Taiwan-born Iwen Chu (曲怡文), the first female Asian American New York State senator, said she would continue to advocate for immigrant communities in her constituency if successfully re-elected in November.
In a recent interview with the Central News Agency, Chu, who is running in Brooklyn’s multiethnic 17th District, said that given that her district consists mainly of immigrants, voters care more about the provision of services than the competition between the Democratic and Republican parties at the national level.
Originally from Taiwan, 45-year-old Chu moved to New York aged 27 to study for a master’s degree.
Photo: CNA
She surprised many with her historic win in the New York State Senate election during the 2022 US midterm elections.
Her district, home to a long-established Cantonese-speaking Chinese community, also includes many new immigrants from China’s Fujian Province as well as voters with Taiwanese, Jewish, Italian or Eastern European background.
Her more than 10 years of service in the Brooklyn community, in which she witnessed the difficulties and challenges many immigrants face, motivated her to run in 2022, Chu said.
“I came here at 27, so I know the hardship of starting from scratch with just two suitcases. Everyone has fought hard to get where they are,” she added.
Although the drive from the 17th District to the state capital, Albany, typically takes five to six hours, Chu said she had agreed with her husband and daughter that this position requires a “complete commitment.”
“It’s all about commitment and the demands of the job. Even when I’m back from Albany, I wouldn’t be at home; I’d need to be out and about for constituency services,” she said.
After two years of shuttling between her district and Albany, Chu said she has made significant progress in terms of government resources, protecting victims and advocating for vulnerable families through legislation.
Prior to her election, Chu worked in the media industry in Taiwan and the US, and was former New York State Assembly member Peter Abbate’s chief of staff.
She said that the first “invisible barrier” immigrants face when communicating with government agencies when seeking access to services is an inability to fully express themselves.
Chu said the staff in her office speak a combined 13 languages.
“This was my initial promise [to voters]: I speak your language, let me speak for you,” she said.
In Chu’s district, 50 percent of people identify as Asian, 20 percent as Hispanic and 30 percent as white, including Jewish and Russian communities.
Chu said that political party issues are irrelevant in the district, as immigrants are more concerned about immediate concerns such as making ends meet and improving their lives.
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