Through Passion and Dedication: How the AAPI Democratic Club of San Diego Fights for Democracy10/20/2024 Afina Chenmei Liang (Editor's note: Afina Chenmei Liang is a high school student from the Class of 2026 at The Canyon Crest Academy. Afina is a recipient of 2024 API Internship in Journalism. ) SAN DIEGO — “I always kind of joke that I want someone to take my job. Ideally, in my mind, a young woman. I think we in our community need to elevate women a lot better than we do right now,” said Indroneal Banerjee when asked about how he thinks of his position as the president of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Democratic Club of San Diego County. Banerjee is no doubt a busy individual, responsible for caring for his family and elderly parents every day in addition to his volunteer position as the president of the AAPI Democratic Club, the San Diego County Democratic Party’s AAPI affinity group. What keeps him going might be his passion for democracy and hope for this country. The AAPI Democratic Club of San Diego was founded in 2013 with a mission to cultivate Asian leadership and advocate on issues pertinent to AAPI families. In 2023, the AAPI population was over 13 percent of San Diego County’s total population. As the Asian population has increased, so too has the need for representation.
Over the years, the AAPI Democratic Club has supported and endorsed candidates such as Kent Lee for San Diego City Council in 2022 and John Chiang for California governor in 2018. In this election cycle, the club is endorsing new candidates such as Darshana Patel for California State Assembly and Genevieve Suzuki for La Mesa City Council. Both Patel and Suzuki, according to Banerjee, are accomplished women who have the potential to be amazing future leaders for San Diego. By endorsing women and new voices in San Diego, Banerjee hopes to promote what he calls a “buyer mentality.” “If you rent something, you are not gonna go fix the plumbing or wires. You call somebody to do that,” Banerjee said. A buyer mentality, on the other hand, encourages the constituents themselves to fix the problems. To Banerjee, if everyone can feel like they own this country, then they would be more incentivized to participate. Just as democracy must tolerate different opinions, the AAPI Democratic Club contains a multitude of outlooks, particularly sometimes between the younger and older members, according to Banerjee. During endorsement discussions, Banerjee acts as “the dude in the chair who is doing the job.” Candidates pitch themselves in front of club members and answer questions. If the candidate gets more than 60 percent of the votes, they are endorsed. At the end of the day, it’s not Banerjee’s club but the members’ club. Banerjee cites a sense of community and openness as something that pushes that club forward; it’s really about people who are passionate about democracy. When asked how Banerjee is motivated to do this work, he spoke about the emotions he felt when seeing his parents and wife vote for the first time. Banerjee’s wife is an immigrant from South Africa, whose first election was in 2008. “She would ask me, ‘Do I get into any trouble if I fill the ballot wrong?’” Banerjee said, explaining his wife’s nerves as a first-time voter. When someone at the polling center asked if it was anyone’s first time voting, Banerjee proudly announced his wife, prompting everyone to cheer for her as she walked to submit her ballot. Banerjee’s parents, meanwhile, are immigrants who came to America “with 600 bucks and a suitcase.” In them, he saw what America can be for those who fight hard to realize their American dream. He wants to continue that optimism and excitement to participate in democracy with future generations. Only a few years ago, the club only had around 30 members. Now, membership sits around 100. As the spokesperson for the club, Banerjee continues to work hard to rebuild and refresh the club with website updates and more events. And youth, to him, is a big key to the continued growth of civic engagement among AAPI communities—including registering (or pre-registering) to vote or going out to canvass for a local candidate. “We need to build the bench,” Banerjee said. “We want people to think that you own this country. We are part-owners of America, or of San Diego. We’re part of that class.”
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