Why Fundraising is Important to Asian-Americans
As I said below, I’ve been catching up on the news and blogging about items of interest – some are a bit outdated, but important nevertheless. Like this one -
Winnie Tang (c/o New York Times)
Many of you probably heard about the defeat of a ballot initiative in Florida meant to put an end to a legacy of bias against Asian-Americans that was enshrined in the state’s Constitution. Although Asians can now own land and become citizens, the provision is a sad reminder of an earlier era of discrimination. From the Times:
An obscure ballot initiative in Florida intended to end a legacy of bias against Asian-Americans was defeated Tuesday, apparently because voters incorrectly assumed it would prevent illegal immigrants from owning property… Had it passed, the initiative, known as Amendment No. 1, would have removed from the state’s Constitution language adopted in 1926 allowing the Legislature to prohibit foreigners who were barred from citizenship — Asian-Americans at the time — from owning land… But on Tuesday, Florida’s effort to delete the provision went down, with 52 percent voting “no” and 48 percent voting “yes”…
The most important quote for our purposes was from Winnie Tang, president of the the Organization of Chinese Americans‘ Florida chapter, who said she didn’t have a budget to support the initiative and raise awareness.
“We’ve learned,” she said. “From here on, we will have to get together to raise some funds to get information to the communities.”
Archana, I should put you in touch with one of my good girlfriends in Los Angeles. She’s been working in non-profits for years and encouraging API involvement in philanthropic missions is one of her passions.
I saw the original article in the NYT and thought it was interesting on a number of different levels. Been wondering what the situation is like in our new home state. Having grown up in Indy, I’ve been struck recently by how much it seems the API population has increased.
Thanks, Ellen, for your comment! I’d love to talk to your friend, and maybe even get her to do a guest post for us! I have no idea what the law on this issue is in Indiana – I’ll ask around the law school, one of my colleagues focuses on race and property.