By Jordan Dove, 2025 CLA Intern
We live in a frenetic political milieu. The momentum of dramatic policy changes on every level of government can be overwhelming, and for those ready and willing to get involved, it can be difficult to know where to begin. After my first two weeks at CAUSE, I feel much more sure-footed and ready to enter the fray.
CAUSE Founder Charlie Woo set the tone for the program from day one. He offered insight on the establishment of CAUSE and the ethos that continues to drive its nonpartisan mission: creating an infrastructure to give AAPIs political agency, ensuring AAPIs are informed voters with government representation, and mobilizing communities to advocate for their needs loudly and clearly. He distilled this to the simple but powerful idea that our communities should be included in the decision-making process, and should they be shut out, engage in the civic process of “making noise”. CAUSE operates under the principle that there are no permanent friends nor enemies, but instead permanent interests. While these interests are not uniform among the diverse AAPI diaspora, our speakers have shared this common desire for our communities to be included in decisions that affect them.
Throughout my first week at CAUSE, we heard from CLA alumni, former CAUSE staff, and collaborators, all of whom occupy different niches in the AAPI advocacy ecosystem. Their experiences have been essential in creating a holistic impression of community needs and the various work that can be done to address them.
Ben Tran and Sydney Pike, CLA alumni, act as translators between communities and policymakers, meeting communities where they are and coordinating responsive efforts to address their needs. Data fuels these efforts, and panelists that worked on the Invisibility is Killing Us report demonstrated how powerful tailoring data collection and processing for AAPI communities can be. Farrah Su, former CAUSE Senior Communications Manager, demonstrated that effective outreach campaigns can mobilize communities to impact rapidly evolving policy. These panelists put Charlie Woo’s vision of “making noise” into action, with powerful results.
At the LA City Charter Commission, my cohort was able to engage in this practice ourselves, standing behind Andrea Mac to support her selection as an LA City Charter Youth Commissioner. Participating in this moment allowed me to see the results of our demonstration in real time and truly understand our impact, and I’m excited to see Andrea take on this new role.
In listening to these steady voices, I have slowly been building my own. I want to have difficult conversations and approach them with the context of heritage. I want to listen to our communities, recognizing the specificity and variety of their needs and experiences. I want to get them in the rooms where decisions are being made and preserve their unity and ability to advocate from the outside. As I continue through CLA, I hope to explore these principles within our mock campaign, in the work I do at my host office, and amongst my cohort, because above all, I want to make noise.
The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not reflect the views or positions of CAUSE or the CAUSE network.
The CAUSE Leadership Academy (CLA) for students is a nine-week, paid, internship program that prepares college undergraduates to lead and advocate for the Asian Pacific Islander community on their campuses and beyond.