[Rep. Marilyn Strickland]
At AAJA Convention to Journalists
The diaspora should be comprehensive and flexible
Concerns over Supreme Court ruling siding with Trump
“It’s important to represent identity, but it’s more important to actually fight for the community.”
U.S. Representative Marilyn Strickland (Democrat, Washington 10th District) emphasized the importance of action to Asian journalists.
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At the “2025 AAJA Annual Convention” hosted by the Association of Asian American Journalists (AAJA), which ended on the 3rd, Strickland said, “Representation itself is important for the minority community to grow its presence in the mainstream society, but beyond that, if we are to establish a sustainable position, we must act.”
Born to a black father and a Korean mother, Strickland is one of only three members of the U.S. Congress.
Congressman Strickland mentioned the inclusiveness of the diaspora at the convention, saying that the perception that race must be chosen as one must be changed.
“I don’t attend the two congresses and conclude that I am black or Asian,” he said, adding, “I always introduce myself as black and Korean.” He added, “I think the diaspora should be comprehensive and flexible.”
The political power of the Asia-Pacific community was also one of the key themes of the convention.
Member for Strickland stressed that the Asia-Pacific community is currently the fastest growing group of voters in the country.
“Voter turnout among Asian-Pacific voters is rising steeply in several states,” he said. “As such a phenomenon is seen in Nevada, a representative state, the Democratic Party is showing a tendency to gradually dominate recently.”
On the other hand, there were also questions about the background of Republican support in the Asia-Pacific community.
“When you ask Asian voters why they support the Republican Party, the answers are different,” Strickland said. “Age, business interests, differences in views on social policy, and complaints about immigration policy seem to work in combination.”
He added, “In particular, the first generation of immigrants will be able to have various views on immigration policy changes based on their immigration experiences.”
Opinions on pending political issues also exchanged.
Representative Strickland expressed concern over the recent Supreme Court ruling regarding the policy of President Donald Trump’s second administration.
“If the culture and atmosphere created by the president flow in the wrong direction, it can eventually lead to political violence,” he said. “Politics is not a cycle unit, but a long-lived fight.”
On the same day, Strickland also expressed his view on the conclusion of the Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations.
Asked whether the outcome of the negotiations was fair, he said, “If the two countries reached a deal, it means that they are equally satisfied and agree with each other,” adding, “As a result, I think it will produce good results for both countries.”
Seattle = Reporter Kim Kyung-joon