As I have written before, I am all for coalitions to be organized in our efforts to promote more democracy in our land.

We non-whites have a job to do in making sure that everybody gets equal rights and justice. Certainly, politics is one major arena where we can work to promote our concerns. So, it is with delight that I found out about Asian Americans for Democracy (AA4D). Its goal, as stated in their literature, is “Mobilizing Asian American voters in key swing states to defeat Trump & save our democracy.”

There it is, simply stated and with very clear intentions.

Respected and well-known Asian American activists such as Dianne Fukami, Dale Minami, Eddie Wong, Helen Zia and Hoyt Zia formed AA4D. It is a project of the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans (CAPA21), which Minami and others founded in 1987 as one of the country’s first Asian American political action committees.

By concentrating action in swing states whose electoral votes will be deciding factors, AA4D will work with already established Asian Pacific American organizations to maximize effectiveness. They will target Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

For example, here is the situation in Arizona: “AA4D will fund AZ Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Advocates (AANHPI) which plans to expand their ground operations from Tempe to Phoenix and Tucson. For the upcoming election cycle, AANHPI Advocates is projected at $1.4 million which will include comprehensive tactics such as mailers, digital ads, door knocking, in-language print ads in community publications, and more. They have a total of 14 staff members who split their time between the non-partisan voter education/registration work and the partisan campaign work for local, state, and federal candidates and on ballot measures. Led by experienced organizer and former CA nonprofit exec Jennifer Chau, AZ AANHPI is widely recognized as the leading APA organization in the electoral arena in Arizona.”

So, you get the picture of a broad coalition of organizations working to build a united front in defeating Trump. By partnering with existing groups, we greatly increase our chances of winning in these states since they are already hard at work, and have been for quite a while. I think we will learn as we go along on how to work together, what we have in common, and that we have a real stake in building a multiracial, multicultural democracy.

AA4D will act as a fundraising entity, and, as they say in their briefing memo, “The leaders of AA4D and CAPA21 bring to the table decades of stewardship as nonprofit community organization leaders, accomplished attorneys, writers, artists, and educator, seasoned political operatives, public relations experts, and fundraising consultants. Veteran Web designers and producers will oversee the production of hard-hitting anti-Trump messages. By contributing you are not only helping defeat Trump but enabling the growth of Asian Pacific American political power.Friends, we have one-shot at this. Let’s wake up on Nov. 6 knowing that we gave it all we had to save our democracy.”

Donate at: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/aa4d.

So, I would like to invite you to a get acquainted gathering at J-Sei, located at 1285 66th St., Emeryville, Calif. on May 11 at 1 p.m. The event will include a showing of the “Rising Against Asian Hate” documentary, and a discussion with some AA4D leaders and my informal group, the Chizu’s Corner gang. Click here to register for a free ticket: https://forms.gle/fXcDXtwyreLw7SN59.

Hope to see you there. There is a lot to discuss, and if you have felt that you don’t know who or where to turn to in this crucial election, let’s talk.

If you want to know more about AA4D, use this link: http://www.asianamericans4democracy.org.

Chizu Omori, of Oakland, California, is co-producer of the award-winning film “Rabbit in the Moon.” She can be reached at chizuomori@gmail.com. The views expressed in the preceding column are not necessarily those of the Nichi Bei News.

Chizu Omori, Nichi Bei News

Chizu Omori, of Oakland, Calif., is co-producer of the award-winning film “Rabbit in the Moon.” She can be reached at chizuomori@gmail.com. The views expressed in the preceding column are not necessarily those of the Nichi Bei News.