AAPI Artists Hope Their Creations Spur Voter Turnout Through #VotingTogether Campaign

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 19, 2020

Media Contacts:
Bilen Mesfin Packwood, [email protected]

AAPI Artists Hope Their Creations Spur Voter Turnout Through #VotingTogether Campaign
Songs, Posters, Poems Videos Aimed at Powerful AAPI Voting Bloc

(LOS ANGELES)—Thirteen Asian American and Pacific Islander artists have created digital art pieces to encourage AAPI communities to vote ahead of November through a new cultural campaign launched by the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund.

The #VotingTogether campaign features poems, songs, posters, videos and other artwork to resonate with the growing AAPI voting bloc. The #VotingTogether Artist Open Call was produced in conjunction with the organization Culture Surge and will be available on the fund’s website and on Culture Surge’s content hub.

“Art is a powerful tool to move the hearts and minds of people to take action and turn out to vote between now and election day,” said Tanzila Ahmed, senior narrative specialist, AAPI Civic Engagement Fund. “When it comes to the electoral process, the Asian American and Pacific Islander community is often ignored and sidelined. AAPI communities specifically need artist symbols, music, and visuals that will move us both in-culture and in-language to go vote November 2020.”

The AAPI Civic Engagement Fund awarded $1,000 each to 13 artists for artwork that can be distributed digitally:

Annie Moua, Hmong. Guitarist and singer: Song is titled “Home for Everyone.”
Aparna Sindhoor, Indian, Pakistani. Dance theater/Physical theater: Dance is titled “The Vote Dance.”
Bianca Ng, Chinese. Artist: Poster is titled “Show up for Future Generations.”
Cindy Shih, Taiwanese. Artist: Daikon painting is titled “Cultivate, Take Root, VOTE, Grow Stronger.”
Hena Ashraf, Indian. Filmmaker: Video is titled “South Asians #Voting Together.”
Kim Dinh, Vietnamese. Graphic Designer/Illustrator: Poster is titled “Vote For Our Families’ Dignity, Unity, and Joy.”
Leilani Chan, Malaysian, Chinese, Hapa. Theater: Video is titled “Masters of the Currents Coconut Wireless: Voting Together.”
Madhavi Reddi, Indian. Filmmaker: Project is titled “#VotingTogether: Digital Scrapbook.”
Mai Do, Vietnamese. Poet: Poem is titled “My mother calls to remind me to vote.”
Ova Saopeg, Laotian. Theater: Video is titled “Green Thumb Refugees: Voting Together.”
Salvin Chahal, Indian. Filmmaker: Visual project is titled “The Sikh Vote.”
Sonia Rao, Indian. Musician: Song is titled “Louder.”
Tori Hong, Korean, Hmong. Graphic Designer: Digital illustration project is titled “Abolitionist Elder.”

The AAPI Civic Engagement Fund recently released a brief that shows AAPI voters are among the fastest growing voting bloc in the US, but many face issues casting ballots. AAPI voters who live in states with restrictive voting rules or who are not English-proficient often are discouraged from voting, and the pandemic has many concerned for their health if they go to a polling place.

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About the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund:

The AAPI Civic Engagement Fund fosters a culture of civic participation within AAPI communities by supporting the growth of AAPI groups as organizational movement and power building leaders that achieve specific policy, systems, and transformational change. For more information about the Fund, visit https://aapifund.org.