Ding Ding TV report from the Asian American and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus’ Lunar New Year celebration
On February 15th, the Asian American and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus (the AAPILC) hosted a Lunar New Year event to celebrate new official state holiday in California. California Governor Gavin Newsom and the First Partner were in attendance, together with the members of the AAPILC. Also in attendance were numerous elected officials and prominent community leaders from the Californian Asian American and Pacific Islander community and other ethnic communities. Diana WeiPing Ding (the Founder and CEO of Ding Ding TV) attended the event.
Lunar New Year is celebrated by millions of people globally and over two million in California. California is also the first state in the country to recognize Lunar New Year as a state holiday.
At the event, Assemblymember Evan Low spoke about how the mission of the AAPILC is to uplift Asian American and Pacific Islander community members. He said: “We are making sure we have representation on corporate boards, that we are visible in Hollywood and entertainment, making sure we have adequate representation at the bench. That is what we are advocating for – to make sure each one of us is seen, heard, and not invisible.”
When introducing Governor Newsom, Low said he was the one who signed the bill that recognized Lunar New Year as a state holiday making California the first state in the nation to do so. When speaking about Governor Newsom, Low said: “He sees us, he hears us, he is with us.”
Addressing the crowd, Governor Newsom said: “At a time when you are seeing states no longer believing in diversity, no longer believing in inclusion, no longer believe it is appropriate to talk about equity, here we are standing in stark contrast as a state that not only recognizes those principles but understands the strength that diversity provides us and understands the essential nature of recognizing our differences but uniting around the things that bind us together. We are all better off… when we are all better off.”
Governor Newsom also concluded he is not naive to think everyone feels that way. He stated: “We are continuing to address the injustice head-on, but none came in more stark contrast in the last few weeks after the shooting in Monterey Park. The injustice of gun violence which does not exist anywhere else in the world except in the United States.” He spoke about visiting the victims and families of the victims of the mass shootings in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay.
Governor Newsom said: “We are starting to come to grips with, address and reconcile the fact we are still coming short in terms of immigrants coming here for riches and new beginnings, who are not only being underserved but being completely misserved, misrepresented and exploited.”
Governor Newsom emphasized Californians are on a journey and referenced 1875., the time when xenophobia nativism raised its ugly head and California denied women the right to emigrate from China. Likewise, he spoke about the Workingmen’s Party of California (founded in 1877.) and its founder Denis Kearney, who started and ended each speech by saying. “Whatever else we must do, the Chinese must go.”
Governor Newsom said: “We are making up for that… It is not only the spirit of reconciliation, but of responsibility to lead, to acknowledge the past, to meet the moment today, and set the course for tomorrow. I could not be more proud to represent not only you but the largest Asian population of any state in America.”
When speaking about the Anti-Asian hate crimes, Governor Newsom commended the work of the AAPILC by saying: “All this rising hate, stress that has been stacked over the course of the last few years, I also couldn’t be more proud to work with men and women behind me. They not only have your back, but last year came in the legislative session and invested $165 million to stand up and call out this hate and begin to address the issues at the bottom-up level and in a culturally appropriate way as manifested in every part of this state.”