Several more Asian American candidates were elected to positions in Chicago politics this year, ABC 7 Chicago reports.
There will be two Asian American female alderpersons (the term for city council members) this year. Nicole Lee will be the first Chinese American to represent Chicago’s 11th Ward. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth, elected to represent the 48th ward, will be the first Filipina on the city council.
“It just felt like history prepared for us this moment,” Manaa-Hoppenworth said, according to WBEZ.
“We’re preparing the stage and the curtains are about to be opened, and we are poised to represent a new day in Chicago. I’m very excited for that,” she added.
According to ABC 7 Chicago, the number of Asian Americans in the state legislature more than doubled this year. Rep. Hoan Huynh was elected to represent the 13th district, which encompasses several Chicago neighborhoods. She will be the first Vietnamese American in the legislature.
“We have to make sure that everyone has access to economic opportunity, that everyone has a fair shot in our state whether it’s education opportunity, healthcare opportunity, or economic opportunity,” Huynh said, according to ABC 7 Chicago.
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