skip to content
Primary navigation
Feature image for Past Council Events

Past Council Events

The Council hosts unique events each year aimed at helping us carry out our statutory duties on an as-needed-basis.

Inaugural Conversation with the MN Asian Pacific Caucus

2/3/2021 5:00:50 PM

2020-2-11 MAP Caucus conversation member imageThe 2021 state legislative session is now well underway, with leaders in state government taking up issues that will impact our communities for years to come. Among the key decisions that will be taken up by the Legislature this year: Addressing the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic; instilling racial equity into the work and policies of government; and setting the state’s budget for the next two years. The budget will lay the blueprint for the services and moral priorities of our state for the next two years, making this session highly important. These are critical decisions; yet, due to COVID-19 restrictions, Minnesotans will not be able to engage in the policy-making process as they have in previous years.
 
It is in this context that the Council will convene the first of a planned series of conversations with the Minnesota Asian Pacific (MAP) Caucus on Thursday, February 11 to discuss the work of the Legislature, the growing leadership profile of Asian Pacific Minnesotans, and the critical issues facing our communities. We will be joined in this first conversation by MAP Caucus Chair Rep. Tou Xiong (53A), MAP Caucus Vice Chair Rep. Kaohly Her (64A), and Rep. Fue Lee (59A). The conversation will be moderated by Council Board member and member of the Board’s Special Projects Committee Saraswati Singh.
 
This conversation will take place on Thursday, February 11, 2021 from 12:00 P.M. to 1:00 P.M., and will be held online via WebEx and streamed on the Council’s Facebook page. To learn more about event and follow the latest updates, please go to our Facebook event page.
 
The MAP Caucus is comprised of legislators of API heritage who have committed to advocating for the interests of the diverse Asian Pacific communities throughout Minnesota and working to increase these communities’ participation and representation in state government. The MAP Caucus consists of Caucus Chair Rep. Tou Xiong (53A), Caucus Vice Chair Rep. Kaohly Her (64A), Senator Foung Hawj (67), Rep. Samantha Vang (40B), Rep. Fue Lee (59A), and Rep. Jay Xiong (67B).
 
These conversations will form a core piece of our continuous engagement strategy throughout the 2021 legislative session. This kind of constant engagement, both with the Council and directly with legislators, is more important than ever as the work of our representatives remains remote during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For our democracy to fulfill its meaning, it is important that we take ownership in the process to engage in the policy-making process, even when the barriers are higher than ever before. It is our hope that these conversations will provide crucial insight into the ongoing work of the Legislature, and uplift and celebrate the increasingly important role that Asian Pacific Minnesotans play in guiding not only our own communities, but the state as a whole.
 
Community members are encouraged to submit questions both during the conversation and in advance. Please contact Andrew Morris, andrew.morris@state.mn.us, with questions about the February 11 conversation or to submit questions for discussion during the conversation.
 
We hope you will join us.
back to top