photo taken from: https://hhrecny.org/holocaust-human-rights-education-center-appoints-david-imamura-to-advisory-board/
On March 19th, 2023, Westchester welcomed a historic moment: the swearing in of Westchester’s very first Asian American legislator, David Imamura. It is to thundering applause and uncharted territory that he steps to the podium and proclaims: “While I may be the first Asian American county legislator, I promise I will not be the last.” He serves not only as an inspirational story, but as a role model who is continuing to make strides for Asian Americans.
Growing Up Asian American
David Imamura is no stranger to Westchester, as he reflected on his experience growing up in Irvington. Firstly, he spoke about the realizations of the privilege it is to live and grow up in this county. He saw many people graduate high school and pursue higher education, but didn’t know that 67% of Americans don’t have a college degree until later. Being involved in politics as a teenager helped him understand this. He saw the median income change from district to district, and the ability of the government to make a difference in people’s lives.
However, with his Asian American identity, he recalled wanting to not be Asian when he was younger. He noted that in his class of 120 students only 10 were Asian, causing him to feel like an outsider. While it didn’t affect him negatively, he often could sense a bias and stereotypes projected on him. He felt that he needed to be outgoing to combat stereotypes of Asian Americans, being shy and unfriendly. Most racism was experienced through microaggressions, a statement or action that contains subtle or unintentional discrimination against a marginalized group of people. He stated that most microaggressions he faced were usually out of ignorance rather than malice, something many of us can probably relate to.
Turning Points
Mr. Imamura recounted that leaving Westchester for college was the turning point in his journey of his identity as an Asian American, providing him with a new environment.
Starting in Dartmouth, his undergraduate class was thirty percent Asian American, a great increase in the demographics from Irvington. He became more aware of the presence of Asian Americans on campus, but did not actively participate in exploring his identity until attending Columbia Law School.
At Columbia, he organized an Asian American student law conference,and soon found himself pushed into a leadership position of an Asian Law Association, which is where his parents first met! He jokingly shared that he owes his life to this organization. While being thrust into this position, he came to many realizations about his identity, and grew into the role of a leader. First, looking back, he reflected on how idyllic his life back in Westchester felt, as he learned that Asian American do have definite needs and obstacles that they face. A specific example he came across was the “bamboo ceiling”, and the struggle that many Asian Americans face in the professional sphere as they are not taken seriously for leaders and executives.
As he grew up, he no longer found his identity as an Asian American as a burden. He became comfortable with himself and began to embrace it. After all, he was now in charge of representing the interests of Asian American Law students in New York.
While his experience of involvement within the Asian American community helped Mr. Imamura in his journey in politics, his interest in politics and legislation started much earlier. Right after college, when he was a paralegal, he was also locally involved in democratic campaigns. After law school, there was still a call for him to be involved from the Irvington Democratic Committee, now as the chair.
A huge opportunity fell into his hands when old connections secured him a great opportunity. When the New York State Independent Redistricting Commission was created, a former boss that he worked for as a junior in high school, who even wrote his college recommendation, apportioned him as a chair. This eventually gave him a great amount of credentials, as when the seat for the country legislature was vacated, he was able to run and win.
Works in Progress
While David Imamura has made undeniably large strides to further Asian representation, he’s well aware that many issues continue to persist and need to be addressed moving forward. One thing Mr. Imamura has noticed is that Asian hate has developed in recent years. In many large cities, Asians are often among those living in the highest poverty levels. Common obstacles are language barriers or a lack of government aid and infrastructure available. A large percentage of Asians in America cannot speak fluent English or do not know any English at all. This leaves them socially isolated and leaves them unable to seek aid or help.
There are safety and well-being concerns that need to be addressed and acknowledged as well. David Imamura draws on other instances from all across the United States, such as the tragic Atlanta shooting which took the lives of 6 innocent Asian women and stemmed from years of racism and discrimination. He wonders what the safety structure is in local cities and counties, such as Westchester. Are they enough?
As of right now, he would respond no, as he’s seen the same discouraging behavior in Westchester, stemming from ignorance and a lack of education around these topics. Mr. Imamura, along with many others, strongly believe that if the curriculum was expanded and more inclusive, that discrimination would lose its power. Yet the bill that mandates Asian American history in schools has been stuck for years, unable to pass with a lack of support. However, Mr. Imamura believes that through policy, action, and law, these issues can be fixed. This bill could completely change how we learn about AAPI education in our schools, and create a more full picture of American history.
Additionally, Mr. Imamura has recognized the crucial role that education and spreading awareness plays in normalizing Asian Americans as integral members of society. He is working to advocate for the inclusion of Asian American history into the curriculum of Westchester schools and pushing for more widespread recognition of Asian holidays, such as Lunar New Year. With these efforts, Mr. Imamura aims to contribute to breaking down the perception of Asian Americans and other minorities in America as "perpetual foreigners" and decrease the likelihood of future hate crimes.
Language barriers and social isolation are also a couple of critical issues for many Asian American residents -- in particular, the elderly. To combat this, Mr. Imamura is working to broaden the range of languages that are provided by government services and secure funding for Asian organizations, with the goal of promising that all residents, regardless of their proficiency in English, can access essential services and feel just as included in the community as everybody else.
“We are the ones we’ve been waiting for!”
With us, Mr. Imamura shared that change starts with us – the youth. Just like how he started his political journey, he encourages us to make our voices heard and to raise our hands. Mr. Imamura often tells kids, “it starts now.” Even though we can’t vote yet, Mr. Imamura understood our drive and passions to make the world a better place. Whether that’s through petitions or school, it’s never too early to start. He is living proof that anything can start at now and that our call to action can come later in life too. Sometimes, we feel our passions as we grow into our identity and experience the world first.
David Imamura actively encourages youth to be brave, confident, outgoing, passionate, and cooperative. “Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world.” In fact, it is the only thing that ever has. He encourages the youth to reach out and make the change they wish to see.
As he awaits for what the future holds, he leaves the youth with the wise words of June Jordan: “we are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”
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