by Nevada First Lady Kathy Sisolak
I am humbled to serve as Nevada’s First Lady, and I do so embracing my Chinese heritage.
I am a native Nevadan, but I am also a proud daughter of immigrants. My mother worked as a data processor for Clark County, and my father was the first Chinese card dealer on Fremont Street.
Like so many first-generation immigrants, being the first to do anything meant they frequently dealt with discrimination. Despite these struggles, my parents persisted, worked hard and raised us to treat others the way we wanted to be treated.
The principles of hard work, getting a good education, and serving the greater good isn’t unique to me and my family. These are values that so many other families in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community share.
So when we have a president who actively demonizes us and exhibits the same displays of racism that my parents experienced years ago, it proves we have so much more work to do.
Joe Biden not only shares our values, but he is ready from day one to lead with them.
Joe will invest in our education system and help families who need the most help by tripling funding for schools serving low-income communities and make public colleges and universities tuition-free for all families with incomes below $125,000 a year.
With nearly two million Asian American-owned businesses across the country, Joe will invest in small businesses to not only assist in enduring our current economic crisis, but help us emerge even stronger.
Finally, Joe will stand with us. With President Trump fanning the flames for hate crimes against Asian Americans, Joe will set the tone from the nation’s highest office and prioritize prosecuting hate crimes, making it clear that hatred has no place in this country.
At the end of the day, the Asian American community needs a leader who stands for our shared values, and that leader is Joe Biden.
This election is going to be close. We know that the power of the Asian American vote grows in each passing election. This year, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders will make up roughly 11% of Nevada’s voting population, the largest share of any battleground state.
Our votes will make a real difference in this election.
Early Vote in Nevada begins on October 17th and runs until October 30th. You can show up to vote at any polling location in your county and drop your mail ballot or vote in person. Bring your mail ballot and walk right in! If you aren’t registered to vote yet, there’s also same-day registration.
To check your registration or find your nearest Early Vote polling location, go to iwillvote.com/NV. Just type in your address – it’s that easy!
How you vote is your choice. No matter how you vote this year, do it early. Once you know how you are going to vote, make sure your friends and family have a plan, too.
To learn more, you can go to NevadaVotesEarly.com or call 888-525-VOTE (8683) to speak with someone in English, Spanish or Tagalog.
The Asian American community simply can’t afford another four years of bigotry, hatred and division. It’s time to end this period of darkness, and make a plan to vote for Joe Biden today.
