Subject: For approval: AAPI heritage month video script
From: "Christopher, Rebecca" <[email-masked]>
To: Video-Vetting_d <[email-masked]>
Cc: "Bagchi, K.J." <[email-masked]>, "Wei, Shu-Yen" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2016 16:44:42 -0700

Hi everyone,

Below is a script that we would like to film some of our AAPI congressmen reading, as a long feature for a meeting here at the DNC kicking off AAPI Heritage Month. Please let me know if you have any edits or flags:

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AAPI HERITAGE MONTH KICKOFF

For generations, the Asian American and Pacific Islander community has played an important role in the work to make this country a better place.

We have fought on the front lines of social and structural change, left behind great achievements, and changed the way our nation looks and works... From Chinese laborers who built the transcontinental railroad, to Filipino farm workers who led the fight for equitable wages, to a Sikh American and a Japanese American who challenged our country’s unjust and unfair laws, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made our nation more fair, more vibrant, and more great.

In May, we celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month not only to recognize those achievements, but to remember the struggles our community has faced throughout a long history of injustice and incredible odds, and to look forward to our next great accomplishments — from business and the arts, to civic engagement and public service.

Our stories showcase our country’s rich immigrant heritage and the diversity of our communities. Stories like Dalip Singh Saund's, about successfully petitioning for a law that allowed Filipino and Indian immigrants to become naturalized citizens. Saund then became a citizen himself, and later the first Asian American member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Or stories like Fred Korematsu’s, a civil rights hero who challenged the unjust incarceration that he and over 120,000 Japanese Americans faced during World War II. He taught us that wartime hysteria, prejudice, and a lack of accountability can produce dangerous results. His important efforts were only fully recognized decades later, culminating in him earning the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

AAPI stories are American stories. We are like every other American community: enriched by our immigrant heritage, but immersed in moving our country forward for all of our families and strongly confident in the power of the American Dream.

As Democrats, we are proud to represent a party that stands up for community values and promotes policies that will help all of us, whether that means growing jobs, investing in higher education affordability, fighting for comprehensive immigration reform, or protecting birthright citizenship. And we want to make sure that the progress made under President Obama continues beyond this year. As the fastest growing racial group in the United States, and the largest wave of new immigrants to our country, we know we will play an integral role in shaping our nation’s future.

This month is also an exciting time to celebrate our vibrant and diverse pipeline of up and coming leaders across the country, as the level of civic engagement in our community has increased throughout the years. Today, AAPI leaders serve in local and state legislatures across the nation -- in areas that range from low to high AAPI populations. These officials are spearheading change and connecting with their constituents on issues that include and reach beyond the AAPI community -- we are proud to help broaden the network of AAPI elected officials.

Given all this, we celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with our remarkable history in mind, and in the hope that we will continue to fight for an America that we can all be proud of.