Ask most Americans to name a half-dozen famous Asian-Americans, and you’ll probably come up with a list that includes television news personality Connie Chung and fictional detective Charlie Chan. The young tennis star Michael Chang was briefly famous this spring; readers of the business pages would add An Wang to the list, while arts and architecture types would mention I. M. Pei, Yo Yo Ma, and Seiji Ozawa. A handful of politically active Californians might mention the state’s Secretary of State, March Fong Eu, onetime United States Senator S. I. Hayakawa, and Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Woo. But in any case, the lists will be short.
That may change in the next few years as demographers and political analysts focus on the increased importance of Americans of Asian descent. Whether they have been involved in raising money for their favorite candidates or lobbying for particular pieces of legislation, Asian-Americans have demonstrated an ability to operate within the political system. The question is whether their political clout will ever reach its potential, as differences within the community and a surprisingly low level of electoral activity limit their impact.
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