January 12, 2022
Honorable State Rep. Reggie Smith
Capitol Office: Room E1.312
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
reggie.smith@house.texas.gov
Honorable State Rep. Reggie Smith
300 N. Travis St., Suite 3
Sherman, Texas 75090
Re: Discrimination against Asian Pacific Americans
Dear Honorable Representative Smith:
Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Francine Ly and I am the Chairwoman of NAAPAC’s Election Monitoring Committee. The mission of National Asian American Political Action Committee (NAAPAC) is simply to winning equal opportunity and justice for all Asian Americans through a SWING bloc vote, ideally directing 80% of our community’s votes and money to the presidential candidate endorsed by the NAAPAC who better represents the interests of all APAs.
In addition to supporting presidential candidates, we monitor the policy initiatives, legislative activity, and the conduct of elected representatives, which negatively impacts the Asian Pacific American community, in an effort to discourage discrimination against Asian Pacific Americans (APA). We diligently identify and report serious anti-APA acts and derogatory references to APA in the media, in government, in business, and in public or private organizations.
It is my duty to bring to your attention the recent article relating to your opponent’s discriminatory rhetoric towards our AAPI community. (See: https://www.texastribune.org/2022/01/07/shelley-luther-chinese-students-texas/).
As an elected official, and as a public servant, you are sworn to serve your district fully, no matter the make-up of your constituency and regardless of who calls your office for assistance. It is my purpose today to inquire of you as to whether or not you and your party embrace the rhetoric espoused in the article and, if not, then be so kind as to advise us of when we may expect from your office, an open, public, and strong condemnation of such reprehensible and divisive thoughts.
Sincerely,
Francine Ly,
Election Monitoring Committee Chair
NAAPAC Executive Committee
info@naapac.org