South Asian American Voting Youth, a new national non-profit, aims to change those statistics

According to U.S. Census 2000, there are over 1.9 million South Asians in this country (U.S. Census Bureau, “The Asian Population, 2000”); unofficial estimates run as high as 4 million. The U.S. Census also shows that the median age for this population is 29 years old, meaning that about half of the South Asian community falls under the heading of “youth.”

The South Asian community in this nation has become culturally strong. Yet, we have taken little initiative in influencing local or national American politics or in civic participation. Studies show that little over 50% of the community is eligible to register to vote, and only 30% of the community voted in the presidential elections (Indian American Center for Political Awareness, “Indian American Political Participation”). Statistics for youth voting can be found only in the broader Asian American category. In the past ten years, Asian Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 years registered to vote dropped drastically, from 50% in 1990 to only 35% in 2000, which is far lower then any other minority, according to a study by CIRCLE (The Center for Research, Civic Learning and Engagement, “Civic Engagement Among Minority Youth.”). We can conclude that South Asian American youth fall into a bracket of those highly disengaged from political participation.

South Asian American Voting Youth, a new national non-profit, aims to change those statistics. Our steering committee is a national collective of young grassroots organizers that that are committed to supporting the next wave of youth into becoming successful organizers and creating a political impact that will make our South Asian American voices heard. With our roots deeply embedded in the progressive movement, we have the skills, resources, and networks to support South Asian American 18-25yr olds in their grassroots organizing efforts. The mission for SAAVY is to empower South Asian American youth to present a unified voice and create a voting bloc that will allow South Asian American issues to be pushed to the forefront of American politics. Though the important tactic here is getting youth to vote, the overall vision is to educate, organize and mobilize South Asian youth to create a national united progressive voice and increase political participation as well as civic engagement.

Why voting? At SAAVY we believe that there are two things that the people in power pay attention to: the power of money and the power of the vote. We need to do everything possible to influence our power of vote. Youth voting isn’t just about getting more votes to the poll. It’s about shifting the political paradigm that stifles our voices from being heard. It’s about organizing, and mobilizing to create a united voice and increase political participation. It’s about showing that we have that united power to create the voting bloc and influence the powers that may be, through voting, but also through petitions, bird-dogging, letters to editors and rallies. For example, if the South Asian American had only been able to unite and represent their power in the post 9/11 backlash, especially with the Patriot Act, we could have avoided discrimination that today affects us.

Why are we focused on South Asian American youth? Only about 50% of the South Asian community has the citizenship required to vote. But the increasing numbers of South Asian youth do have this power of citizenship and are, in essence, the greatest political force the South Asian community has to mobilize their issues to the forefront of politics.

What are South Asian issues in the United States? Little research has been done to identify issues that concern South Asian youth. Indications are that affirmative action, increasing cost of education, and hate crimes are at the top of the list of 18-25 yr old South Asians. Issues that interest the older generation differ from those that interest the youth. SAAVY will not advocate any particular issues, instead, we will research what issues affect South Asian youth and develop trainings, resource and campaigns around those issues.

SAAVY’s campaign is well under way. This March at Project Democracy, an alternative spring break to train youth in civic engagement in Florida, SAAVY will host a South Asian Caucus. We are recruiting 25 youth across the country to be trained hands-on in voter outreach in the South Asian community. Afterwards, our core group of trained youth will create mobilization efforts in their community. SAAVY will provide trainings and resources to support these efforts. Our core campaign for 2004 will be the Vote SAAVY Campaign, an effort to increase voter registration, mobilization and turnout all across the nation. By the 2004 election, our goal is to train a total of 300 South Asian youth across the country, and have an impact in 20 South Asian campus/communities, and achieving out end goal of increasing voter turnout by 6,000 in South Asian communities across the country. SAAVY is also creating the SAAVY Youth Network, a free national network to connect South Asian youth with all the resources of the progressive movement, as well as with each other. SAAVY will also network youth with affiliate organizations that are already working on campaigns they are interested in such affirmative action, hate crimes, and environmental justice. Finally, SAAVY has a network of skilled trainers all across the nation that can help youth groups maximize there organizing potential trainings, in coalition building, strategic planning, volunteer recruitment, to the Vote SAAVY Campaign. Our long-term goal is to fill the niche as the progressive national South Asian youth organization long after the elections.

Does this effort sound like something you’d like to get involved in? If joining the SAAVY fight is something you’d be interested in, please check out www.saavy.org, and e-mail taz@saavy.org. SAAVY is a project of the South Asian American Leaders for Tomorrow.

Tanzila “Taz” Ahmed