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Schedule

Thursday, August 13, 2020
7:30 p.m. Moderated Discussion
8:10 p.m. Audience Q&A — Questions welcome via YouTube Live and Facebook Live

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To be an American citizen is to have a voice in our democracy. In an increasingly diverse United States, representation matters, and many minorities are looking to the 2020 elections to see who will be represented to represent them. More than 20 million Asian Americans currently reside in the United States and will constitute nearly 10 percent of eligible voters by 2036. However, despite being the fastest-growing racial group, Asian American civic engagement has remained stagnantly low. In 2016, voter turnout for eligible Asian Americans was only 49 percent in comparison to 65 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 59 percent for non-Hispanic Blacks.

With both external institutional obstacles and internal mindsets that inhibit Asian American engagement, what can be done to foster an identity that encourages higher voter turnout? Join Asia Society as we hear from a group of experts on how to advocate and advance Asian American civic engagement.

About the Speakers

Christine Chen, the founding executive director from 2006-2008 returned to APIAVote in January 2011 to serve as its current Executive Director.  During her tenure she had strengthened and expanded APIAVote's partners into 28 states.  APIAVote’s research and polling of Asian American voters and their regional trainings and field programs have strengthened the local grassroots programs in reaching and mobilizing Asian American and Pacific Islander voters. More recently, APIAVote has launched extensive initiatives to have a full and complete count of the Asian and Pacific Islander community in the 2020 Census. Through all these efforts, APIAVote has played a key role in elevating the Asian American and Pacific Islander electorate to an unprecedented national level in recent years. In addition Chen serves as President of Strategic Alliances USA, a consulting firm specializing in coalition building, institutional development, and partnerships among the corporate sector, government agencies, and the nonprofit and public sector.  

Chen is well-known by activists across the county. Her track record in building coalitions and working at the grassroots and national levels established her as one of the strongest voices in the APIA community. She has more than two decades of experience in organizing and advocating on issues such as immigration, hate crimes, affirmative action, census, racial profiling, voting rights, election reform, and various derogatory and racist media incidents. Profiled by Newsweek magazine in 2001 as one of 15 women who will shape America’s new century, Chen served from 2001 to 2005 as national executive director of the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA), one of the leading APIA civil rights organizations in the country. Chen currently serves on the Steering Committee for National Voter Registration Day, Kennedy Center Community Advisory Board and the board for the Center for Asian American Media.

Mark P. Jones, Ph.D., is the fellow in political science at the Baker Institute, the Joseph D. Jamail Chair in Latin American Studies and a professor in the Department of Political Science at Rice University. Jones also serves as the faculty director of Rice’s Master of Global Affairs program. His research focuses on the effect of electoral laws and other political institutions on governance, representation and voting. He has received substantial financial support for this research, including grants from the National Science Foundation. His research has been published in journals such as the American Journal of Political Science, Electoral Studies and the Journal of Politics, as well as in edited volumes published by Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press and Penn State University Press, among others. He is a frequent contributor to Texas media outlets, and his research on the Texas Legislature has been widely cited in the media as well as by numerous political campaigns. 

Jones regularly advises U.S. government institutions on economic and political affairs in Argentina and has conducted research on public policy issues in Latin America and Texas for numerous international, national and local organizations, including the Inter-American Development Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, the U.S. Department of Defense, the Texas Department of Agriculture and the city of Houston. He is a frequent commentator in local, state, national and international media on government, politics and public policy. He is currently working on two principal research agendas, one that examines the impact of political institutions on politics and public policy in Latin America, and the other that analyzes the evolution of partisan politics in Texas over the past 50 years. Jones received his doctorate from the University of Michigan and his bachelor’s degree from Tulane University. Jones leads the Baker Institute's Argentina Program and helps direct the Presidential Elections Program. 

Mustafa Tameez is Outreach Strategists’ Founder and President. He began his career in New York advertising for corporate clients, but after moving to Texas he shifted to advising successful campaigns for state legislators, mayors, members of Congress and public institutions. Tameez is a national opinion leader with over 600 appearances on CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, and CBSN. The Atlantic mentions him as a top Democratic consultant in Texas and Texas Monthly refers to him as one of the top Democrats to watch. Tameez is the Chairman of the Transportation Advocacy Group board, a Director of the Texas Lyceum, and a member of the Unity National Bank board, among other civic and business affiliations. He has also provided extensive consulting services for the Department of Homeland Security. 

About the Moderator

Andrew Schneider heads Houston Public Media’s coverage of national, state, and local elections. He also reports on major policy issues before the Texas Legislature and county and city governments across Greater Houston. Before taking up his current post, Andrew spent five years as Houston Public Media’s business reporter, covering the oil and gas industry and other issues affecting the regional and state economies. He has also served as the station’s occasional foreign correspondent, reporting from Afghanistan in 2013 and Germany in 2015. Andrew’s work has aired on NPR’s Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Here & Now, as well as internationally on the BBC World Service and Radio New Zealand. Before moving to Houston, Andrew spent more than a decade in Washington, D.C. as a reporter for The Kiplinger Letter. He holds degrees in history from the University of Chicago and Duke University.

Asia Society hosts today's leading voices, providing commentary on events in news, society, and culture. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect Asia Society views.

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