With Super Tuesday primaries just two weeks away, people want to know why their vote counts. HEM invited several veteran legislators, a longtime community leader, a council member, and a top election official to share examples of how ethnic votes in particular have led to real policy changes -- why being able to point to voter support is what empowers them.
Panelists:
Why the Ethnic Vote Matters– Elected Officials & Advocates Share Personal Stories.
AJ Durrani | ajdurrani@emgageusa.org
AJ Durrani is a Houston-area political grassroots community organizer and is one of the founding members of the national Emgage organization being its initial Board Chair and the founding Chair of Emgage-Texas where he is currently its Treasurer.
Mr. Durrani was elected to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) as a Super Delegate for the 2016-2020 term. He is the first Asian or Muslim elected to the DNC from Texas. He has served for over 10 years on the Texas State Democratic Executive Committee (SDEC).
He is one of the founders of the Islamic Education Institute of Texas (IEIT) which runs five full-time Islamic schools in the greater Houston area. He has held Board positions in the Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH) for over 10 years.
Mr. Durrani is also on the Board of Houston 80-20, an AAPI PAC that endorses candidates in political races in the greater Houston area, and is the current Endorsement Co-Chair.
By education and training, Mr. Durrani is a Petroleum Engineer. He retired from a management position in Shell Oil Company after 34 years of service.
Rep Gene Wu | gene@genefortexas.com
State Representative Gene Wu proudly serves the people of District 137 in the Texas House. Prior to being elected in 2012, he served as a prosecutor in the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, where he sought justice for thousands of crime victims. Gene is currently an attorney in private practice.
Since being elected State Representative, Gene has maintained a focus on improving the lives of Texas children. Gene has authored numerous pieces of legislation supporting greater justice for juveniles; specifically fighting the school to prison pipeline and passing comprehensive CPS reform. Gene has also been appointed to the Texas Access to Justice Commission, and the Texas State Child Fatality Review Team.
Now in his 6th term, Gene has been appointed to serve on the Appropriations Committee, and sits on the subcommittee on Article II which is responsible for the funding of health and human services programs. Gene also serves on the Juvenile Justice and Family Issues Committee bringing his expert knowledge and professional experience to help represent kids and families across Texas.
Outside his legislative work, Gene remains active and involved in the Houston community. Gene currently serves on community advocacy organization boards such as the OCA-Greater Houston Advisory Board, the Chinese Community Center Advisory Board, and the Baker-Ripley Neighborhood Centers Advisory Committee. As an attorney, Gene serves as a Guardian Ad-Litem representing minors in court in either criminal or CPS cases. Additionally, Gene is passionate in supporting young people becoming active in civic roles, and is a proud advocate for the AAPI community across Texas and the nation.
Gene grew up in the Southwest Houston neighborhood of Sharpstown. He earned his Bachelors of Science Degree from Texas A&M University, a Master’s Degree from the LBJ School for Public Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin, and a Law Degree from the South Texas College of Law in Houston.
Gene and his wife, Miya, reside in Southwest Houston. They are the proud parents of two sons, Winston and Lyndon.
Jeffrey L. Boney | jboney1@gmail.com
Jeffrey L. Boney has been a resident of Missouri City since 2000. Jeffrey and his wife, Sharwin, have been married for over 20 years, and have raised their three children in the Quail Green subdivision, while running a successful business headquartered in Missouri City.
Jeffrey is the past president of the Quail Green Homeowners’ Association and has served on the Missouri City Community Development Advisory Committee since 2012, where he is past Vice-Chair. As a former bank executive with Washington Mutual Bank for over 11 years, along with being the former President and CEO of the Houston Citizens Chamber of Commerce (now known as the Greater Houston Black Chamber or GHBC), and founder of the Texas Business Alliance, Jeffrey has assisted countless small businesses in capital planning, business expansion and has led initiatives connecting large corporations to the services of small business owners, including creating the Youth Entrepreneurship Academy, which is a small business incubator to help teenagers start new businesses.
Jeffrey has a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from Texas Southern University and an Honorary Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Juliana King University. He has served as an Adjunct Professor, in the school of Business Administration at Houston Community College, and in addition to his many endeavors, Jeffrey serves as Associate Editor, and is a nationally award-winning journalist for the historic Houston Forward Times newspaper. Jeffrey serves as the host of his own radio show, and is a frequent contributor on CNN Headline News, being regularly featured on the "Nancy Grace Show" and "Primetime Justice with Ashleigh Banfield," and is a dynamic, international speaker with a no-nonsense approach to business and leadership development, community engagement and economic empowerment.
Penny Morales Shaw | Pennyshawhtx@gmail.com
State Representative Penny Morales Shaw is an attorney in Houston, Texas, where she represents the 148th District in the Texas House of Representatives, which includes parts of Spring Branch, Garden Oaks / Oak Forest, Carverdale, and Cypress-Fairbanks. During the 87th Legislative Session, Penny served on the House Committee on Environmental Regulation and the House Committee on Urban Affairs. For her accomplishments as a legislator, she was awarded "Freshman of the Year" by the Mexican American Legislative Caucus. She is a member of the House Innovation & Technology Caucus, the House LGBTQ Caucus, the Legislative Study Group, the Mexican-American Legislative Caucus (MALC), the Texas Legislative Ports Caucus, the Texas Women’s Health Caucus, and a founding member of both the Democratic Progressive Caucus and the House Caucus on Climate, Environment, and the Energy Industry.
Penny is a native Houstonian, attended Houston public schools, and has lived in northwest Houston for the past ten years, where she raised four successful children as a single mother while managing her multi-state law practice.
Penny understands the challenges that face working families and this shapes the passion and pragmatism that drive her advocacy: from serving as an attorney at NAACP legal clinics early in her career, to fighting for passage of the International Violence Against Women Act, to her role as Deputy Chief for Harris County Commissioner, Precinct 2, where she oversaw policy and legislative affairs.
Penny is honored to bring this breadth of experience as the State Representative for District 148 in the Texas House of Representatives.
Teneshia Hudspeth | info@teneshiaforcountyclerk.com
Teneshia has been with the County Clerk’s office for more than 16 years and has served under four County Clerks. She began her career as a Mickey Leland Congressional Intern and went on to work in the County Clerk’s Office as the Public Affairs Administrative Assistant and six positions later was elected Harris County Clerk.
Clerk Hudspeth earned her degree in Communications at Texas Southern University. She is also a graduate of the Leadership Houston (Class 34) and the Women’s Campaign School at Yale University. Clerk Hudspeth is currently the 1st Vice President of the Houston Chapter of Women Professionals in Government and Serves as 2nd Vice President for the Executive Board of the International Association of Government Officials; however, these are only a few of the many community organizations she supports. Clerk Hudspeth’s innate desire to serve the community through volunteer work and leadership positions has taught her that service
WHAT: At the "Why the Ethnic Vote Matters" virtual briefing, organized by Houston Ethnic Media, influential figures from Harris County and Fort Bend discussed the critical role of the ethnic vote in upcoming elections. This event showcased personal stories and insights from elected officials and advocates, underscoring the significant influence of ethnic communities in shaping the political future.
QUOTES:
Teneshia Hudspeth, Harris County Clerk, Texas:
"Right now, out of 2.5 million registered voters, only over 30,000 have voted early in person and by mail in the state of Texas."
"What's most important is getting voters activated to understand that this is just one election that continues throughout the entire year until we get to November."
State Representative Gene Wu, District 137 in the Texas House:
"Fort Bend was broadly controlled by Republicans and by old white dudes for the entire history of Fort Bend. And then all of a sudden, African American community, Asian community, Latino community rose up and said, ‘enough!’"
"Ever since COVID our community has seen an unprecedented rise in antiasian hate crimes. Violence against our community has gone up 700%."
"We will come together as a coalition, and we will vote."
Jeffrey L. Boney, City Councilmember, Missouri City, Texas:
"In one of my subdivisions called Vicksburg, for many years, the residents in that area, particularly the African Americans, wanted their street names changed. One of the street names in Missouri City in that subdivision was named after the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, Nathan Bedford Forrest."
I got with our city attorney, and I realized that we had an ordinance in place about street name changes, where you had to get 90% of the residents on that street to sign a petition."
"If you're not at the table, you're on the menu."
State Representative Penny Morales Shaw, 148th District in the Texas House of Representatives:
“No vote, no voice.”
"In my election, I had five races... and ultimately I won by 200 votes."
"If your vote didn't really matter, there wouldn't be all of this aggressive legislation to curtail voting."
AJ Durrani, Treasurer, EMGAGE-TX:
"In the 2020 election in Georgia, Biden won by 12,000 votes. 61,000 Muslims had voted. If they had not voted in his favor, he may not have won Georgia."
"Don't sit out this election. Work and vote now."
"The Muslim vote can be a swing factor, the margin of victory, and more so in these elections."
~HIGH VIDA MEDIA ~
High Vida Media was delighted to participate in this press briefing, recognizing the pivotal role of community engagement in initiating positive change through voting. By fostering a well-informed community, we empower ourselves to make a difference, ensuring that our next generation can confidently stand up and voice their concerns when injustice prevails!!
~High Vida Media~ Bringing you information and Awareness to the city and the community!!! Blessings And Peace Be With You All!!
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