AAOP, along with the SEAD Project, hosted their first ever event connecting API community members with Minneapolis City Council Members at the Minneapolis Meet & Greet on Thursday, May 17th. The Meet & Greet grounded itself in the question: What does an equitable Minneapolis look like?
Community members and Minneapolis City Council Members Phillippe Cunningham and Jeremiah Ellison entered AAOP’s Office to find a very informal and family-style dinner space set up for casual conversations about concerns about the state of Minneapolis.
For both staff and community members, City Council Members Cunningham and Ellison suddenly seemed much more approachable and friendly.
“We put leaders on pedestals,” AAOP Community Organizer Pashie Vang says. “So this event made it comfortable to speak with Ellison and Cunningham about issues we care about.”
Community member Jinhee, who also attended the event, agrees.
“The Meet & Greet gave me the opportunity to learn about our representatives – who are normal, approachable human beings — just like us,” he says.
Both City Council Members and community members were able to speak freely about issues they cared about. One particular issue that was brought up was the visibility of City Council Members to API community members.
“City Council Members, along with government, are often looked as people of power so there is this disconnect where API community members are not reaching out to them about issues they care about,” AAOP Community Organizer Vang Xor Xiong says. This event allowed a bridging between City Council Members and API community members.
During an icebreaker, Organizing Fellow Henry Aoki was able to have a brief conversation with Cunningham where he stated that he did not get a chance to really connect with the API community while on his campaign. This, Cunningham cited, was due to a lack of translators.
This won’t be the last time community members get a chance to speak with City Council Members. Vietnamese Organizing Fellow Long Nguyen hopes that this will be the beginning of a long connection where Council Members will be able to build relationships with the API community.
Xiong also plans to confirm a Door Knock Collaboration between AAOP and the Cunningham team to help the City Council Member reach out to more API community members.
“At the event, you could see the change from start to finish,” Xiong says. “At the beginning, there was slight hesitation but as we got closer to the end, there was actual conversation that was happening.”
“I want to make sure that community members see the City Council Members as a bridge,” Vang adds. “Not a barrier.”
Through this event, Jinhee agrees that he’s learned that the Council Members are approachable and friendly: “We shouldn’t be afraid to voice our concerns to them!”
***
AAOP is a 501 c3 and does not endorse any candidates or representatives. This event was held to bridge a gap between elected officials and API community members within Minneapolis.