(Crossposted at http://keithpr.com/archives/91) January 25, 2008 Senator Barack Obama has tried his best to keep this presidential campaign about change, hope and the promise of a more unified America. Unfortunately there are elements in this country that seem more intent on attack and division, forcing supporters like me to try and set the record straight. The political action committee called 80-20 has launched a vicious 'swiftboating' campaign against Sen. Obama because his campaign and that organization could not agree to a questionnaire about very narrow issues related to AAPIs. 80-20's claims that Obama does not support the Asian American Pacific Islander community is absurd, as one can see from the tremendous backing from AAPIs throughout the country (see below). For whatever good work 80-20 does, it cannot claim to represent the breadth and diversity of the AAPI community. I reject the notion that they do. By trying to represent us and swiftboating Obama, they in fact do an injustice to our communities and betray their own vision of progress through unity. Senator Obama comes down on the right side of all the major issues impacting AAPIs, including staunch support for the DREAM Act, comprehensive immigration reform that includes an emphasis on family unification and improvements to the H-1B visa program, greater investment in minority-owned small businesses, and an end to racial profiling and discrimination. Obama has the support of respected leaders such as Calif. Assemblyman Ted Lieu (chair of the API Legislative Caucus), former Calif. Assemblywoman Wilma Chan, San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris, San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi, attorney and civil rights activist Angela Oh, as well as endorsements by a new generation of AAPI officials, including Boston City Councilor Sam Yoon, and San Francisco school board members Kim, Mar and Mendoza. Other prominent supporters include actor Kal Penn, Center for Asian American Media executive director Eddie Wong, Joy Luck Club film producer Janet Yang and Los Angeles County Hospital and Healthcare Delivery Commission chairman Stanley Toy, who is also co-chair of Obama's AAPI National Leadership Council. Supporters in the Bay Area and in Los Angeles are throwing an event in each area to show the AAPI support for Sen. Obama. Actor Kelly Hu will headline a party for presidential candidate Barack Obama's Asian American Pacific Islander supporters in the Bay Area on Tuesday, January 29, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Roe Restaurant, 651 Howard St., San Francisco. The event is free. Hu joins San Francisco school board members Jane Kim, Eric Mar and Hydra Mendoza, filmmaker and Giant Robot's Catherine Park and organizers Keith Kamisugi, Brian Wang, Angelica Jongco, Stella Ngai, Jenn Pae, Colbert Tse and others as co-hosts of gathering. Like Hu, Senator Obama was born in Hawai'i, a state where Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders make up a significant portion of the population. As a child of a multi-racial, multi-ethnic family that included Asian Americans, Obama lived in Indonesia, sharing some of the same personal experiences that many Asian immigrants in the United States have also experienced before arriving on these shores. A video featuring Hu speaking about her support for Obama can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/UnitedForObama, a YouTube channel with videos produced by filmmakers Eric Byler and Annabel Park. "I am proud of the strong personal ties I have had with the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders communities that go back to my birth, and I am humbled to have the widespread support from these communities in my campaign," said Barack Obama. "Like most Americans, the AAPI community knows that with the great challenges facing our nation today, we need leadership that can unite us to bring change we can believe in." For more information on the SF event and to RSVP, visit http://kellyhu.apaforobama.com. Senator Obama has an AAPI website at http://aapi.barackobama.com. And AAPIs interested in supporting Obama can visit http://asianamericansforobama.com to learn how to get involved. Aloha, Keith Kamisugi