May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and an opportunity to reflect on underrepresentation of AAPI people in media depictions of the Midwest, most recently ignited by Yao and Li Jun Li's performances in Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" (2025).
Despite existing in the Midwest for hundreds of years, Asian American Midwesterners are broadly invisible, and our stories are severely underrepresented. Today, Asian Americans and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders are two of the Midwest’s fastest growing racial groups (Asian Americans Advancing Justice, 2012). We’ve been here, you just might not have known.
There are historical implications we can look at that point to some of the systemic reasons as to why Asian American representation is lacking in Kansas. The 1886 Chinese Ouster Attempt in Wichita illustrates the nationwide outlook on Asian immigrants at the time. In 1886, amid a national wave of anti-Chinese sentiment and “Yellow Peril”, the city of Wichita attempted to oust their local Chinese community members through boycotts, retaliatory journalism, and even violence. Despite it all, the small Chinese community in Wichita, Kansas continued to expand their communities and businesses: “The Chinese of Wichita, no matter how much of a perceived threat, did not ‘go away.’ The number of Chinese laundries actually increased to twelve in the 1887 city directory listings following the boycott and intimidation attempts.” (Julia Courtwright, “A Slave to Yellow Peril: The 1886 Chinese Ouster Attempt in Wichita, Kansas”, 2002). The active and growing Chinese population in Wichita, Kansas coupled with the instatement of organizations like the Wichita Chinese Association and the Wichita Asian Association reflect the resiliency of Asian American Midwesterners' ability to not only survive, but thrive despite hate, racism, and xenophobia.
Asian Americans have hundreds of years of experience living in the Midwest, yet disparities continue to persist when it comes to accurately reflecting the realities of the Asian American Midwest experience. Asian Americans are the least likely to fill out their census form and are most concerned their answers will be used against them. Largely due to language barriers, distrust in government and technology, and fears regarding anti-immigrant agendas getting ahold of private personal information, Asian American communities especially in the Midwest have a long history of examples to feel distrust in major institutions. Disparities in census data directly affect how billions of dollars in federal funding are dispersed and who/where gets translated voting materials, and “the more accurately that we can describe the need of our community ... the better we’re able to access the dollars that we need” (Chris Fuchs, "For Asian Americans in the Midwest, the census is a new — and difficult — challenge", 2019). The palpable fears of Asian Americans in the Midwest that persist today are obstacles that threaten to stifle the free expression of our communities in the media. The impact of our presence in census data directly affects how our voices are heard at the polls, or how our faces are seen in media on our screens.
"There’s a very narrow view of who/where Asian Americans are allowed to be, and it is typically believed to be completely isolated from the standard Midwest experience. But our history is your history. Asian Americans have been in Kansas helping to build and strengthening our communities for hundreds of years. My hope is that we begin to see more Asian American stories come to the forefront as we continue to live and thrive in the Midwest."
Special thanks to artist Thepy Chanthalangsy for partnering with us on this project.
Date
Thursday, May 29, 2025 - 2:00pm
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Alina Matejkowski
With so many organizations clamoring for my time and money following the disastrous 2024 election, I ultimately chose to focus the bulk of my effort with the ACLU of Kansas Beehive. I care deeply about what is happening nationally, but I also believe that ACLU of Kansas’s focus on winnable objectives at the state and local levels provides the best opportunity to have an effect that will ripple outward.
I was fortunate to be raised by parents who believed in inclusivity and fairness. My mom, after witnessing the collateral effects of racism as a child, especially wanted a better world for my siblings and me. My eighth grade social studies teacher used a wide variety of materials to help us learn the historical implications of social injustice. Thanks to their influence, I have been involved with social justice organizations since my late teens.
After the 2016 election my efforts were almost always reactive and fueled by rage and despair. I attended a lot of protests, wrote to my senators and U. S. representative, and spent too much time on social media. I cheered the ACLU of Kansas as they fought voter suppression by our then Secretary of State, but I limited my involvement to making small financial contributions. I also attended Election Protection training but didn't commit to serve at a polling place.
Around the 2024 election, I was feeling nervous but energized. I took a shift as an Election Protection monitor and actually enjoyed greeting voters. Near the end of my shift, I was able to assist a voter who had moved to another city within the same county during the past year and was only allowed to cast a provisional ballot. I identified myself as a volunteer for the ACLU and felt proud when she confirmed that our purpose was to make sure eligible people were allowed to vote.
On November 6, I felt furious, disheartened, and physically ill. I knew I couldn’t spend the next four years sustaining the rage-fueled, scattershot approach I’d taken eight years ago but I also knew that sitting out wasn’t an option. With some reluctance, I attended an online meeting to learn about the ACLU of Kansas's Firewall for Freedom and was intrigued by their proactive approach of targeting key counties with winnable objectives which, if won, will make life better for all Kansans. I was nervous when asked to meet with my County Commissioner on expanding language access at the polls, but the values of fairness and inclusivity my parents instilled made me push past my discomfort. When my County Commissioner didn’t respond to my email, I sent a second one, followed by a voicemail, which finally resulted in an in-person meeting scheduled for later this month.
One of my proudest moments as a Kansan was in August 2022, when the Vote NO campaign to protect abortion rights succeeded beyond my wildest dreams. Looking ahead, I’m hopeful that the 2026 Vote NO campaign regarding the judicial selection amendment will restore the same hope and pride back to our state.
Date
Monday, May 12, 2025 - 10:45am
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While the 2025 Kansas Legislative Session has officially come to an end, we know that the fight to protect civil liberties in Kansas is not over. President Trump has repeatedly pledged to pursue an agenda of extreme attacks on our constitutional rights, targeting democracy, immigrants, reproductive freedom, LGBTQ+ equality, and anyone he perceived as a political opponent — and now his administration is carrying that agenda out.
Many of us are feeling overwhelmed and unsure of what to do right now — and understandably so. But we can all do one thing today, together. Take action to build local power through a Firewall for Freedom on the state level.
We have three core strategies for building resilience against fascism and anti-civil liberties policies in the Free State:
1. WIN PROACTIVE VICTORIES FOR VOTING RIGHTS AND REFORM OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM IN KEY CITIES AND COUNTIES THAT ARE SUPPORTIVE OF CIVIL LIBERTIES.
Despite the pause on our policy channels for legislative advocacy, there is still ample opportunity to take action to defend civil liberties in Kansas. Learn more about our multiple ongoing fights aimed at expanding voting rights and reforming our broken criminal legal system:
2. MOBILIZE THE MASS MOVEMENT OF KANSANS WHO OPPOSE EXTREMISM TO BLOCK STATE LEGISLATIVE ATTACKS ON OUR RIGHTS AND OUR DEMOCRACY.
Find your political home by joining our beehive volunteer program where we mobilize Kansans across the state to tap into the power of their community. We believe, in order to make a concrete impact in our communities for voting rights and criminal legal reform, we must mobilize thousands of Kansans and invite them into the movement. The Beehive is the how. Visit our Take Action page and click the Take Action link to sign up TODAY!
3. USE LEGAL ADVOCACY TO RESIST TRUMP AND KOBACH’S UNCONSTITUTIONAL POLICIES IN KANSAS.
In the first Trump administration, the ACLU filed 250 lawsuits against anti-civil liberties practices. We’re already on our way this second time around, with new lawsuits being filed constantly in response to the onslaught of attacks against our civil rights. You can stay up to date with our ongoing lawsuits against anti-civil liberties attacks in the state by visiting our Cases page.
While our legislative channels for advocacy are on pause for now, there is still the opportunity and necessity for preemptive defense building. By developing a strong firewall for freedom in our state, we will both respond to this moment in our nation’s history and create the conditions for a freer and more just Kansas.
Date
Tuesday, April 22, 2025 - 2:45pm
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