Twin Cities (July 11, 2018) — The coalition project Ignite Minnesota Asian Power (IMAP) will hold a kickoff event this Saturday and Sunday, July 14-15 at various locations in the St. Paul and Minneapolis.
IMAP was formed to increase voter participation and civic engagement in Asian communities in Minnesota with a goal to empower all Asian community members to engage in our democracy. The coalition is formed by Minnesota Civic Engagement Co-Conveners Asian American Organizing Project and CAPI-USA, and their 10 grantee partner organizations including Vietnamese Social Services, Karen Organization of Minnesota, Lao Assistance Center of Minnesota, Bhutanese Community of Minnesota, SEWA – AIFW (Asian Indian Family Wellness), Hmong Americans for Justice, Release MN8, St. Columba Church, Regional Tibetan Youth Council, Filipinx for Immigrant rights and Racial justice in Minnesota.
Asian Americans are 3.1 percent (about 300,000 people) of the Minnesota vote share and 1.9 percent of Asian voters overall have turned out to vote, according to data from MN State Voices. Asian voters, particularly Hmong, have turned out in high numbers to cast their votes at the polls in past elections. With Asian voters making up 3.1 percent of Minnesota’s Electorate, our vote collectively is powerful and considered a Voting Bloc. IMAP aims to close the 1.2 percent gap by registering 5,000 Asian eligible voters and turning out 10,000 Asian voters to the polls each year until 2020.
IMAP is organizing to mobilize a diverse coalition of Asian organizations across the Twin Cities. Its goal is to lead, engage and outreach their respective communities all year to increase participation and shape democracy to more effectively address community issues. IMAP is providing voter education and tools, access to resources and information and creating spaces to build community and awareness of candidates and issue-based advocacy focusing on immigration, education, jobs, healthcare, and LGBTQ rights.
IMAP will launch on Saturday, July 14th at various hotspot locations throughout the Twin Cities and will last throughout the weekend:
Saturday, July 14 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
● Dragon Boat Festival – Lake Phalen
● Rondo Plaza Grand Opening – 820 Concordia Ave.
● Sun Foods, St. Paul – 544 University Ave W
● Good Deal Oriental, Minneapolis – 1800 Lowry Ave. N
● Ha Tien, St. Paul – 353 University Ave W
● Hmong Village, St. Paul – 1001 Johnson Pkwy
● Dragon Star, St. Paul – 633 Minnehaha Ave W
● Church of St. Columba Festival, St. Paul
Sunday, July 15 from noon to 6 p.m.
● Twin Cities World Refugee Day – Loring Park
