Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Political group catering to Asian, Pacific Islander population launches in Las Vegas

As one of Las Vegas’ fastest growing minority demographics, the Asian and Pacific Islander population has stronger potential than ever in affecting positive change in government, speakers from a national organization said Saturday.

“With numbers there’s strength, and this is a golden opportunity for us to work together,” said C.C. Yin, chairman and founder of the California-based Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association.

Yin was one of several leaders of the national organization in Las Vegas on Saturday for the grand opening of the Nevada chapter of the organization, abbreviated as APAPA. A group of about 100 people in attendance at a Chinatown office, 5115 Spring Mountain Rd., including business leaders and leaders of various Asian American and Pacific Islander organizations across the Las Vegas Valley, were joined by representatives from the offices of U.S. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Dean Heller, R-Nev., as well as U.S. Reps. Dina Titus. D-Nev., and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev. It is the organization’s 23rd office to open across the country.

The combined Asian and Pacific Islander population increased from 7 to 8 percent of the overall population in Las Vegas from 2010 to 2013, and from 10 to 11 percent in Clark County, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. That means 220,000 to 240,000 people living in Clark County are of Asian or Pacific Island descent.

Yin said the Las Vegas branch organization will begin its community outreach by encouraging younger generations of Asians and Pacific Islanders to be politically involved on the local, state and federal levels. He argued that current numbers are not proportional to the general population.

“We want our future generations to contribute to better government,” he said. “Not just hard labor and technology.”

Also featured in Saturday’s 90-minute conference was former U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, who represented Nevada’s first congressional district from 1999 to 2013. Berkley, who is Jewish, spoke of the political power accumulated by that demographic – which makes up less than two percent of the U.S. population - through organizations that were “strong and united.” She argued the Asian and Pacific Islander communities could be equally as impactful when working together through organizations like APAPA.

“Take advantage of your numbers and your strength and your intellect” Berkley said. “It is our opportunity to make a difference where we can vote and we can be involved and we can influence policy.”