Legislator of the Year
Gene Wu
For anyone who has been paying attention, Representative Gene Wu was a force to be reckoned with this past legislative session. Not only were we so proud that he was the very first Asian American to serve as the Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair, Representative Wu and his staff were deeply engaged with the Asian American community - showing up to town halls, rallies, and community events. He fought tirelessly against racist alien land law bills, the privatization of public education, and discrimination against the LGBTQ community. Thank you, Rep. Wu!
worst legislators
Lois Kolkhorst & Cole Hefner
This award is being shared by the two officials who led the most egregious fight to disenfranchise Asian Texans. Senator Kolkhorst filed SB17 and Representative Hefner filed HB17 - both of which specifically target Asian Texans and seek to prohibit Chinese, Iranian, and others from being able to purchase property. Similar to the darkest parts of history like Chinese exclusion and Japanese American incarceration, these two officials sought to bring back racist and discriminatory legislation and were the worst of our state government.
most room for improvement
Angie Chen Button, Royce West, & Judith Zaffirini
It was hard for us to choose just one elected official for this award because we were disappointed by so many members of the legislature. As the only Asian woman in the Texas Legislature, Representative Angie Chen Button vocally voiced support for SB17, a racist bill against Asian Texans, rather than vote against it. Senators West and Zaffirini similarly voted in support of SB17 despite numerous community members reaching out with concerns of how Asian Texans will face racial profiling and discrimination if the bill were not amended. We hope that these three members will reflect on how they have failed Asian Texans and look to improve if they intend to earn our votes!
Freshman of the Year
Christian Manuel
A bright light this past legislative session was Representative Christian Manuel who represents the Beaumont and Port Author areas. Representative Manuel was one of the fiercest voices against SB17 during the House debate. He impressed us by his knowledge of the growing Asian American community in Texas but also by his deep understanding of Asian American history. He understands that our community has faced centuries of racism and discrimination and has shown that he is an ally to ensuring that we do not continue that legacy.