The groups brought over 80 Nevadans to the state capital to advocate for bills affecting AANHPI communities.
Carson City – One APIA Nevada and the Asian Community Development Council (ACDC) hosted a two-day advocacy event where Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community leaders, advocates, and allies gathered at the Nevada State Legislature for AANHPI Advocacy Day 2025 to speak with legislators, including members of the AANHPI Legislative Caucus, to advocate for policies that address critical issues affecting their communities.
Attendees met with lawmakers to push for key legislative priorities, including immigration enforcement reform, the J-1 visa program to address Nevada’s educator shortage, increased language access for voters, changes to healthcare standards, and privacy protections for nonprofits, among other bills.
Prominent guest speakers included ACLU Nevada Executive Director Athar Haseebullah,
SNWA Public Affairs Supervisor Chaunsey Chau-Duong, and All Voting is Local Senior
Campaign Manager Jennifer Willet.
Among the key attendees were frontline healthcare worker and SEIU 1107 member leader Erika Watanabe, Silver State Voices Deputy Director Melody Judilla, Nevada GrantLab Director of Partnerships and Engagement Divya Narala, National Association of Asian American Professionals Las Vegas Director of Community Engagement Yunjin Lee, and community leaders from AANHPI organizations such as the National Federation of Filipino American Associations, Nevada Chinese Association, Indian Association of Northern Nevada, and Islamic Association of Las Vegas.
“Our community is not a monolith. It is strong, united, and diverse in its voices,” said One APIA Nevada Eric Jeng. “We come from different backgrounds, experiences, and histories, but we share a common goal: to build a Nevada where all AANHPI communities can thrive. By bringing our voices directly to legislators, we are making it clear that our issues matter.”
“This is an important time for our communities across the state. Nonprofits are in desperate need of more resources and funding to serve Nevadans,” remarked ACDC Founder and President Vida Lin. “We are concerned about cuts that may be coming to critical services that could impact health care service and education. We are here today to talk to our legislators about the needs of our AANHPI community, and all communities in our state who need more access to services—not less.”
