A Korean-American zenith

By Andrew Hahm

This has been a watershed year for the Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.

In the past year, Asian-Americans became the fastest-growing minority group in America. Given the traditional underrepresentation of Asian-Americans in U.S. politics and society, it is incredibly significant that this milestone coincides with a historic presidential election that will have a profound impact on Korean-Americans across the nation.

This November, the Korean-American community needs to choose the best candidate to represent its unique needs and views in the Oval Office for the next four years. It isn’t much of a choice.

There is only one candidate who, throughout his career, has consistently supported and committed to Korean-Americans. During his first term as president, Barack Obama has set a historic precedent in making Asian-American issues a priority for his administration.

President Obama’s education policies have a direct impact on the Korean-American population. The DREAM Act, for instance, would have expedited the naturalization process for Korean immigrants who have worked towards getting an education in this country. When Congressional Republicans blocked passage of this legislation, President Obama signed an executive order allowing ``DREAMers” to apply for work permits.

An expansion of the Pell Grant program under the President’s direction will allow 40,000 low-income Asian-Americans to go to college by 2020, and close to 30,000 Asian-American children will be given access to early childhood education through the President’s support of the Head Start program. President Obama also added $50 million of funding to the Department of Education’s Asian-American, Native American and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions program, which provides grants to higher education institutions who serve the AAPI community.

The President has also supported the Asian-American community through his work to restore economic growth in America. Seven billion dollars in loans and seventeen different tax cuts were provided to Asian-American small business owners through the Recovery Act and the Small Jobs Act, respectively, and we now have better access to job and career training opportunities through Workforce Investment Act programs. Nearly 7.6 million AAPI workers will benefit from President Obama’s payroll tax cut as well.

Most importantly, President Obama ― more so than any other recent American president ― has made it a priority to make sure Asian-American voices are represented. He reestablished the White House Initiative on AAPIs and the President’s Advisory Commission on AAPIs, which have performed significant outreach to the AAPI community for participation in federal programs.

The President has increased the representation of Korean-Americans in his administration as well. Not only did he appoint Harold Koh to be the State Department’s top legal advisor and Sung Kim to be the first ethnically Korean U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, but he also nominated Jim Yong Kim, President of Dartmouth, to head the World Bank.

There is no question that a second term for President Obama would be a victory for the Korean-American community. Since there will be a very close election this fall, it is crucial that we throw our support behind the President who has done so much for our community.

The writer lives in Ramsey, N.J., the United States. His email address is hahm.andrew@gmail.com. Readers can get involved with the Obama campaign at www.BarackObama.com.