Axios
AAPI-elected officials make up 0.9% of US leaders elected, research shows
Reproduction from the campaign for reflective democracy; Graphic: Axios VisualsAsian American and Pacific Islander elected officials make up just 0.9% of elected leaders in the US, although AAPIs make up 6.1% of the population. This emerges from a report by the Reflective Democracy Campaign published on Tuesday. Why It Matters: The report comes amid growing calls for greater visibility from the AAPI after two mass shootings that killed East Asian women and Sikh Americans. The country has also seen a year-long surge in anti-Asian incidents. With Axios Markets, you get market news that is worthy of your time. Subscribe for free. Asians are the fastest growing racial group in the US and are expected to be the largest immigrant group by 2055. Without proper representation, governments cannot provide vulnerable AAPIs with the cultural literacy and language access they need Figures: The report, based on May 2020 data, found that AAPIs make up … 2.8% of elected officials in the federal government . 1.6% of elected officials in statewide positions. 2.1% of elected officials in state legislatures. 0.5% of elected officials in statewide positions. 2.4% of elected officials in city-wide positions. Most states with significant AAPI populations have “serious deficiencies” in the political representation of the AAPI, according to the report. Hawaii is the only state whose share of AAPI-elected officials approaches its share of the AAPI’s overall crisis, “the report found. AAPIs account for just 0.24% of elected prosecutors and 0.07% of county sheriffs That is two AAPI sheriffs among the country’s 3,035 sheriffs. AAPIs incarcerated are often classified as “others” which is helping to eradicate them, even though native Hawaiians and Pacific islanders in Hawaii are reportedly incarcerated at four times the rate of white people : The US banned AAPIs from politics for centuries The big picture: Despite President Biden’s promise to appoint the most diverse cabinet in US history, it is the first in 20 years without an AAPI secretary Last month Erika Moritsugu became Deputy Assistant to the President and AAPI’s Liaison. Conclusion: “The people who make the political Making and executing decisions that affect AAPI communities do not reflect them, “said Premal Dharia, executive director of Harvard Law School’s Institute for Ending Mass Detention under the Reflective Democracy Campaign. “It is imperative that this change.” Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.