| March 22, 2021 – LAKE FOREST – Over a hundred people gathered this Saturday in Orange County to address the recent targeted attacks on Asians which has made national news. This press conference of Asian community leaders in Southern California, with counterparts from New York, Washington DC and Northern California, featured many on the team that defeated Proposition 16 in November, which was a direct racist institutional attack that would have affected the livelihood of Asian Americans. Many more attended on Zoom. The pushback continues as these leaders gathered to address the overall racist climate leading to attacks all over California, most recently in Compton of Sia Marie Xiong. Asian attacks made national news with the serial murders of 6 Asian women in Atlanta massage parlors, as well as multiple assaults in the Bay Area. The specific implementation of Critical Race Theory (CRT), an educational initiative focused on racial divisions, has also gained spotlight and coverage from national news outlets. The discussion summarized the “No on 16” campaign’s victory defeating a sweeping initiative that would have instituted race-based preferences in public schools, public contracting, and public sector hiring, a clear example of institutional racism. Prop 16 was shot down by California voters in November 2020, 57-43, a solid 14 point victory, driven by strong grassroots support. “Our landslide victory over Prop 16 last November shows that Californians believe in equality for all, not racial preferences or racial grievance,” said Ward Connerly, former president of the No on Prop 16 campaign and president of the American Civil Rights Institute. “I thank and congratulate my colleagues who fought alongside me in this momentous battle. We could not have triumphed without their dedication, ingenuity, and perseverance.” “I [also] applaud my former colleagues for taking up the fight against Critical Race Theory,” Connerly added. “More important, I am greatly encouraged by their continued commitment to individualism and equal rights over racial classification and race-based advocacy. I am especially pleased that Betty, Marc, and Tony, and my dear friends Ying and Wai Wah are involved in this effort as they were in ‘No on 16.’” Recently, Lowell High School in San Francisco, a prestigious high school, got rid of merit based admissions and President Biden putting a stop to support for the litigation against Yale admissions discrimination lawsuit going to the Supreme Court, highlighting the fight ahead on an institutional level. Organizer Marc Ang of AIB2B has recently been featured twice on lengthy segments on One America News National to plug this event and talk about the violence against Asians and institutionalized racism that is generally ignored. See the first appearance clip here. Marc moderated the event, and provided commentary as the Outreach Director of the No on 16 Campaign, speaking about the importance of coalition building outside just the Asian community, as he has shown with the ability to draw a multicultural crowd from white, African American and Hispanic leaders dedicated to meritocracy. These were leaders pivotal in the campaign to create a community groundswell against Prop 16, which would not have won without the support of Latinos and Blacks, who supported No on 16 heavily. Ward Connerly, an African American former UC regent, spoke about the overall movement and his many years fighting different affirmative action attempts in California since Prop 209 passed in 1996. He was also joined by UCLA Professor Matt Malkan, a veteran in the fight against more than 4 attempts to re-institute race based preferences since 1996. Betty Tom Chu, the former Mayor of Monterey Park, the first Chinese American woman in California to pass the BAR and the founder of East West Bank, a clear example of meritocratic success, spoke about the specific campaign and the importance of unity in a political movement. Wai Wah Chin, a New York leader in this fight, has recently been featured on national outlets for her strong rebuke against Critical Race Theory. Same can be said for Ying Ma, who is regularly featured on Fox News national, and was the Communications Director in the campaign, helping to shape an important narrative that included all Americans during the 2020 campaign. Student activists Clarissa Suwoko and Peter Cheng shared their perspectives especially with regard to their peer groups. Northern California grassroots leader Tony Guan gave a compelling presentation on the extent of his grassroots activities under “StopProp16” from car rallies to yard signs, uncoordinated with the main No on 16 campaign, a true sign of the impact of a decentralized effort that relied on a strong message that resonated beyond formal organizations and brought the power back to the people. Other speakers included former State Senate Minority Leader Bob Huff, with his wife Mei Mei, a community leader in her own right, in attendance. Denise Soto, AIB2B’s educational lead, is also leading a School Choice 2022 ballot initiative. She spoke about the importance of bringing taxpayer education dollars back to the citizens, and encouraged parents to homeschool for better quality education through a specific public school exit plan. For more information, watch the entire conference video or contact Marc Ang at 424-291-2102 or marc@aib2b.org. |