RALEIGH, N.C. — Some Asian Americans in North Carolina are upset about a misleading mailer they received from a conservative group.
What You Need To Know
Some Asian Americans in North Carolina are upset after receiving a mailer from a conservative group
The mailer from America First Legal claims the president’s policies discriminate against whites and Asian Americans
According to a nonprofit group, a recent poll shows political parties in the state have only reached 39% of Asian Americans
The mailers claim President Joe Biden’s policies aim to discriminate against whites and Asian Americans.
The postage states it was paid by conservative group America First Legal, which is led by President Donald Trump’s former senior adviser, Stephen Miller.
One of the quotes of the mailer reads: “Joe Biden and left-wing officials are engaged in widespread racial discrimination against white and Asian Americans even though it is against the law.”
The mailer has headlines from articles in Newsweek, Fox Business, Daily Wire, The Washington Free Beacon, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Examiner aimed at proving its point of view.
Su Cho, a North Carolina native of Korean heritage, received the mailer earlier this week.
“This is disinformation and harmful information,” Cho said. “It’s designed to pit Asian Americans against other communities of color. And as Asian American, I just don’t support that at all, and I don’t stand for that sort of messaging.”
She’s the data coordinator of a nonprofit and nonpartisan group called North Carolina Asian Americans Together, which aims to increase Asian American voter turnout. The organization, based in Raleigh, aims to provide voter education and information in English and five Asian languages.
Cho said the mailer from America First Legal is one of the few she’s received.
“We are a fast growing community in North Carolina, and we have a lot of political power, and maybe I think they are starting to realize that and also try to influence our vote in ways that are not truthful and, to be direct, pretty racist,” Cho said.
NCAAT executive director Chavi Khanna Koneru's father received a mailer from the conservative group, which she said shows Asian Americans from different generations, affiliations and ethnic groups are receiving them.
She said she feels the mailer is an effort to suppress the vote and voice of Asian Americans.
“The reason this is concerning is Asian Americans are not receiving many pieces of political mail. We’re not receiving text messages or information about the election so when we do get a piece of mail targeted toward us, we don’t want people to believe it,” Khanna Koneru said.
According to the 2020 U.S. census, 3% of North Carolinians identified as Asian alone, which is a 64% growth since the 2010 census.
However, a recent poll from NCAAT and UC San Diego’s U.S. Immigration Policy Center revealed only 39% of Asian American and Pacific Islander voters had been contacted by either political party.
Vincent Vu, who is a U.S. Army veteran, said his family received generic pamphlets and texts from Democratic candidates. However, he wished to have received information that mentioned issues important to the Asian American community, including preventing violence against Asian Americans and increasing access to health care.
“I think it would make the voter feel seen. I think it would make the voter feel their opinions are heard. I think it would definitely tilt you know the voters' minds toward whichever candidate is addressing their needs, which is what democracy is,” Vu said.
As of Friday, Spectrum News 1 had not received a response from the Democratic and Republican parties of North Carolina about Asian American outreach.
Vu's parents, who are Vietnamese, also received a mailer from America First Legal, which he doesn’t believe had positive intentions.
Vu, Cho and Khanna Koneru said their best advice is for people to go to the polls.
“Voting is the only way that you as an individual citizen can directly influence leaders and your government,” Vu said.
Spectrum News 1 reached out to American First Legal about sending the mailer but has not received a response as of Friday.