| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Joe O’Leary | Joe.OLeary@cga.ct.gov | 508-479-4969 |
| Media Advisory: Introducing And Announcing The Asian American And Pacific Islander (AAPI) Issues Caucus When: Thursday, May 2, 10am Where: Legislative Office Building, Room 1B Who: State Senators Saud Anwar (from Pakistan), Tony Hwang (from Taiwan), James Maroney (via marriage); State Representatives Maryam Khan (from Pakistan), Kate Farrar (via marriage), Gary Turco (via marriage), Rachel Khanna (via marriage) On Thursday, the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Issues Caucus will hold an introductory press conference. The caucus will focus on issues important to the AAPI community to better represent and address its needs. It comes as Census data found the AAPI community grew by approximately 30% from 2010-2020 and 113% from 2010-2020. The AAPI Issues Caucus will work to address stereotypes that generalize Asian Americans to support critical educational, social and economic support needs and ensure equitable treatment and support for all segments of its population. Most prominently, it will target economic disparities, including ones where segments of the AAPI population experience poverty rates above the national average, and vulnerability to hate crimes, which have increased in recent years, most prominently during the COVID-19 pandemic. This Caucus will have the main focuses of representation and advocacy, development of policies aiding the AAPI lived experience and strengthening ties between state legislators in these communities. Policy priorities may include cultural recognition, language accessibility, mental health support, safety and justice initiatives, economic and healthcare equity, immigration reform, youth empowerment and infrastructure development. |
