On September 17, musicians, artists and celebrities gathered at the Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood to raise awareness about civic participation. These two YouTube PSAs, filmed at the 2010 API Rock the Vote event, were created by Asian American artists and activists to inspire you to (wait for it…) vote. Not sure what—or who—to vote for? Click here. While you’re at it, REGISTER to VOTE here by Oct. 18. And on Nov. 2, get out there and vote! It feels good. Trust us.
It’s easy.
Special shout-out to Teddy Zee, George Wang, Don Le, Steve Nguyen & Hypnotic Asia!
Spoken word poet Beau Sia implores you to “check yourself” in this piece performed for API Rock the Vote.
And here, actor James Kyson Lee and singers/songwriters Esna and Dawen sing “Imagine,” chosen for its message of unity and hope. John Lennon’s 70th birthday was October 8, FYI.
In Los Angeles County, a record number 293,000 Asian Americans cast ballots during the 2008 General Election. Yet the Asian American electorate did not increase as a proportion of the county’s total electorate, indicating greater mobilization in other communities. While Asian Americans already registered to vote are being effectively mobilized to the ballot box, more resources and work are needed to help Asian Americans become citizens and register to vote. There are now nearly 15.5 million Asian Americans nationwide: we make up 5 percent of our nation’s total population.
