Asian Youth Voice Concerns with Congressmen on the Hill

Kaiyu Wen, an eleventh grader at Poolesville High School, had three Advanced Placement (AP) tests the next day. The scores would be crucial for his dream college, the University of Pennsylvania. Despite this, he was determined to join a special Capitol Hill visit, even though it meant missing school and a full day of preparation for his AP tests.

In early May, 20 Asian American teenagers from several counties in Washington, D.C.’s suburbs attended a special in-depth tour of Capitol Hill, visiting Senators and two Representatives from Maryland in the US Congress. They had deep conversations with the Congressmen and shared their concerns about the nation's politics from the perspectives of Asian youth.

The Dongbei Association of Greater Washington (DAGW) organized the special visit. Jie Sun, DAGW's Honored President, said they aimed to encourage younger generations of the AAPI community to get more involved in US politics and policymaking through such initiatives.

Wen, though only 16, has been following these Congressmen for years through news and social media. He even occasionally reviews their past voting records and checks the bills they sponsor. But this visit was his first chance to talk to federal legislators in person. It left him with impressions different from just reading about them in the news.

“I think it's really easy to be pessimistic about government just (by) looking at the news today. And I think that talking to them and having a one-on-one conversation really gives me hope for the future of the US government,” Wen said that he viewed the visit as an extension of the civic lessons he learned in the classroom.

During the visit, young participants asked the Congressmen various questions, from youth mental health to foreign affairs, like the war in Gaza. Many were particularly interested in internship opportunities on the Hill. In response, Rep. Trone's staff invited a current intern, a sophomore from American University, to share his experience.

Sun said he was very impressed by the in-depth interactions between the Asian youth and the Congressmen. The experience exceeded his expectations and made him proud.

Maryland State Delegate Lily Qi connected the DAGW with the Congressmen and provided a training session to help the teenagers prepare questions through research ahead of the visit.

Qi said the special Capitol Hill visit would be meaningful for Asian American students who are interested in learning about government and policymaking “ to learn about democracy, to meet their representatives from the State of Maryland, and to start thinking about how they can be more involved in their communities or maybe even see themselves in the images of these representatives.“

The Asian American community has historically been inactive in politics and civic activities. As the first Chinese-born state legislator in Maryland, Qi has been working to encourage more civic engagement among Asian Americans for decades, even before she ran for office.

Besides inspiring AAPI youth’s interest in politics, Qi emphasized the important role parents in AAPI families play. She said that local elected officials like her could only be a bridge. Genuine civic engagement “has to come from the community,” said Qi. “It is really a journey, not a sprint,” she added.