opportunity in workplaces for all of us. Our next e-mail will address winning equal opportunity for all APAs.

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Congratulations to Norman Mineta (to be confirmed as The Secretary of Transportation) and Elaine Chao (to be confirmed as The Secretary of Labor). Best wishes to both of you for smooth confirmation hearings.

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A great big "thank you" to reporters in ethnic and non-ethnic media who made numerous inquiries at the Transition Office regarding the possibility of cabinet-level appointments for Asian Americans. Without doubt, those reporters helped add "diversity" to Bush's appointments.

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Many APAs thought 80-20 "lost" because Gore didn't win. However, 80-20's leadership has always stated: "So long as we showed unity and strength at the ballot box, APAs would win regardless of which candidate became the president." The 2 appointments, one Democrat and one Republican, proved the correctness of 80-20's central strategy.

Indeed, 80-20 conjectured that APAs would get more "goodies" from the Republican Party should Bush won, because the GOP had wrestled with 80-20 in California and knew how tough 80-20 was, while the Democratic Party, confident of victory in CA, paid little attention to the APA community in CA during the past election. It is hoped that all APAs will now realize that the more we are ready to deliver a swing bloc-vote, the sooner we will win equal justice and opportunity.

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80-20 is a national nonpartisan Political Action Committee dedicated to work for equality and justice for all Asian Americans. For more details, visit http://www.80-20initiative.net