| How did we come to America? |
According to a comprehensive nationwide survey published by the Pew Research Center in 2012: "Asian Americans are the highest-income, best-educated and fastest-growing racial group in the United States. They are more satisfied than the general public with their lives, finances and the direction of the country, and they place more value than other Americans do on marriage, parenthood, hard work and career success."
Asians didn't come to this country as students in elite universities, nor did they get their first jobs as professors, doctors and high-tech engineers. In fact, many came as laborers to work on the
Intercontinental Railroad. Others worked long and hard for pittances at unrewarding, menial jobs. In 1882, the U.S. Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, and it was not until 1965, when the Hart-Celler Act was passed, that Asians (and some other minority groups) were allowed to immigrate to the US in significant numbers, to then become US Citizens.
In spite of the glowing description of Asian American successes by the Pew Report, Asian Americans have not reached parity with other racial and ethnic groups. There is still a "bamboo ceiling" over our heads in the corporate, academic, political and judicial worlds, and we are not as well organized to "empower" ourselves as other ethnic minorities.
This is the reason for the existence of the 80-20 PAC. We are a national, nonpartisan, Political Action Committee dedicated to winning equal opportunity and justice for all Asian Americans through a SWING bloc vote, ideally directing 80% of our community's votes and money to the presidential candidate endorsed by the 80-20 who better represents the interests of all APAs.
Our mission is clear. 80-20 will work hard to educate and promote voter participation, encourage our members to participate in and contribute to APA communities, and to participate as a united voting block to break the "bamboo ceiling." We cannot succeed without your enthusiastic support and your contributions. The more members we have, the greater our political leverage.
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