President Obama’s younger sister Maya Soetoro-Ng has a new video telling about her brother’s upbringing in Hawaii and Indonesia and his support for the Asian American Pacific Islander community.
“Because Hawaii is the only AAPI majority state, my brother grew up with a variety of Asian American Pacific Islander communities and cultures around him, and they all made an impact on the way he walks and speaks and his vision of the world.”
As you may know, Soetoro-Ng is half-Indonesian, and married to Konrad Ng, who is the director of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program. Maya and Barack’s mother Stanley Ann Dunham spent much of her lifetime working in Asia. While we’ve never had any Asian Americans presidential candidates (and I hope to see one in our lifetimes), it’s refreshing to see a leader making an effort to reach out to our community — especially since so few politicians are even addressing the Asian American vote, and others have flat out preyed on xenophobic fears.
Check out the whole video and tell us what you think. Is it important for you to have a President who understands the Asian American community?
And in case you’re not registered to vote, don’t delay. In California, you need to sign up by October 22 in order to vote in the November presidential election. Other states may have slightly different deadlines. Check with your local Secretary of State office to find out. Even easier yet, you can even register online by clicking below:
