City Council Member Linda Lee, the author (photo: Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit)

Despite being the fastest-growing immigrant group within New York City, the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community still severely lacks representation in government. In New York City, only 5% of my fellow City Council Members identify as AAPI, while none of our citywide electeds do. The population of Asian residents increased by 7% since 2010, but we haven’t seen a proportional increase in representation in the City Council, especially when it comes to AAPI women. While we did achieve greater representation in 2021, that cannot be the ceiling, but rather the foundation on which we build. 

Not only are we a growing demographic group, but across all five boroughs we are reshaping New York’s socioeconomic landscape, generating nearly $121 billion in economic activity, and contributing to our city’s rich cultural fabric.

Our communities need adequate representation, now more than ever. Anti-Asian hate continues to threaten our communities. In 2021, hate crimes against Asian American adults increased by 361%, according to NYPD data. Meanwhile, we face persistently high poverty levels and research from the Asian American Federation finds that roughly 30% of the AAPI community is rent-burdened, driving severe overcrowding in AAPI households.  

If we want to address these issues, it’s incumbent upon us to platform and support candidates that deeply understand our communities. On practically every level of government, AAPI women are still vastly underrepresented. We hold elected office at lower rates than Asian American men and make up only 1% of state legislatures, according to the Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics. 

As an AAPI woman running for re-election, I am fearlessly committed to tackling the socioeconomic issues my community is facing head on, but I can’t do it alone. We need to make a real, coordinated effort to get more AAPI women elected. 

The New Majority NYC (formerly 21 in ‘21) has invested resources and built networks for AAPI candidates like myself, actively working to dismantle the existing power structures that overwhelmingly still benefit white male candidates. The organization has a history of upending the status quo, and this year, through investing in my candidacy and seven more AAPI women candidates across five districts, they are refusing to squander the opportunity to ensure that New York City Council Districts that are majority-AAPI are represented by AAPI women.

And they’re using ranked-choice endorsements to make that happen. Ranked-choice voting has virtually eliminated the vote-splitting that disproportionately harms candidates of color. Through utilizing ranked-choice endorsements, The New Majority NYC supports a continued commitment to electing candidates that reflect the diversity of their communities. 

The New Majority NYC’s endorsement and support made a major difference in my first race, in 2021, when the organization also helped elect the Council’s first-ever women majority. Through their support petitioning to get on the ballot and connecting me with mentors, voters, donors, and networks, they helped dismantle the barriers that so many AAPI women running for office traditionally face. 

As the AAPI community continues to grow, in our city and across the country, it’s clear that our communities deserve a voice across all levels of government. New York has the opportunity to be a leader in AAPI representation in government and be an example for our nation in truly diverse representation. 

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City Council Member Linda Lee represents parts of Eastern Queens. On Twitter @LindaLeeforNYC.