With less than 100 days until Election Day, Nevada voters will soon be asked to make an incredibly important decision: determining who will be our nation’s next president. That decision will be between someone who wants to use fear to unravel our progress, and a proven leader who values diversity and will continue knitting our vibrant communities together. That person is Hillary Clinton.
The Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community is the fastest-growing minority group in America—one that has helped build and strengthen the society in which we live. Hillary recognizes that despite the enormous gains AAPIs have made in America, our community continues to face challenges—such as enduring racism, language barriers, and gender pay discrimination. She will fight to break down these barriers so that all of us, regardless of our background, have a chance to live up to our full potential.
AAPI voters are in a position to dramatically alter the outcome of the presidential race in 2016. In Nevada, the AAPI population has doubled its voting power over the past decade, recently bypassing 170,000 eligible voters. We also represent a growing portion of the U.S. economy. Nationwide, our community contributes nearly $1.1 trillion to the economy and AAPI businesses employ 3.6 million Americans across the country. It is time for AAPI voters throughout society to exercise this influence at the ballot box.
As the next president of the U.S., Hillary Clinton will work tirelessly for the rights of AAPI constituents. She will fight to level the playing field for AAPI small business owners by cutting red tape, expanding access to capital, providing tax relief, and fighting discrimination in the lending market. Under Hillary Clinton’s plan, Nevada could see a gain of 94,000 jobs. By contrast, Donald Trump’s economic proposals could cost our state almost 31,000 jobs and millions of dollars in potential investments.
Hillary values the contributions from our immigrant communities, and she plans to implement comprehensive immigration reform that will reunite families and cut down visa wait times. This has the potential to dramatically benefit AAPI families, who make up roughly 40 percent of the visa backlog. Donald Trump on the other hand, has a very different plan for our country – one that endangers the very principles of equality and opportunity upon which America was built. His campaign has proposed oppressive restrictions on immigration and has targeted the AAPI community with hateful rhetoric. Recently, Trump labeled immigrants from the Philippines a dangerous threat and listed legal Philippine immigrants who live in the U.S. among those engaged in a plot to kill Americans.
In Nevada alone, the Filipino population approaches 150,000 and this offensive rhetoric cannot be overlooked. When Donald Trump says we are a threat, he is talking about the everyday people who are the backbone of American society: the men and women who teach in our schools, protect our communities, and fight for our freedom.
What Trump doesn’t know is that our community has heard him loud and clear. He fails to recognize that our voice matters and that we are stronger together. As the fastest growing minority group in the country, the AAPI community holds the key to determining the outcome of this election. It is especially important for the AAPI community to be proactive and mobilize in preparation for Election Day 2016. There has never been a greater call to action, and we must take every precaution by educating ourselves and each other so that we can break down the barriers that our community faces. The answer to rejecting divisiveness, racism, and xenophobia is simple. Vote and let your voice be heard.
