Jacobs, Future Forum Leaders Host AAPI Youth Centered Town Hall
The town hall was centered around Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth and Congressional efforts to tackle anti-Asian sentiments and violence
SAN DIEGO, CA – On Wednesday, March 24, 2021,Future Forum Vice Chair Sara Jacobs (CA-53) and members of the Future Forum Caucus hosted a virtual town hall centered around the experiences of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth. Vice Chair Jacobs and Future Forum members opened the event by speaking about Congressional actions to address the rising trend of anti-Asian violence in the United States, and Vice Chair Jacobs then moderated a conversation with AAPI leaders in San Diego.
"The violence we have read about in the news and have witnessed in our own communities is heartbreaking, it's enraging, and it's unacceptable," said Congresswoman Jacobs during her opening remarks. "I say it's a rising trend, because we have seen more and more accounts of this violence lately – but it's unfortunately not a new problem."
The town hall was the second in Future Forum's 2021 listening session series, part of the caucus' work to give youth a voice in Congress. San Diego County is home to more than 400,000 members of the AAPI community, many of whom live in Vice Chair Jacobs' district.
Participants included:
Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (CA-53), Vice Chair of Future Forum and Associate Member of CAPAC
Congressman Darren Soto (FL-09), Chair of Future Forum
Congresswoman Grace Meng (NY-06), Member of Future Forum and First Vice Chair of CAPAC
Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy (FL-07) (via pre-recorded video), Chair Emeritus of Future Forum and Executive Board Member of CAPAC
Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03) (via pre-recorded video), Member of Future Forum and Executive Board Member of CAPAC
Nancy Nguyen, Civic Engagement Community Organizer at the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA)
Brian Hu, Artistic Director at the Pacific Arts Movement
Andrea Baek, Student Filmmaker
Lainie Alfaro, Journalism Student at Point Loma Nazarene University and Member of the API Initiative
Maui Wabe, Student Organizer, Voices of the Filipino American Youth
Since its founding in 2015, Future Forum has visited more than 50 cities and met with thousands of young people. Members have used feedback collected from these listening sessions to introduce legislation and lead letters on issues such as gun violence, student loan debt and entrepreneurship.
A full video of the town hall can be found here.