MONTEREY PARK, Calif. (KABC) — Asian Americans are the fastest growing group of eligible voters in the country.
Nonprofits and local leaders are spearheading efforts to understand and uplift the unique needs of these diverse communities and continue increasing civic engagement.
The city of Monterey Park is predominantly Asian American and offers a glimpse into the rich diversity within AAPI communities; from religion to immigration status and language.
“You look at some of our dancers, they’re singing Chinese, different dialects of Chinese,” said Vinh T. Ngo, Monterey Park’s mayor pro tem. “This group here is Mandarin. The group behind there was Cantonese,”
“When you look here in Southern California, you’re talking about more than 40 different ethnicities that speak more than 40 different languages,” said Connie Chung Joe, CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California.
The organization is the largest legal service and civil rights organization in the country for AAPI communities. It is currently leading a statewide policy initiative called Combating Asian Invisibility.
“Because we know that our community is still sometimes overlooked or when we’re seen as an afterthought,” said Chung Joe.
They’ve partnered with other organizations on immigrants’ rights, language and health care access. Underscoring for example, that Asian Americans are 50% less likely than other racial groups to seek mental health services.
Part of the challenge is cultural stigmas.
Monterey Park leaders are working to combat those stereotypes and provide culturally and linguistically appropriate resources. The nonprofit Chinatown Service Center recently hosted a workshop on trauma-informed approaches to working with victims of mass violence.
Just over a year ago, a gunman killed 11 people and injured nine most older Asian Americans at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park. “Since September to now there’s been over 6,000 people who have come through this community center, this…
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