Source: The New York Times
On February 13, 2004 The New York Times reported, "Contending that the growing influence of Asian-Americans, as well as issues that concern them, are being overlooked in an election year, a coalition of organizations that represent Asian-Americans announced on Thursday a unified platform intended to increase politicians' involvement with the ethnic group. The platform, dealing with issues like poverty, hate crimes and immigration changes, is intended to educate the parties and help Asian-Americans judge candidates.... Some Asian-American leaders have lamented the attention paid to other groups, saying the diversity among Asian-Americans — a mix that includes an array of languages, religions, cultures and partisan leanings — might make them harder to focus on than other groups. The unified platform, organizers said, should help bridge that gap... 'There is a growing realization among Asian Pacific-Americans that equal justice issues affect us all,' said Preetmohan Singh, national director of Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force."