FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 23, 2018
Linda Her
linda@aaopmn.org
651.274.1440
Ekta Prakash
ekta.prakash@capiusa.org
612.767.3661
Ignite Minnesota Asian Power (IMAP) Launches to Build Asian Civic Power
Twin Cities, MN — Minnesota Civic Engagement Co-Conveners Asian American Organizing Project (AAOP) and CAPI-USA, and their ten grantee, partner organizations: Vietnamese Social Services, Karen Organization of Minnesota, Lao Assistance Center of Minnesota, Bhutanese Community of Minnesota, SEWA – AIFW (ASIAN INDIAN FAMILY WELLNESS), Hmong Americans for Justice, Release MN8, St. Columba Church, Regional Tibetan Youth Congress, Filipinx for Immigrant rights and Racial justice in Minnesota (FIRM) formed a coalition called, Ignite Minnesota Asian Power (IMAP). IMAP was formed to increase voter participation and civic engagement in Asian communities in Minnesota with a goal to empower all Asian community members to engage in our democracy.
The IMAP launched the weekend of July 14-15 at various hotspot locations across the Twin Cities, engaging in over 400 conversations with AAPI community members and registering and pledging over 350 AAPI community members for this upcoming mid-year election. These conversations are critical to bringing the Asian collective voting voice and power to the polls.
“It’s important that our AAPI community members know that there are organizations in the Twin Cities who are interested and able to provide resources on voter education. IMAP is crucial to connecting our community to the resources they need to become active and informed participants and create community spaces to exist,” AAOP Communications & Social Media Coordinator Leyen Trang says.
IMAP will continue to strategically organize and mobilize across the Twin Cities; to lead, actively engage and outreach in AAPI communities year-round in order for fuller participation to shape our democracy, and to find solutions to community and systemic problems by providing voter education and tools, access to resources and information, and creating spaces to build community power and conscious about candidates and issue-based advocacy focusing on Immigration, Education, Jobs, Healthcare, and LGBTQ Rights.
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