2018 was a big year for our Civic Engagement Program here at AAOP, with the midterm elections. Take a look back to see what AAOP has accomplished this year!
Through the month of 2018, AAOP has hosted 7 different civic engagement-focused events and had our staff present at 2 additional events. We hosted the very first Electoral Language Organizing workshop that taught Hmong Organizers to utilize their language in organizing.
AAOP also collaborated with The SEAD Project to host an intimate Minneapolis Meet & Greet. During this Meet & Greet, Asian American constituents were able to meet with their Minneapolis Councilmembers Phillipe Cunningham and Jeremiah Ellison to voice their concerns.
In July, AAOP, along with CAPI-USA, launched the Ignite Minnesota Asian Power (IMAP) coalition. This coalition is the first in Minnesota that gathered pan-Asian organizations across the state to spark a civically engaged Asian American population in Minnesota. It is comprised of: Vietnamese Social Services (VSS), Karen Organization of Minnesota (KOM), Lao Assistance Center of Minnesota (LAC-MN), Bhutanese Community of Minnesota, Sewa-AIFW, Hmong Americans for Justice (HAJ), Release MN8, Church of St. Columba (COSC), Regional Tibetan Youth Congress (RTYC), Filipinx for Immigrant Rights and Racial justice in Minnesota (FIRM).
2018 Summer Organizing Fellow Bunnard with 2018 Seeding Change Fellow Johnny
During that same summer, AAOP hosted 7 Organizing Fellows and 1 Seeding Change Fellow. The summer fellowship programs allowed OFs to develop their leadership skills, learn about the Minnesota electoral process, and continue to build relationships with strong Asian American communities in Minnesota. In the past, Organizing Fellows have transitioned into full-time staff at AAOP.
We also hosted 4 Youth Organizing Fellows — high school age youth who were able to explore and dive deep into topics they normally didn’t get the chance to in schools, such as gender justice, marine biology, and rape culture. These youth learned about their own communities as well through field trips to Ramsey County Hall and are able to build their leadership skills.
The summer culminated with an Action Camp facilitated by Across Frontlines Kalaya’an Mendoza and Adam Ray Cross. This four-day intensive training camp gathered young activists and organizers from across the state to learn the skills needed for Nonviolent Direct Action and even incorporated necessary communication skills.
AAOP also worked to educate community members about Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act, ensuring that all community members get the opportunity to vote — regardless of language barriers.
We also hosted our largest National Voter Registration Day drive this year with over 5 hot spots throughout the Twin Cities, taking part in the record-breaking 800,000 voter registrations nationwide.
And we worked as IMAP alongside CAPI-USA to recruit and train over 100 volunteers for Get Out the Vote week to build Asian American community power and make sure everyone gets the chance to vote.
A huge thank you to our past interns, canvassers, volunteers, supporters, and most of all — our community — for being part of AAOP in such a momentous year. We look forward to connecting and building with everyone in 2019.